United Solo Theatre Festival Spring 2023

Now in its second decade, United Solo Theatre Festival, the world’s largest solo theatre festival, continues to amaze and delight audiences with its annual offering of exceptional solo plays from across the country & around the world. Our artists this season delve into a variety of topics from personal family stories to allegories for the issues facing our world today. Using drama, comedy, music, poetry, movement and spoken word, our shows open the door to new worlds and new ways of thinking about life and theatre.

“This annual festival has, over more than 10 years, brought hundreds of solo productions to New York stages from around the world. Theater, dance, improv and other forms will be presented live onstage but the festival will also include additional offerings through a virtual platform, United Solo Screen”
–Steven McElroy, The New York Times

“Whether it’s comedy, drama, new work, or new adaptations you’re looking for, United Solo performances are fascinating to take in and inexpensive to attend”
–Jack Smart, Backstage

“The event, as well as bringing theatre-makers together, invites theatres and producers to discover original scripts and performers”
–Olivia Clement, Playbill

 

Schedule of Events

An Evening With Florence Nightingale: The Reluctant Celebrity
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Written & performed by Candy Campbell
Direction by Bobby Weinapple

A character portrayal of that eponymous polymath, iconic founder of the nursing profession, champion for women’s rights, and general positive deviant, based on Nightingale’s own writings. Campbell navigates questions of balance, faith and social reform, transitioning effortlessly between seminal characters and events in this biographical journey of one of history’s most influential women.

 

An Endless Shift 
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Written by Gloria Alcalà, Alma Davenport, Matthew Wright
Performed by Gloria Alcalá
Direction by Matthew Wright

A tribute to the everyday heroes who were confronted with what would become the longest shift of their lives, AN ENDLESS SHIFT is a verbatim, documentary style play derived entirely from interviews with healthcare professionals of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gloria Alcalá embodies and voices frontline heroes from around the country – as they recount their experiences in their own words.

 

Delusions and Grandeur 
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Written & performed by Karen Hall

In a classical cello recital meets performance art clown show, Karen Hall skillfully walks the line between artistry and insanity. Featuring Suite Number One in G Major by JS Bach and personal comedic pieces crafted in Idiot classes, Karen fuses in a healthy dose of pathos as she tackles identity, expectations, and success through the eyes of a fool.

 

Hung in the Gloom 
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Written & performed by Kristopher Victoria
Direction by Alejandro Victoria

Bound to thrill even the most cynical of spectators, HUNG IN THE GLOOM is a gripping first-hand account served up by THE BOY, recently hired to work for the “FIRST EVER GAY BAR TO OFFICIALLY OPEN” in his small Texas town. A must for those who revere (and/or revile) the works of Tennessee Williams and Queer literature classics.

 

Losing my Religion
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Written & performed by Laura Ekstrand
Direction by Jason Szamreta

In this highly personal story, a woman takes us from her childhood as an observant Catholic to the present, when she is…not. Her father’s death sends her on a humorous, emotional journey through her history. Ultimately, she sees more clearly how she got from there to here, and what might fill the space that’s left after losing her religion.

 

The Chess Player 
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Written & performed by Richard McElvain

Imprisoned in solitary confinement by Nazis, The Prisoner inches toward delirium. A book of chess games allows The Prisoner to cling to sanity…until they become too familiar. Fighting madness, he chooses self-imposed schizophrenia, surviving by dividing his mind into two feuding chess masters in Richard McElvain’s reimagining of Stefan Zweig’s classic. “…Absolute must see…”, “Mesmerizing”, “Superb”.

 

NEXT!!! auditions are not for the faint of heart 
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Written & directed by Amanda Bothma
Performed by Dikelo Mamiala

Is this the right song to impress? STEP, KICK, KICK, TOUCH, TURN my feet hurt, I am a sweaty mess…5-6-7-8… I need this break …NEXT!!! In this roller coaster ride of heartache and hope, Relebogilethata bounces from one audition to the next, performing popular Broadway numbers to powerful isiXhosa songs by Miriam Makeba. ANYTHING to avoid the dreaded Next!!!

 

t)re(equilt 
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I Came Back For Molly 
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Written & performed by Molly Carden
Direction by Abigail Zealey

I Came Back For Molly is an autobiographical solo show which deals with suicidality, quarantine, and what it means to move forward. It’s a rollercoaster ride that moves around in time and place, between psychiatric hospitals, Starbucks, and drama school, finding motion within stillness and levity and humor in strange and dark places.

 

Things I Know Now… 
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Written & performed by Nikki MacCallum
Direction by Kevin Moon Loh

Nikki MacCallum’s “Things I Know Now” is a mix of standup and original comedy songs that will teach you everything you’d wish you’d known before reaching adulthood. From learning how to argue with an airline, to the perils of juice cleanses and coping with loss, this show will make you laugh and maybe even clarify what a mortgage is.

 

Tom Shillue: Spontaneous Combustion
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Written & performed by Tom Shillue

We all tell stories about our life. But did you ever get used to telling a story a certain way, and then come across some surprising new information that changes the ending? In Spontaneous Combustion, Tom tells funny stories while solving some long-hidden family mysteries.

