Happy Holidays All~

I remember living in NYC years ago and checking out the theater listings in The Times or New Yorker. At most, their may be one or two solo shows being produced, most often by top names like Spalding Gray, Eve Ensler (back when The Vagina Monologues was a one woman show) or Anna Devear Smith.

These days it's very different. I recently counted 30 Broadway or off-Broadway shows that were solo (and that doesn't count all the festivals that have sprung up and the off-off Broadway shows as well as solo shows all over the country)

One Broadway producer told me that she was always on the look-out for great solo shows because they are so much less expensive to produce and much lower risk than large cast productions.

Two years ago, I took my daughter to NY to see Vanessa Redgrave playing Joan Didion in "The Year of Magical Thinking". She sat in a chair and talked the entire piece. That was the set. There were some absract backdrops that came down behind her at a few different times in the piece. It was stark as the subject matter, intimate and perfect.

The amazing think about solo shows is that they can be done anywhere. Once you have developed your solo show, all you need is a space with a stage (be it a bar or Broadway) and you can accomodate your piece. As an actor you will never feel more empowered than to develop your solo show because you can literally do it anywhere.

I know of one musician I worked with who is taking his show on tour in the same Texas roadhouses and bars he has played before. Only, instead of just his music, he will be telling the story of his life and the where the songs fit in with that time in his life.

Students of mine and I have done shows in festivals in different cities, bars, churches, yoga centers, dance studios and large and small professional theaters.

When I do my own shows here in Santa Fe, I have always been able to more than break even and usually walk home with a few thousand dollars in my pocket after expenses for a two weekend run (at $15 per ticket). Every economy is different, and every place is different. But, I have been able to negotiate free spaces by splitting the door or getting the door while the space got customers who would buy drinks. I have had shows sponsered through grannts and foundations give me large sums to produce shows that fit in with their mission.

Once you have a show under your belt you can go anywhere you want with it. It's your vision. It'syour dream.If you're a professional actor, the best part is you'll never be going on casting calls waiting for someone else to give you your destiny. You give yourself your destiny.

From putting yourself out there in your very best light, showcasing your talent, you create your future. One person shows are the THEATER OF NOW!!!! They are about empoerment, transformation, authenticity and always, always stories. The world is waiting for yours!

DON'T WAIT! MAKE 2009 the year you write and perform your ONE PERSON SHOW! 2 slots are still availble for Project Life Stories Year Long One Person Show workshop in Santa Fe and if you live out of state, schedule your 4 DAY INTENSIVE to write your show! For information about either class, e-mail Tanya@ProjectLifeStories.org