[NoHo Arts District, CA] – The Whitefire Theatre presents SOLOFEST 2026 from February 5 – March 14, 2026.
What is SOLOFEST 2026?
A celebration of the solo journey now in its 15th year, SOLOFEST has been recognized as the largest solo festival on the West Coast. This year’s festival program offers premiere shows and audience favorites performed live on stage, with some shows available with a stream-on-demand option. Presented by Susan Simons and the Whitefire Theatre, SOLOFEST 2026 runs February 5 through March 14, 2026, and is hosted by Bryan Rasmussen and Victoria Watson Winkler.
February 2026 SOLOFEST Performances:
Thursday, February 5 at 8pm
BETWEEN TWO WORLDS: CHRONICLES OF THE NOT DEAF ENOUGH GIRL
TL Forsberg · Ages 18+ · 1hr
From acclaim to exile, a hard-of-hearing singer’s raw solo performance in ASL and English asks the question no one dares to ask: who decides who belongs and who gets cancelled? Fully accessible with ASL interpretation, invites audiences to witness the beauty, volatility, and undeniable strength of a life lived in the middle and to consider what truth demands of us all. Learn More at tlforsberg.com. Between Two Worlds Info>>
Friday, February 6 at 8pm
WILD SON AND THEN SOME – THE STORY OF ME AND MY DAD
Mese Productions · Ages 12+ · 80 mins
My dad was an ordinary man, a husband, a dentist, a father of five, and every time I meet someone that knew him, they light up like a Christmas tree. This is a love letter from my heart to all of you, about me and my dad. And I promise he’s gonna make y’all feel good.
Saturday, February 7 at 8pm
BARRYMORE
Vito D’Ambrosio · Ages 12+ · 80 mins
William Luce’s BARRYMORE A great actor, reflecting on what was, and what might have been. Post film career, post Broadway headliner, and four divorces; D’Ambrosio captures the comic qualities as well as the sadness and regret. “To spend an hour or so in the presence of John Barrymore is an absolute gift and Vito D’Ambrosio is Barrymore.” Read the NoHo Arts Barrymore review>>
Thursday, February 12 at 8pm
ESCAPE FROM MIAMI
Kim Smith, writer and performer · Ages 16+ · 1hr
Starting with a gruesome “true crime” in her backyard that would haunt her for decades, to being roofied and kidnapped, a former journalist and runway model shares her disco and drug-fueled misadventures in the ’80s Miami fast lane with cocaine cowboys, in a tale of PTSD recovery, healing and transformation.
Friday, February 13 at 8pm
LESSONS LEARNED
Key of G Productions · Ages 16+ · 1hr
Comedian and storyteller Denise Fennell shares heartfelt stories of mix tapes and middle-aged motherhood in this nostalgic and often hilarious interactive show. Lessons Learned Info>>
Sunday, February 15 at 7pm
CHILD HOODS: A TALE OF DETROIT, HOLLYWOOD AND STANDUP COMEDY
Joey Carmen · Ages 16+ · 70 mins
Comedian Joey Camen’s childhood story of growing up as a young Jewish boy in Black neighborhoods in Detroit in the 1960s and making his way into the wild world of standup comedy in Hollywood as a teenager in the 1970s, through the present day and all the pitfalls that go with the world of show business.
Thursday, February 19 at 8pm
ASTROGOGICALLY SCREWED
Pam Levin · Ages 13+ · 1hr
***2 Time WINNER*** “BEST OF FEST” How do you explain the unexplainable? Would it concern you or consume you? An award-winning dramady about love and strength, fear and magic, angels, spirits, embracing life and living boldly!
Friday, February 20 at 8pm
HAIL MARY, NONE OF THE GRACE
Mary Kennedy · Ages 16+ · 1hr
No Irish Catholic story is complete without a mention of a good Irish funeral! Join Mary as she lays her mother to rest. Through her mother’s dying, Mary learned how to live. Hail Mary, None of the Grace is a rollercoaster of awakenings for Kennedy, which has created the woman she is today. U.S. premiere of dark comedy following hit Edinburgh Fringe run!
Saturday, February 21 at 8pm
HOLY SHITAKE: A WOK STAR IS BORN
Katie Chin· Ages 16+ · 1hr
Filled with pathos and humor, “Holy Shitake: A Wok Star is Born” chronicles Chef Katie Chin’s journey as a Chinese American girl growing up in Minneapolis in the 1970s, where she was raised by her remarkable mother, seamstress turned restaurateur, Leeann Chin.
Sunday, February 22 at 7pm
IT’S ALL A JOKE
Marissa Fennell · Ages 17+ · 1hr to 75 mins
The world premiere of It’s All A Joke follows the journey of a stand-up comic trying to survive the world apocalypse and her ever-changing definition of “artistry.” Because when the world comes to an end, do we stop creating? No. We just pretend to talk to a fake audience.