 

Macbeth’s Lady Shaman 
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Written & performed by Jiyoung Choi

Didn’t Macbeth say it? “Life’s but a walking Shadow.” Lady shaman struggles to control her mind when her stepbrother M, from whom she separated 20 years ago, visits her holy place. Her story begins with the dance which says more than a words. When she sees M’s future and his pursuit of power, she is tormented by M whom she once loved being destroyed by his restless greed. Music ,Dance and her consoling human story will resonate with you. After looking back M’s life, she will make a decision at the end….

 

You Better Call Your Mother
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Written & performed by Mitchell Anderson
Direction by Courtenay Collins

Actor/chef Mitchell Anderson spent his early adulthood trying to live partially in and out of the Hollywood closet. His spontaneous decision to “come out” at the 1996 GLAAD Awards changed his life. This is the story of how he went from the closet to the kitchen and wound up finding happiness, true love, and respect along the way.

 

Tales of Tila 
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Written & performed by Carolyn Chatwin Murset

Travel back in time musically with Tila Trujillo to Taos, New Mexico during the early 1900’s. She survived two World Wars, the Spanish Flu Epidemic and the Great Depression, all while raising ten children and getting better at making tortillas! Get your Spanglish on! She’ll translate for you along the way!

 

Once Upon A Kidney
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Written & performed by Amy Witry
Direction by Shelby Stockton

Amy Witry reunites with her college boyfriend and donates her left kidney to him. This story shares the highs and lows of their love story and organ exchange, with a side of grief.

 

Ann and Me: or The Big Bad Abortion Play
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Written & performed by Jessica Bashline
Direction by Margaret M. Ledford

Almost 10 years ago Jessica Bashline found herself on a journey, discovering the truth about the history of reproductive rights in Pre-Roe United States. Learning about the past allowed her to confront her own present, and ask questions about our future.
As we stare down a post-Dobbs world… what do we do now?

 

TAL – An Award Winning Dance-Theatre
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Written & performed by Tal Levy Cohen

An award winning international original dance-theatre performance. Follows the story of a girl-woman-dancer’s experiences with the eating disorder bulimia, and the way she healed through learning psychology and expressive arts therapy.

 

Breathing Lessons for People Who Hate Being Told How to Breathe
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Written & performed by Stephanie Woods

Breathing Lessons is an attempt to map potentially arbitrary things, just in case. It winds back and forth in time in a web of storytelling in order to get at the core of the relationships that have brought color to a life and the addiction that has drained it. When there’s no beginning or ending where do you start?

 

Tales of a Blerd Ballerina
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Written & Performed by Valoneecia Tolbert
Direction by Florinda Bryant

A choreopoem told with humor, dance, and music, Tales of a Blerd Ballerina centers on the Blerd superhero. Delving into cultural pride and yearning in a world that often limits Black identity, this dynamic new theatrical work weaves concepts from the Afro-Diaspora and style of Jazz Aesthetics into stories of growing up as an Awkward child of the 90s.

 

SPADURA
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Written & performed by Dahéli Hall

Writer/Comedian Dahéli Hall takes on the “baby industrial complex” with a show about her f*** up journey trying to get knocked up. In it she proudly reps her island family: from her Haitian and Jamaican parents to her Filipino husband. Through a mix of stand-up, storytelling and props – SPADURA is a raucous ride about going after seemingly impossible dreams.

 

 

Woman On A Ledge
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Adapted for the stage by Hershey Felder based on the writings Rita Costanzi
Performed by Rita Costanzi

Rita Costanzi’s life story explores the vulnerabilities experienced as a female musician torn between the needs of her Artist’s Soul and those of her husband and children. Integrating solo harp music and theatrical performance, WOMAN ON A LEDGE is a story of love, devotion, conflict and loss, all set to some of the most beautiful music ever composed.

 

Hold Still 
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Written & performed by Susan Kuralt
Direction by Kim Chinh

When confronted with a disturbing family secret, a grandmother, mother and daughter must make a choice to break the silence that holds them captive or cling to the family’s cherished illusion of happiness.

 

The Handmaid’s Dianetics Episode 1 
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Written & performed by Joyce Miller
Direction by Janet Bently

Ofhubbard is kicked out of the Church for having a lesbian awakening, only to discover that she is not gay and merely experiencing past life gender confusion-but not only was she a man in her previous lifetime…she was Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.

 

The Jackie Smook Program of De-Dumb-Ification 
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Written by Jackie Smook & Jackson Zinn-Rowthorne
Performed by Jackie Smook
Direction by Jackson Zinn-Rowthorne

Chicago creative Jackie Smook (American Idol, Second City, Chicago Fire, Parade the Musical), along with a gaggle of her own expertly crafted puppets, put on a show that everyone will adore. It is a reflection of becoming a woman, through the grueling trials and tribulations of finding internal worth and learning how to not take yourself too seriously. Smook will uncover the secrets of her own de-dumb-ification, so that you too can de-dumb-ify into the high achieving human you were always meant to me!

