Roald Dahl said that “the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places,” and Secretly Y’all—the storytelling series held every other month at Balliceaux—is proof that he was right.

Secretly Y’all came to Richmond in 2010, having launched in Charlottesville by friends of current hosts Kathleen Brady and Colin King. “They passed us the torch,” says King. “All stories have to be true, you have a time limit, and there are no notes…that’s the foundation.”

The magic lies in the series’ open format. Each event starts with a theme—“The River” was a recent topic—and anyone with a story to share can submit a proposal via email. Chosen tellers then have five to seven minutes to make Balliceaux their own “unlikely place.”

For Brady, those minutes are about connecting as much as entertaining. “There’s definitely a stage area, but it’s pretty much on the same level as the audience. One of the main things about the event is that it’s not a performance. It’s a very personal and intimate event, so there’s not a lot of demarcation between the teller and the audience.”

In fact, some of the most meaningful moments Brady has experienced—both at Balliceaux and at special sessions that have been held for WRIR and VMFA—are hidden between the stories that are told. “One of my favorite things is, during intermission and after the event has actually finished, milling about in the room and hearing everybody go and talk to people who have told stories. I can hear people [say], ‘Yeah that story was really cool. It reminds me of this one time…’ The fact that it creates these conversations beyond the event itself is one of my favorite parts.”

The next Secretly Y’all event will be held on November 10th; the theme is “Plot Twist.”