My Dad’s death in December of 2015 sparked the idea of creating a one-woman show. I didn’t know where to begin, but I knew I needed help.
Googling solo show mentors, Brenda Adelman’s name appeared. She was from Brooklyn, NY. My roots were from a Minnesota farm. It was an unlikely match but turns out I couldn’t have picked a better coach. The play took on an energy of it’s own and whatever I needed, magically appeared. Personal healing happened too.
Acting out my one of a kind brother was something I hadn’t planned on. Our relationship was fun at times and not so fun at other times. I held back as I acted out his character because I didn’t want to scare the audience. A major insight came when I realized that it’s my responsibility to share my truth, but not to caretake audience members. Not only does that help me perform better, but helps me set healthy boundaries in my personal life.
I performed segments of my show at open mic nights around the Olympic Peninsula. I’d drive over an hour each way to test out an 8 minute piece. People thought I was crazy, but it was all worth it. No amount of rehearsing alone in your house compares to having a live audience. Videotaping this feedback was key to effective re-writes.
My show is about how we try to get love from the outside when all we really need to do is be natural and let love flow from the inside out. When we pursue what brings us to life, everybody wins.
A more surprising result of the show is realizing how much I love working with people. Who would have guessed I’d learn this by creating a solo show? Everyone I teamed up with (marketing, coaching, tech support, Seattle Fringe Festival staff) love what they do. I couldn’t have created my show without them. This experience showed me that when we drop what we ‘should’ do and replace it with what we ‘want’ to do, magic happens. We get back to our true nature and effortlessly contribute to a better world. It’s the theme of my show and I hope you become part of it by seeing the my next show at United Solo in New York! Tickets and more information are available here.