For Moth, they let it fly

On Thursday, Boston audiences will have a chance to see for themselves at the Tsai Performance Center. The Moth Mainstage is an offshoot of The Moth, a New York-based nonprofit whose events have become the hottest ticket on New York’s downtown scene. The group’s radio show, which was launched in August and airs locally on WBUR, has already been picked up by more than 200 stations.

“We look for people who have a wide range of life experiences, who are not afraid to dive into the scary, embarrassing, uncomfortable and funny parts of that experience,’’ said Sarah Austin Jenness, director of production. “Audiences really respond to that.’’

Now 12 years old, The Moth hosts regular events in New York, where aspiring storytellers throw their names in a hat and may or may not be chosen to tell their tales. But Jenness said that The Moth Mainstage is curated and directed.

“We try to help the storyteller create a balance between craft and raw emotion,’’ she said. “It should feel like you’re telling the story to your best friend at the kitchen table over a glass of wine. We have at least 10 people who seek out storytellers, people who’ve told a great story at a party or whatever, and they pass on the gems to us. We work with the storytellers on shaping and tightening the dramatic arc.’’

In New York, storytelling nights have included such celebrities as actor Ethan Hawke, musician Moby, and actress and talk-show host Rosie O’Donnell. At their best, Jenness said, they are able to confound an audience’s expectations by revealing some unexpected side of their personality.

Finding the right group of people and stories means the final lineup selection can come down to the wire.

“In addition to the polished storytellers, we talk and listen to a host of everyman types with good stories to tell,’’ Jenness said. “It’s all about creating the right balance for the evening.’’

In Boston, three of The Moth’s New York voices will be joined by three Boston-based storytellers who will tell stories around the theme of “Rush: Stories of Ticking Clocks.’’ The idea, said Jenness, is that you never know how much time you have with someone.

The evening’s host will be “Daily Show’’ regular and Massachusetts native Tom Shillue, a stand-up comedian. The New York storytellers include Boris Timanovsky, a Russian émigré and software developer, and Sherman “O.T.’’ Powell, a former pickpocket. The Boston storytellers include scientist Irene Pepperberg.

Pepperberg is the author of “Alex and Me’’ (2008), a book about the 30 years she spent as a communications researcher, and the deep relationship she developed with her subject, an African gray parrot named Alex.

The Moth sought her out for a story.

“As part of my book tour, I had been giving hourlong talks about my work with Alex, and the barrier I had put between us because of the need for scientific objectivity,’’ Pepperberg said. “While I was in New York at the World Science Festival in June, people from The Moth asked if they could work with me to condense the talk to a 12-minute narrative.’’

Pepperberg, who has research and teaching affiliations with Harvard and Brandeis universities, said she gives different variations on her talk depending on her audience.

“When I speak to scientists, my work is data-driven,’’ she said. “They have no need to hear about my personal life. When I speak to pet owners, I talk about parrots’ need for stimulating and enriched environments because of their intelligence.’’

But The Moth was particularly interested in how Pepperberg dealt with her loss when Alex died.

“I treated Alex like a colleague,’’ said Pepperberg, who has shared her tale with New York Moth fans. “I did not think I was emotionally involved. But after he died, all those emotions I’d had bottled up for 30 years came to the surface.’’