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[NoHo Arts District, CA] – This month’s Soaring Solo blog focuses on “A Celebration of the LA Women’s Theatre Festival” March 23 – 26, 2023.
“I am a woman phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, that’s me.” Maya Angelou
I recall being in my 20s and living in New York City where I had been performing my first solo show Oblivious To Everyone for several years on 42nd Street. I absolutely loved the Big Apple, however the West Coast was starting to whisper to me and I listened. In my research of the West Coast theatre scene, I discovered the Los Angeles Womens’ Theatre Festival.
As I read their mission statement, I resonated so deeply with their purpose on this planet:
“The Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival (LAWTF) empowers women artists to engage and inspire communities through the production of multidisciplinary solo performances and educational outreach. The Annual Festival honors the achievement of extraordinary women in theatre.”
Deeply moved by this non profit, I submitted Oblivious To Everyone to be considered for the March festival and excitedly hoped for their approval!
Alas, I was rejected and was super disappointed.
However, I did not let that initial “NO” stop me from getting involved with this outstanding organization. Upon moving to Los Angeles in 2009, I sought out a volunteer position with the festival and was warmly welcomed into their community.
As I witnessed the prowess and professionalism of all of the women who partook in LAWTF, I was able to polish my own craft and submit again. This time I got in!
Now, nearly 14 years later, I have performed both of my solo shows with the festival, volunteered many, many hours behind the scenes, directed solo artists to share their stories on the LAWTF stage, benefited and learned from the mentorship of festival co-founder Adilah Barnes, sat on both the Board and the Advisory Board lending my insights, and even had the honor of helping to select performers as part of the Submission Screening Panel many years in a row.
All to say, LAWTF is a nonprofit that is very near and dear to my heart and I want to celebrate them in this month’s blog and draw your attention to all of the exciting things they are up to as we bring 2022 to a close and embark upon 2023 solo theatre adventures.
This is an organization that you will certainly want to get involved with no matter what gender you are!
- Wine Down Wednesday
LAWTF’s “Wine Down Wednesday” is taking place Wednesday, December 28 at 7 p.m. PDT.
This annual event celebrates the holiday season and brings closure to our year-end fundraising efforts as we gear up for LAWTF’s 30th Anniversary Festival March 23 – 26, 2023.
This “Wine Down Wednesday” holiday gathering will include engaging performers, a time to come together as a community to celebrate another successful year over food and drinks, to contribute to our giving efforts, and participate in our exciting traditional raffle!
- The 30th Year Anniversary of the LA Women’s Theatre Festival Gala & Performances!
Over the course of the last 30 years, LAWTF’s 4-day, 6-program Annual Festival has presented nearly 700 solo performers from around the globe, including performers from Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, France, The Netherlands, Russia, and India, and disciplines that include theatre, dance, storytelling, performance poetry, performance art, song, music, and stand-up comedy. LAWTF is committed to reflecting the progressive attitude of Los Angeles by bringing audiences a lineup of performers who represent our larger community, and are diverse in age, ethnicity, and culture. Be sure to catch the 2023 lineup between March 23rd and 26th. For tickets and more information please visit www.LAWTF.org
- LAWTF Kickstarter Campaign!
If you are feeling inspired by everything you just read and how important this organization is, then I encourage you to contribute whatever you can to their end-of-the-year Kickstarter Campaign.
LAWTF’s goal is to raise at least $13,030 by December 31st, 2022. Funding from this 2022 Kickstarter Campaign will go to our 30th Anniversary Festival: “A TOAST TO 30!” and other 2023 programming.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lawtf/los-angeles-womens-theatre-festivals-30th-anniversary/description
Hopefully, this month’s blog gave you a little insight into this fabulous festival! I hope you will get involved just like I did and it will make a huge impact in your life and in your art, just like it did mine.
Being a Solo Artist is not easy, but it is so rewarding. It may not be easy, but it is so worth it!
Jessica Lynn Johnson
Founder and CEO of Soaring Solo LLC
SoaringSoloArtist@gmail.com
Enjoy these Solo Theatre Resources to further guide you on your solo journey!
Solo STARS
Tune in and Support the Soaring Solo Community as we share our stories from stage in multiple festivals Internationally. We are about to have ENCORES of the Soaring Solo STARS Series in February and jump into SOLOFEST at Whitefire Theatre from JANUARY thru MARCH! You do NOT want to miss these incredible shows.
Award-winning director and developer, Jessica Lynn Johnson, hosts a slew of powerful solo show script readings and full-staged productions addressing various impactful and inspiring topics.
This enticing lineup can be found by CLICKING HERE FOR MORE INFO.
Start writing your own Solo Show one Freewrite at a time with “FREEWrite Friday”!
Join BEST NATIONAL SOLO ARTIST WINNER Jessica Lynn Johnson for FREEWrite Friday!
Utilizing thought-provoking writing prompts, Jessica will lead you in writing exercises that are sure to assist you in the development of your Solo Show.
A one-person play is not typically written in one fell swoop. Rather, the Soaring Solo Methodology teaches that the creation of solo art is much like that of creating a mosaic…one beautiful piece at a time.
All that is required to attend this inspiring event is a willingness to explore, having a pen, paper, or some other means of capturing your thoughts, the ability to access Zoom, and signing up on this page as your official RSVP.
We look forward to having you join the Soaring Solo Community in this event because your story matters!
CLICK HERE TO RSVP and obtain the Zoom link and password.
Attend the Soaring Solo FREE One-Person Play Development Class ONLINE!
No matter where you are in the creation of your solo show, idea phase, curiosity phase, full draft written, touring the festival and college market, BEST NATIONAL SOLO ARTIST and founder of Soaring Solo, Jessica Lynn Johnson, will meet you where you are at and take you to the next level! All that is required to attend is a willingness to explore, a pen, and some paper. No previous writing or performance experience necessary, and no need to have written anything to bring to class. Each week Jessica will guide you in exercises to help generate and stage NEW material! So come and meet other creatives in a supportive space for expression and exploration! The class is ongoing and so you may pop in and out as you please as long as you RSVP by clicking here for this FREE ONE-PERSON PLAY CLASS.
Schedule an Online Coaching Consultation with Jessica Lynn Johnson to discuss the possibilities for your solo show!
Jessica brings her 15+ years of solo theatre expertise to work privately with solo artists from all over the world on an as needed basis.
A 1 on 1 Consultation is for you if…
-You are curious about creating a solo show, but you need writing prompts to help you generate material.
– You are tossing around ideas for your solo show, but you need some accountability and encouragement to commit those ideas to the page.
-You have already written some material, but you need expert feedback on editing, story structure and play formatting.
-You have a great first draft, but need guidance on how to utilize multimedia and solo theatre technique in order to make your show a dynamic piece of solo theatre.
-You already premiered your solo show and now you want some tips on how to tour colleges and festivals, and garner accolades and great reviews!
-You have heard great things about Jessica’s work and you’re curious about hiring her as a Director & Developer for your solo show, but first you want to feel her out and see if she is the right fit for you and your project.
Wherever you may find yourself on your solo journey, Jessica will help you overcome whatever immediate obstacle stands between you and your solo success.
If you resonate with many of the things on this list, then take the next step by emailing SoaringSoloArtist@gmail.com for more information.