 

She Has Wings/United Solo Gala 
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Written & performed by Wendy-Lane Bailey

A gala two act evening celebrating United Solo’s fourteenth season at Theatre Row. Act one is a performance created especially for United Solo by Artistic Director Omar Sangare and Assistant Artistic Director Wendy-Lane Bailey featuring the music of composer Michele Brourman and dedicated to the bravery, creativity and artistry of our festival participants. Act II is our awards ceremony which honors the best in live performances from our Spring festival and on-screen performances from our Solo Screen streaming service.

 

Life’s Rich Pageant
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Written by Susan McCue
Performed by Rich Gustafson

In Life’s Rich Pageant, Richard Gustafson recounts his wildly unconventional upbringing in ‘70s Brooklyn and ‘80s Jersey Shore as his parents descend into drug addiction and New York’s gay underground. He faces abuse, neglect and unthinkable tragedy all while trying to be a normal kid. In the end, he knows what he needs to do to move past childhood trauma. But can he?

 

I Need a Hero
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Written & Performed by Kayla Engeman

I Need A Hero is a multi-media, dance filled, one woman musical comedy revue which illustrates all the ways in which Kayla needs to be rescued. The show progresses through a list of trivial and serious grievances to hit on themes of grief, anxiety, death, dating, family, friendship, childhood dreams, and trauma. Prepare to laugh and cry interchangeably.

 

An Otherwise Magical Life 
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Written & performed by Karen Burns

One Rockette’s whimsical, yet traumatic story of survival, success, brokenness, and how a ridiculous sense of humor magically saved her life. Again and again. Through storytelling, music, and a few pas de bourree’s Karen Burns invites us into her life. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be glad it wasn’t you.

 

Strung Up at the Airport 
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Written & performed by Azadeh Kangarini

Strung Up at the Airport is the story of a woman from Iran who shares her memories of being at different airports in different countries and her struggles with police officers because of her Iranian passport. Her encounters with people at different airports make her revise her approach and judgments of other nationalities. Through those encounters, she also questions her identity and tries to find an answer.

 

5150…A Musical
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Written & performed by Jenna-Rose Hannah
Direction by Juliette Jeffers

5150…A Musical is about a young woman coming to terms with her voice and doing anything she can to heal herself in this world. This show explores the highs and lows of her family, friends and career, and how it led to a time where her mental health was at a breaking point.

 

So She Married a Guido
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Written & performed by Guido Cocomello
Direction by Tony Calabretta

Through stories, footage, and music, actor/comedian Guido Cocomello (Being the Ricardos, Ford vs Ferrari, Just for Laughs, and more) explores how meeting his wife and his father’s death influenced his life. So She Married a Guido is a feast for the senses that has had audiences howling at cultural differences and wanting to hold their loved ones closer.

 

Food Service
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Written & performed by Bella Florence
Direction by Sarah Cuneo, Anita Castillo-Halvorssen, and Steven San Luis

What is food? What is service? What is food service? These are the questions patrons are invited to consider over the course of an evening at Bella’s.

* This production utilizes Peanut Butter on stage. If you have questions or concerns about allergens, please contact boxoffice@theatrerow.org.

 

Blackout: A One Woman Show
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Written & performed by Hailey Henderson

Grab a cold beer and a sunflower and settle in. In “Blackout,” Hailey Henderson takes on the role of her ex-boyfriend, her abuser, her Title IX coordinator and more in an unflinching reclamation of her survivor story. With “brilliant comic timing and an excellent script,” this breathless performance invites you out of hiding and into the light.

 

Too Fat For China
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Written & performed by Phoebe Potts

TOO FAT FOR CHINA follows Phoebe Potts, comic storyteller and professional Jew, as she tries to adopt a baby. After a US adoption goes horribly wrong, Potts is resigned to the role she plays as a middle class white lady navigating the international adoption business. Potts’ tragicomic journey is a story of the terrible things she did for love.

 

Leni’s Last Lament
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Written by Gil Kofman
Performed by Jodie Markell
Direction by Richard Caliban

In Gil Kofman’s Leni’s Last Lament, Obie Award winning actress Jodie Markell resurrects Leni Riefenstahl in this smart, insightful, hilarious wild ride, where the notorious filmmaker attempts to re-edit and whitewash her Nazi past.

 

El Mundo es una Planta Carnivora/ The World is a Carnivorous Plant
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Written by Valeria Fabbri & Maria Kemp
Performed by Maria Kemp
Direction by VALERIA FABBRI

This is a self-fictional monologue performed by Maria Kemp, told through body percussion, tap and Mexican sign language, inspired by the character of Lavinia from the tragedy “Titus Andronicus” by William Shakespeare. From the transit of this character, Maria asks herself “If I could speak again for a day… what would I say?” showing the desire of how happy she -but also Lavinia, but also anyone- would like to be… at this end of the world.

 

The Miseducation of Ms Freeman
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Written & performed by Alaina Freeman

Ms. Freeman comes to the realization that the wonderful world of teaching is not just about curriculums, short work days and summer breaks, but in making a difference in the lives of the children before you. Its not a teaching experience but a human one.

Teaching literally is a one person show.