Thursday, February 26 at 8pm
SEARCHING FOR ROBERT HENNESSEY
Michael-Shaun Hennessey · Ages 16+ · 75 mins
From a heartbroken six-year-old asking every delivery man “Are you my daddy?” to a grown man receiving the most shocking Father’s Day message imaginable, this is the extraordinary true story of resilience, hope, and the family we’re meant to find.
Friday, February 27 at 8pm
BOY IN A BOX
Paul Coates · Ages 18+ · 1hr
Sixteen years ago, Alexander MacMillan, an acclaimed white history professor, adopted a homeless crack addicted infant. He brought him home, put him in a box and raised him. Today is his birthday…Come help celebrate. Boy in a Box Info>>
Saturday, February 28 at 8pm
FILL YOUR HOLE
David Jahn ·Ages 16+ · 75 mins
When David heard the phrase “We’re all born with a God-shaped hole and we seem to fill that hole with anything but God,” his ears perked up. Jahn’s story of chasing a relationship across the country, using anything and everything to “fill ’er up” while building a new life in L.A. Unpredictable, moving, and relatable to anyone with a heartbeat. Fill Your Hole Info>>
March 2026 SOLOFEST Performances:
Sunday, March 1 at 7pm
SURVIVING MOTHER’S DAY
Michele Tannen · Ages 13+ · 1hr
Michele’s mentally ill mom turns Mother’s Day into an avalanche of dread. “Hallmark doesn’t make cards for crazy moms!” But the truth is revealed about where her mother really came from, and the generational trauma that started in holocaust-era Berlin. Can she finally love her mom for who she is?
Thursday, March 5 at 8pm
REALITY CHECK
Kim Clevenger · Ages 18+ · 1hr
Kim produced reality TV for 20 years. Then reality produced her. She survived alcoholism, obesity, devastating loss, and even menopause. But she hid on the sidelines telling other people’s stories…until her casting career imploded. Now it’s time to reveal her trials and triumphs, with humor and heart.
Friday, March 6 at 8pm
HASHTAG WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER FAKE-CATION
Jacqi Bowe · Ages 16+ · 1hr When Jacqi Bowe’s therapist chatbot, Vicki the Validator, warns her that if she doesn’t vac-cay, she has a 75 percent chance of going cray-cray, so she replaces the cacophony of chaos created by her imaginary frenemies with calm and goes. Or does she? Music, comedy, characters.
Saturday, March 7 at 8pm
LITTLE BIG MOUTH
Pamela Gaye Walker · Ages 12+ · 1hr
A grandmother’s wisdom, Georgia O’Keeffe’s ghost, and a six-year-old truth-teller join forces when a woman confronts the cost of being an artist in a world built to silence her. Spanning decades and matrilineal memory, this new show is a raw and unflinching exploration of creativity under the pressures of womanhood and what it takes to reclaim your rightful place on stage.
Sunday, March 8 at 7pm
RANCH DRESSING
Charlene Ward · Ages 16+ · 1hr
A fun ride through Charlene’s life as a server with songs, comedy and audience participation! You will learn some restaurant etiquette, the history of the most loved condiment in America and how a little blue Muppet changed the course of Charlene’s life! Enjoy a night of whine, one woman and songs!
Thursday, March 12 at 8pm
TANGERINE VAGINA
Nina Dicker· Ages 18+ · TBA
BEST OF FEST WINNER 2025! Based on Dicker’s debut novel, finds the sex positive in all of sex’s negatives. It is every woman’s coming-of-age story: clumsy sexscapades, daddy issues, and a choice between life or death. Trigger Warning: SA, self-harm, and good jokes. * THIS SHOW IS BEING FILMED. By purchasing a ticket, you consent to being filmed.*
March 14 at 8pm
RISE
Diana Varco · Ages 16+ · 1hr
What happens when Truth, Rage, and Purpose converge upon a metaphorical moon? A displaced narrator must face her past to find out. Darkly comedic, existential AND explosive. Told through 20 characters – exploring artistic risks and rewards, the roots of addiction, power of denial, and rising to one’s Purpose in spite of it all, giving voice to buried secrets of the past, turning heartbreak into hope, and discovering resilience through the power of the creative arts.
Programs are subject to change.
Tickets and Performance Details
Tickets:
General Admission Tickets for live shows are $25.00 each, unless otherwise noted.
Buy tickets at http://www.whitefiretheatre.com.
More Info:
For more information about SOLOFEST 2026 shows, buy tickets, or for parking tips, please visit whitefiretheatre.com or call 818-687-8559.
Where:
The Whitefire Theatre is located at 13500 Ventura Boulevard (at Sunnyslope Avenue), Sherman Oaks, CA 91423.