In Defense of Embarrassing Yourself in Public

A microphone stands on stage, bathed in blue light. The audience hums and shifts in their seats. Backstage, Scott takes a swig of water to steady himself. “I’m gonna throw up again,” he says, laughing, towards the beginning of the documentary Mortified Nation. Soon, he’ll walk out, blink through the glare, and read excerpts from his childhood diaries.

“Mortified,” a performance series, print anthology, and podcast, invites participants to excavate their childhood ephemera, sculpt it into a narrative, and deliver it to an audience. Since 2002, live shows—some of which are captured in the documentary—have been held throughout the U.S. and Europe, including Oslo, Portland, Boston, Helsinki, and Dublin. They often take place in performance venues or bars, and occasionally outdoor festivals—including one in New York City where participants, baring their vulnerability on stage, looked out at a sea of nudists.