[NoHo Arts District, CA] – This month’s Soaring Solo blog: “From Festival to Festival” – a look at the various festivals around the US.
Writing, rehearsing, producing and performing your one-person show takes a tremendous amount of work. Therefore, as a solo artist, you want to be able to share your story with as many audiences as possible for all of that investment to have been worth it.
I toured with my own solo shows for over 13 years and many of my clients have taken their shows on the road for several years as well. Touring the festival circuit is a fantastic way to garner reviews, nominations, awards and spread your message far and wide.
With that in mind, I am dedicating today’s blog to exploring a handful of festivals that you might consider bringing your show to.
So, let’s dive right in!
First up, we have the Rogue Festival in Fresno, California. This is a six-day event full of theater, music, dance, comedy, magic, poetry, performance art, fun and complete fringe performance madness. Rogue takes applications from September 15th to October 18th and the festival runs from February 28th to March 8th 2025.
Next, over on the East Coast, we have the Frigid New York Festival. Their productions include plays, storytelling, stand-up, improv, sketch, variety shows, burlesque, film screenings, open mics, readings, workshops, clowning, dance, performance art, drag, music, cabaret, dramas, comedies, experimental works, multi-media pieces, and so much more–and in several different languages. They’ve hosted just about everything: live radio dramas, full-blown musicals, barely-staged readings, satirical poetry, multi-lingual epics, stand-up sets, true stories, big lies, and things you can’t even begin to categorize. Frigid is taking applications from Labor Day through Halloween, and the festival runs from April 2nd to 20th.
Now let’s check out the Southeast where the Orlando International Fringe Festival resides. For 33 years, they have hosted their annual international theatre festival. For two weeks each May, they offer loads of live entertainment, unique theatre experiences, visual art displays, kid-friendly shows and activities, and free outdoor concerts. It’s a full celebration of independent artists. It is the oldest Fringe Festival in the US and, with its lottery-based selection, offers a variety of experiences you won’t find anywhere else. Applications opened on September 1st, so hurry up and apply!
Let’s zip back to the West Coast and check out the San Diego International Fringe. At the San Diego International Fringe Festival, they focus on fringe artists and creating community, as they encourage the development of San Diego as a destination for innovative artistic expression. There is NO censorship. Artists are free to perform what they want. If this sounds good to you, then mark your calendars for May 15th to 25th, 2025 when the festival takes place. But, be sure to submit your application by October 31st.
Travel with me to the South where the Atlanta Fringe Festival is making some incredible theatrical art. The Atlanta Fringe Festival is dedicated to connecting adventurous artists with appreciative audiences for the betterment of the Atlanta arts community and has been a labor of love for a small group of enthusiastic arts and Atlanta lovers. Since the summer of 2010, they’ve been envisioning, constructing, and selling the Fringe from the ground up. This grassroots approach has lent the festival its own unique energy. June is typically when the festival runs and submissions usually begin in December. So keep your eyes and ears open for updates.
And next, we fly over to “Tinsel Town” where the Hollywood Fringe Festival is held every summer during the month of June. The Hollywood Fringe Festival is an annual, open-access, community-derived event celebrating freedom of expression and collaboration in the performing arts community. Each June during the Hollywood Fringe, the arts infiltrate the Hollywood neighborhood: fully equipped theaters, parks, clubs, churches, restaurants and other unexpected places host hundreds of productions by local, national, and international arts companies and independent performers. Participation in the Hollywood Fringe is completely open and uncensored. Registration typically takes place from February 1st until April 15th.
Then you can hit the stage in Colorado as part of the Denver Fringe in June. The Denver Fringe Festival is an open-application festival that supports bold, progressive arts and diverse voices in all genres of performance arts. Their primary goal is to support independent artists and promote original theatre, comedy, improv, cabaret, dance, and immersive theatre – at an affordable price. They will take applications for the 2025 Denver Fringe Festival from December 15th, 2024 through February 15th, 2025.
Last but not least, you can impress audiences in the Minnesota Fringe Festival. The Minnesota Fringe connects adventurous artists with adventurous audiences by creating open, supportive forums for free and diverse artistic expression. Through their summer festival and dynamic year-round programming, Minnesota Fringe is an artistic disruptor for local and national artists — to take bold risks, develop new ideas, and hoist themselves to the next rung of their artistic ladder. This annual Festival event fills tens of thousands of seats with audiences viewing dozens of works at hundreds of performances by more than 1,000 artists on a variety of stages in late summer. They receive applications from December 1st, 2024 to February 15th, 2025.
Well, I could go on and on as there are hundreds of fringe festivals all around the world, but I hope this will get you excited to continue your research on festivals that might be the right fit for your solo show. Please continue to persist along on your solo journey. It may not be easy, but it is so worth it!
Jessica Lynn Johnson
Founder & CEO of Soaring Solo LLC
SoaringSoloArtist@gmail.com
Enjoy these solo theatre resources to further guide you on your solo journey!
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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.
Online Coaching
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 and 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.