[NoHo Arts District, CA] – In this month’s Soaring Solo blog, Jessica Lynn Johnson talks about the “Four Reasons Why I’m in Love with Solo Theatre.”
“Until you love yourself, you will never know who you really are and you won’t know what you’re really capable of.” – Louise Hay
Every time I sit down to work with a solo artist, I feel such gratitude for the work that I get to do each day with such inspiring humans. Hearing hundreds of people tell me their stories, their successes, their failures, their pain and regret, their joy and their insights is an absolute honor. I cherish being given such a high level of trust in their continued vulnerability. From this place of trust, the solo artist and I get to transmute their lived experiences into riveting solo theatre. Creating solo art in sacred collaboration is a very meaningful adventure and that is one of the many reasons why the genre of solo theatre is the love of my creative life.
Since it is February, a month that celebrates love, what better time to highlight a handful of reasons why I am head over heels for solo theatre.
Now, let’s get mushy! Here are the four reasons why I’m in love with solo theatre.
Solo Theatre Offers Unique Authentic Self Expression.
While there are many techniques to learn in order to properly perform a solo show, and although there are multiple structures to study for how to write a solid solo script, there are unlimited ways to engage in solo theatre. That is the beauty of this genre. Every individual solo artist gets to leave their own unique and authentic mark on this craft.
For instance, some solo theatre artists love to play characters, others prefer to simply be themselves on stage. One camp of solo artists loves infusing lots of technical bells and whistles, whereas another camp enjoys simplicity when it comes to technical elements. There are solo artists who deliver their scripts word for word on stage and others who improvise off of bullet points.
In terms of the theatricality of a solo show, every artist gets to assess their own personal talents and decide which skillsets to infuse. I have witnessed solo artists do culinary arts on stage, eat fire, skateboard, perform dance numbers, sing original songs, practice yoga and meditation, and so much more!
All to say, I am wild about the variety and freedom that solo theatre affords every solo artist as they seek their own unique and authentic self expression.
Solo Theatre Provides an Opportunity for Self Love.
The act of standing on stage and capturing an audience’s attention for an hour or more is absolutely an act of self love. It communicates that the solo artist is worthy of taking up space and time, has valuable things to say, and that their creative expression is a necessary contribution to this world.
Even if, as of now, you do not fully believe that all of those things are true, the fact that you are taking the action of sharing your solo art will help to deepen your sense of self love.
Lastly, in our busy lives, it is easy to put all of our other responsibilities first. It may feel more comfortable to prioritize the needs of our friends, family, partners, colleagues, and even our pets, over our own need for creative expression and fulfillment. So, I love the fact that solo theatre demands your time and attention and rewards you when you prioritize your artistry.
Solo Theatre Fosters Transformation of the Artist.
Time and time again, I have had the privilege of witnessing solo artists start the writing process as one person and then walk on stage as a very different person.
One male client of mine would begin every check-in of our coaching sessions with a slew of self-deprecating remarks about his abilities as a writer and performer. He would express extreme doubt of having anything noteworthy to say in his show. Now, several years later, he and I have co-created 4 one man shows together and he has taken home multiple awards, received good reviews, and obtained large amounts of creative fulfillment. Even though he will still sometimes say a negative comment about himself, he mostly speaks from a more balanced place that acknowledges his wins too.
I also think fondly of a female client who had gone through tremendous sexual trauma throughout her life, and initially, she would not meet with me in person or virtually because she was afraid of telling her story. Instead, we would do sporadic phone calls where she would share fragments of her story at a time. As the weeks passed, we began to meet online and in person. She started to put her words on the page, and we found safe ways for her to share the traumatizing aspects of her story in a way that would be a healing gift for both her and the audience. In the end, we co-created 2 solo shows that won awards, garnered rave reviews, received heartfelt feedback from her audience, and she now runs a healing business that transforms the lives of many. Solo Theatre allowed her to heal wounds in ways that talk therapy could not, equipping her to be a healer for others.
I could go on and on gushing over several other examples of people who discovered new talents, forgave past hurts, rediscovered old passions, perfected old skillsets, and grew leaps and bounds because of this exceptional genre.
Solo Theatre has an Important Impact on the Audience.
One of the biggest concerns I hear from solo artists is that they fear that they are being narcissistic to create and perform a one-person show. They worry that they are navelgazing, and from this place of fear, they begin to focus on the audience instead of on themselves and what they need to say.
Paradoxically, the truth is that in order to create a solo show that is a grand gift to the audience, a solo artist absolutely must be selfish in the initial stages of creation. In fact, the audience should not even cross one’s mind when they are in the beginning phase of discovering their story.
As a solo artist, you have to go deep within and excavate anything and everything that you think you might want to say from stage. In the writing phase, a solo artist must ask every question, say every provocative statement, share every secret, experiment with every possibility and express every emotion. Say too much. Do too much. Be too much. Do not hold back. The gems are hidden in the rubble of everything that the solo artist digs up in the creation process.
In the final phases of preparing your solo show for stage, that is when you start to ask yourself questions like “will I offend my boss if I speak poorly about my role in the company and put my job at risk?” or “is this my secret to share, or am I infringing on my spouse’s privacy?” or “does this comment ostracize the person from the opposite political party who I’d like to reach with my message” or “is it safe for me to share this traumatic experience from my past or will it retraumatize me to reveal this to an audience?” In final edits, you can begin to do rewrites based on the answers you receive from inquiries such as this. Additionally, you will want to assess your entertainment value, your playwriting structure, your commercial appeal, and any potential blind spots. But if you do not give yourself the necessary freedom during your writing phase, you likely won’t make it to final edits because you will encounter writer’s block frequently.
All of this is to say that if you trust the process, you will discover that your initial perceived selfishness will eventually lead to profound selflessness. Your final product will be a piece of solo theatre that will impact your audience deeply because it came from the true essence of who you are. You will stand in the lobby after your show as audience members approach you to tell you that your show allowed them to feel less alone in their addiction, learn a path to recovery that they had never considered before, feel inspired to tell their own story, leave a toxic relationship, put a ring on the finger of their true love, take a leap of faith to move across the country, quit their dead end job, think critically about a political perspective they never would have fathomed before and so on.
This ripple effect is just another reason I absolutely love solo theatre.
I could easily continue on with this love letter for several more pages, but I’ll leave it there and allow you to bask in your own warm feelings for solo theatre.
I hope this month’s blog helped you to see this genre through more loving eyes.
And, as always, remember that solo theatre may not be easy, but it is so worth it!
Jessica Lynn Johnson
Founder & CEO of Soaring Solo LLC
SoaringSoloArtist@gmail.com
www.SoaringSoloStudios.com
Enjoy these Solo Theatre Resources to Further Guide You on Your Solo Journey!
Tune in and support the Soaring Solo Community as we share our stories from stage!
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
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.
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