[NoHo Arts District, CA] – This month’s Soaring Solo blog, “Meet My Mentor: Every Solo Artist Needs a Guide,” focuses on Adilah Barnes from the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival.
“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.” -Oprah Winfrey
Clients often ask me how I wound up in such a strange and wonderful profession, guiding solo artists through the journey of creating their one-person plays.
While there are many, many factors that led me to do the work I am blessed to do every day, one of single most influential aspects of my trajectory was meeting my mentor.
I believe every single solo artist needs a mentor because as Oprah expressed above, we all need someone to help us find hope in ourselves, someone to believe in us even when we struggle to see our own value.
Let me rewind a bit and tell you about my path to mentorship.
When I was still living in New York City in 2008, I had my heart set on one day becoming a part of the prestigious Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival (LAWTF). I had heard so many wonderful things about this fierce female-championing organization. As a young, ambitious solo artist, I dreamed of being selected to share my solo story on their stage alongside other powerful playwrights and performers. I had been performing my first one-woman show “Oblivious To Everyone” Off-Broadway for a few years at that point, had a solid press kit, and just knew my play would be the perfect fit for LAWTF!
Well, it wasn’t.
Not at that time anyway.
After getting my rejection letter, I picked myself and my self-esteem up off the floor, dusted myself off, and proclaimed, “one day Jessica, you will be a part of this amazing festival when the time is right.”
The following year, for a myriad of reasons, both personal and professional, my destiny led me to move to the West Coast. As soon as I found a couch to crash on, I began volunteering with the LAWTF at their little office in North Hollywood.
This is where I met one of the most influential women in my life, Ms. Adilah Barnes.
Now, I already knew who Adilah was, I had grown up watching her on the sitcom “Rosanne” as the no-nonsense neighbor, Anne Marie, for six seasons. And who could forget her bold performance as Anna in the film “Erin Brockovich” alongside co-star Julia Roberts.
But it was not just Adilah’s film and television fame that drew me to this magnetic woman, it was her integrity, her beauty inside and out, her dynamic leadership, her kindness and genuine spirit, her impressive solo theatre career of touring her solo show, “I AM THAT I AM: Woman, Black” to 40 states and three continents, and the outstanding creative community she had created with the reach of the Los Angeles Womens’ Theatre Festival.
I humbly asked if I could be her assistant and she said yes. Over time, she became so much more than a woman that I assisted with office tasks and errands, she became a profound mentor to me.
I learned so much from Adilah. And continue to learn from her to this day!
She championed me as a solo artist and helped give me the confidence to submit to the LAWTF yet again. This time I submitted with more understanding of how to put together a strong submission package and my performance was much more polished. This time was the right time, and I got in!
Later I was selected to share my second solo show “ZE” for LAWTF as well.
Adilah also encouraged me as I grew my own business, Soaring Solo, where I too was able to mentor hundreds of solo artists.
She inspired me to create The Solo Sactuary in Florida, which is my own version of The Writer’s Well, Adilah’s warm and welcoming writer’s retreat in Georgia.
She exemplified what it takes to produce high-level solo festivals which enabled me to have the know-how to co-produce my own festivals such as the Joshua Tree Solo Festival alongside Kevin Bone or the Soaring Solo Stars Series with the talented Heather Dowling.
And after reading Adilah’s evocative book “On My Own Terms: An Actor’s Journey,” I was compelled to start writing my own book, which will be a complete guide to the solo theatre process. I’m still editing it, but you can look for it in 2024!
So much of what I have achieved in the field of solo theatre has been because of the mentorship I received from this superb woman and that is why I want to utilize today’s blog to introduce you to this phenomenal woman through this interview I did with her.
Meet Ms. Adilah Barnes.
JESSICA: What does being a good mentor mean to you?
ADILAH: To me, being a good mentor means mentoring someone that you have a special connection, belief in and someone you feel you can guide. To do that, in my case, I must believe I am a fit for that mentee in terms of values, vision and knowledge that I am equipped to impart.
JESSICA: Who has been a mentor to you and how did they mentor you?
ADILAH: I have had a number of mentors in my life and interestingly enough, many were not in the industry but those along the way who helped shape my character, belief in myself and who also were beacons of light on my life path. They all have had an impact on my person which translate into my professional career as an artist.
For example, my third grade teacher Mrs. Cheff, absolutely saw my worth and talent even before I did and nurtured me as one of the leaders in our class. Interestingly enough, she is still alive and still in my life!
Then there is Dr. J. Herman Blake, whom I met the summer following my sophomore year in high school when I was in Project Upward Bound at Chico State. (I feel about that program as many feel about the American flag because of its influence on my life!)
Herman opened the door to me seeing the mentored and guided me to UC Santa Cruz where I flourished as an actor and decided to major in Theatre instead of English.
Then there are those who mentored me unknowingly like Sir Sidney Poitier and Ms. Cicely Tyson whose sense of integrity have greatly influenced me as both a person and artist. I would like to think my body of work reflects my sense of integrity. I try to live by Ms. Tyson’s credo of, “There are many times that I have been broke but I have never been broken.”
So you see, it was my formative years that my true mentors have been there for me as I took baby steps along my incredibly diverse blessed path. I give gratitude to those named and many other unnamed sheroes and heroes like my childhood community leader, Mrs. Officer and my high school teacher, Mr. Hughes, who nominated me for the Soroptimist Club’s “Girl-Of-The-Month.” I was perhaps the first African American girl in my town to receive that honor. That award certainly boosted my self esteem!
JESSICA: What message do you have for women reading this blog who want to pursue solo theatre?
ADILAH: I congratulate these women on wanting to tackle creating a solo show. It is not for the faint of heart. First, you need the chops and stamina to engage an audience on stage alone. You also need a story to tell that is worthy of theatrical presentation and will touch the hearts of audiences.
JESSICA: How can performers best empower themselves?
ADILAH: By first and foremost knowing who they are. Of course, that is a lifelong exploration as we continue to grow, develop and evolve. One constant for me, however, has been the courage to say “NO” – a one-syllable, two-letter word with an immeasurable power. For example, last year I passed on a very lucrative role as a series regular because the role did not feel right in my spirit.
JESSICA: Anything else you would like to share with the NoHo Arts readers?
ADILAH: Yes, for those who represent the solo artistry I just spoke of, I encourage you to come the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival on March 22nd for our INTERSECTION: A Day of Workshops and Panels and to our 30th Anniversary March 23 – 26th. You will gain knowledge from the former that will serve you as an artist and with the latter, you will be able to experience our 21 amazing performers who I believe will transport and inspire you as you develop your own voice through your work.
Thank you, Jessica, for seeing me as a mentor. I am humbled. Thank you, also, for feeling me worthy enough to share a part of me for your blog that may have value to others!
I cannot thank Adilah enough for her willingness to share her thoughts and insights in today’s blog. For more information on the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival please visit www.LAWTF.org and to learn more about Ms. Adilah please visit her website www.AdilahBarnes.com
Hopefully, this interview gave you a deeper understanding of why we all need a mentor in our lives.
Being a solo artist may not be easy, but it is so worth it!
Jessica Lynn Johnson
Founder & CEO of Soaring Solo LLC
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 in multiple festivals Internationally. We are in the middle of SOLOFEST at Whitefire Theatre from now until MID 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 nearly 20 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.