[NoHo Arts District, CA] – This month’s Soaring Solo blog gives us five tips on “How to Select a Venue for Your Solo Show.”
“A diva without a venue is a maniac.” – Toni Basil
Venue selection is such an important part of the journey of a solo artist. Afterall, the venue will become the home of your show for an evening or maybe even for an extended run.
There are so many theatres and untraditional spaces that you will have to choose from as you shop for the right place to share your story.
In this month’s blog, I am going to offer you some insights to keep in mind as you scope out the right spot for your show.
Let’s jump in!
1) Location
When you assess who you would like to attend your solo show, you will want to think of the convenience of the location of your venue for your audience. Convenience may mean how far your audience will have to travel from their homes to the venue. It may also mean considering how easy it is for them to find parking once they have arrived at the venue. You may also consider the surrounding area and if it has restaurants, bars and cafes that your audience can gather in before or after your show, or where you might want to host a post-show celebration. Another thing to keep in mind, especially if you want the entertainment industry and press to attend your show: does this venue location have a good reputation when it comes to theatre? For example, when we hear that a show is on Broadway, we will automatically give it more credence than we will if we hear a show is in some tiny hole in the wall in the middle of nowhere. I am certainly not saying that you can’t find fabulous venues Off-Broadway, I am just punctuating the fact that the reputation of a particular location can both help or hinder the attendance of your solo show.
2) Technical Capabilities
Another important factor to consider is what the technical needs of your solo show are. Maybe your show is simply lights up, lights down, so to speak, and you are keeping things very basic. However, if you have multimedia, sound design, and intricate lighting concepts, you will want to find out what the venue offers where technical capabilities are concerned. What looks does their lighting grid provide? Do they have Qlab (or comparable program) to run your projections and sound? Do they have a good sound system? Is there a projection screen or wall to project images and videos onto? These are some, but not all, of the items you will want to review as you peruse the space.
3) Staff
The team you will be working with is very important. When you reach out to the venue staff, pay attention to if they promptly get back to you. Evaluate if they are kind, professional and knowledgeable in their responses. Does it seem like they have a well-oiled machine or is it unclear who does what and the responsibilities of staff feel unclear? Not only that but what sort of staffing does the venue provide for your production? Do they offer box office staff? Do they provide someone to help market and promote your show on their social media and other forms of promotion? Are they providing a stage manager, lighting designer, and technical director? These are just some of the things you will want to ask as you inquire about a venue. Certainly, you can always bring in your own team, but do you want to add that to your plate? Or perhaps, you actually desire staffing the production with all of your own team members and you want your venue to be more hands off. Who you are working with is very important for a multitude of reasons, so do this investigation and make sure you are comfortable with the venue’s staff arrangement.
4) Cost
Finances are also a big part of the decision-making process when it comes to selecting the right venue. Ask yourself what your parameters are around money. For instance, are you needing to make a profit or just looking to break even? Are you ok to lose money because this is more of an investment for you? As you deduce what your financial needs are, you will want to get clear answers from the venue about total costs and what your investment includes. You will want to know if you keep all, a portion, or none of your ticket sales. You will want to know what hours at the venue are included in your payment and what staffing would be provided. Make sure you have a very clear understanding of what your money will be going toward and discern if it is in alignment with your budget.
5) Seating
Typically a solo show thrives in a more intimate setting. I suggest seeking a venue that seats no more than 100 patrons, but of course, you may have different aspirations when it comes to audience turnout. Not only do you want to consider how many seats the venue has, but you will also want to know what the configuration of the seats will be. Are the seats placed around a thrust stage, facing a proscenium or circled in a theatre in the round formation? Are the patrons seated at dinner tables creating more of a dinner theatre vibe or laying down on rugs and pillows in an unconventional setup? Does the venue have wheelchair accessibility for disabled patrons? Knowing where your audience will be seated and how many seats can be made available is very important for a number of reasons. If you are doing a run of your show, you will want to assess if you can fill that many seats over and over again. If you are doing a one-off performance, you will want to make sure the venue can hold as many patrons as you anticipate coming to see your single performance. Knowing how many seats are available to sell also factors into your ability to make a profit or cover your costs. Ponder all of these variables with regard to seating as you choose your venue.
6) Venue Type
Oftentimes when we think of performing a solo show, we assume the venue will need to be a traditional theatre. While that may be the case much of the time, it is certainly not always true. Sometimes you will see solo artists performing their solo shows in comedy clubs, cabaret stages, on outdoor stages, classrooms and auditoriums, even in their own living rooms or backyards! When you think about the world you are creating in your solo show, ask yourself what sort of venue offers an environment best suited to bring your story to life. For instance, if you don’t have many technical needs, you could consider very non-traditional venues such as a home environment or a park. Yet, if you have technical needs, then a traditional theatre is going to be your best bet without having to rent equipment. Does your show have a contemporary feeling or is it more of a period piece? Some theatres feel more modern than others, so ask yourself which venue feels most appropriate to the timeframe of your show. If you are pursuing a traditional theatrical setup, do you want a small blackbox theatre or do you prefer a slightly larger venue? Sometimes just visiting the venue and picturing yourself performing there will give you a gut feeling and help you conclude if the energy of that space is right for your show or not. The important thing to remember is that a solo show can work in a variety of venues.
I hope today’s blog helps you find the perfect place to perform 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
www.SoaringSoloStudios.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.
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Attend the Soaring Solo FREE One-Person Play Development Cass 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.