Tay Glass says almost anyone can be the villain.

The vice president of Story Fest and co-founder of Back Pocket Media says the company’s third annual installment in Detroit is bound to be something special. This year, they invite visitors to explore this year’s theme, “Villains: stories about what we fear, what we misunderstand, and what we become.”

Featuring a litany of award-winning journalists, comedians, local artists and storytellers at the Detroit Opera House, the live performance shows off writers and performers from across metro Detroit.

“The ways in which stories are told are as diverse as what the stories themselves are about. From true crime to comedy, politics to poetics, Story Fest invites you to experience a brief and piercing look into the soul of the city,” the company says on its website.

Glass tells The Metro that while villainy can fly under the classic trope of good versus evil, sometimes you can be the villain, too.

“This could be small scale stuff, like hogging the arm rest on a long haul flight. We have one storyteller sharing an amazing story about working a summer job at Rent-A-Center and realizing, ‘Oh, shoot, maybe I’m the villain here.’”

StoryFest starts at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8 at the Detroit Opera House. Tickets available on Story Fest website.

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