[NoHo Arts District, CA] – This month’s Soaring Solo blog focuses on “Tips for Touring Your Solo Show.”
“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.” – Anais Nin
Is part of your dream as a solo artist to tour the world and spread the message of your solo show to audiences far and wide? If so, this month’s blog is a must read. I will share my own experience as a touring solo artist for over 13 years, and will also glean some additional touring tips from members of the Soaring Solo Community who have traveled around the globe with their one-person plays.
So, let’s start with a handful of tips that I learned along the way as I toured my one-woman plays all across the US and abroad.
Over my career as a solo artist, I created two one-woman shows, “Oblivious to Everyone” and “Ze”. You can learn more about both of these shows and even watch the teaser trailers by visiting my website. However, today I want to keep us laser focused on my tips for touring, rather than the details of my shows.
Because I had already garnered awards and reviews with my solo shows by the time I was given the opportunity to tour, I had the ability to negotiate payment and other benefits when I was asked to perform out of state or out of the country.
So, I would advise that once you have grown your solo show resume, don’t be afraid to approach the organization bringing you in to perform and negotiate a stipend for your travel, food, lodging and of course, your actual performance. Do a little math and determine how much all of these things are worth to you and start the discussion with a number that honors you monetarily. Be sure to do your research to see what other touring artists are charging for comparable performance opportunities and determine what you believe is a reasonable amount to request. If you are able to secure a college booking agent, then they will be the ones to negotiate on your behalf.
Next, I would say to always remember that every audience is unique. Do not expect a Midwestern audience to respond to your content the way an audience in Edinburgh or New York City will respond. If one audience is laughing hysterically and emoting loudly, and the next audience is much quieter and thoughtful, that does not mean you are doing anything wrong or that they did not enjoy your show. More than likely, it means the social norms of that particular area are a bit different than the last place you performed, or that that particular group of people have a collective energy that is different than your previous guests. At the same time, if there are vernacular choices or site-specific references you can make to cater a little bit to that particular demographic, those little adjustments can go a long way.
For example, you might make a reference to a local restaurant or grocery store chain in one of your jokes because you know that the audience will relate to it. You might also edit out a provocative line or cursing because you know these individuals will probably be offended by it. These are all things to consider as you try to be your authentic self sharing a deeply personal story with a variety of diverse personalities.
I could go on and on about my personal experiences as a touring artist, but I want to be sure to introduce you to a slew of brilliant solo artists who are quite savvy at touring.
So, let’s dive in!
First up, meet Karin Trachtenberg and her touching one-woman show, My Mother Had Two Faces which I had the honor of helping to develop and also direct. The show explores Karin’s complex relationship with her mother and reflects upon beauty, aging, forgiveness and acceptance.
Karin toured her show over the last year to the Zephyr Theatre in Los Angeles for the Soaring Solo STARS Series, the Rockwell in Boston, United Solo in NYC, the Northampton Center for the Arts in Massachusetts, and she is heading to the Gilded Balloon in Scotland for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer.
Karin shares her pearls of wisdom saying, “My solo show is very tech dependent with video, sound and projection. Touring various festivals, in my experience, you can’t be too prepared. Back everything up onto a thumb drive, bring your own laptop and have Qlab bundled and purchase the day license, double and triple check that you have the right cords to connect your laptop. Expect to hit a snag during tech and request the most tech time available. I have found that the venue tech support can be hit or miss. Especially for Edinburgh, you may not get the same tech. I travel with my own tech person, and that provides so much peace of mind.”
Those were some incredibly useful insights. Thank you, Karin! For more information on what Karin is up to next, be sure to visit her website: https://www.karintrachtenberg.com/
Next up! Please meet Diana Varco. I have collaborated with Diana on both of her One Woman Shows, Shattered as the director and Rise as her producer. Both shows navigate trauma with dark comedy and outstanding character work.
Diana has heavily toured her solo art in Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland, Gothenburg Fringe Festival in Sweden, Melbourne Fringe Festival in Australia, Sydney Fringe Festival in Australia, Reykjavik Fringe in Iceland, Brighton Fringe in the UK, EstroGenius Solo Voce Festival in NYC, Hollywood Fringe in Los Angeles, and too many more to list in today’s blog!
Suffice to say, this woman knows what she is talking about with all of that touring under her belt. She expressed the following, “When you’re performing at a festival in a new city or abroad, it can be challenging to pull audiences. But just remember, quality over quantity. You never know who’s in the audience and who needs to hear your story. So whether it’s 1 person or 100 or – Taylor Swift size – perform your heart out. Some of my most impactful and memorable shows have been intimate, small audiences.
In 2021, I thought I might retire my solo show Shattered. Then I randomly submitted a live-stream taped version of Shattered to a virtual festival – the Melbourne Fringe. That led me to show Shattered in Australia at the Melbourne Fringe (2021 and 2022), travel to New York to perform on-stage and via live stream, and go onto an entire virtual/in-person tour for 2022!
I was preparing to premiere my new solo play Rise at Edinburgh Fringe 2023 and came down with a massive cold upon arrival. I had arrived a week early to promote the show, rehearse, network, etc. and I could barely get out of bed to buy cough medicine. Needless to say, I was frustrated and disappointed; but, I made the choice to resist lamenting and, instead, take care of my most important asset – my health. As I rested, I practiced visual run-throughs of Rise and found really exciting new character specifics. I moved my technical rehearsal back and learned to show up as I am, trust myself and find new ways to explore my work.”
Wow, I knew Diana would come through with an awesome perspective. To keep up to date with all that Diana is doing, feel free to visit her website: https://www.dianavarco.com/
I’d also love for you to meet Heather Keller and her inspiring, award-winning solo show Chemo Barbie that I was privileged to develop and direct which tracks Heather’s journey with breast cancer.
As Heather reflected upon touring places like Hawaii, Scotland, NYC, and Los Angeles, she told me, “I have learned so many things from technical to creative. Technically, the value of having an organized QLab with all the varying adapters to be able to run my show off of my computer to having all the information stored on a hard drive to easily upload into a theatre’s system. Creatively, I’ve learned how to market and tailor my show according to my audience. The Edinburgh Fringe audience is different from a medical conference audience. I have created a few versions of my show depending on where I’m performing. For example, my show has some nudity and some foul language that are fine in theatre venues such as New York City, Edinburgh Fringe; however, medical conferences tend to be more conservative, so I have versions of the script without that and I tailor the show to focus a little more on the science and bedside manner aspect.
My show is also a growing piece of art that I add to and edit as I live beyond cancer so I have learned to adapt and be flexible with changing the script as I add more material. If I’m having a longer run somewhere I will feel out each audience and test some new lines or scenes to see how they play. If it works, then I keep it, if not, I will rethink it and try again. I find this helps keep the show fresh and ever evolving.”
Such fantastic advice! Really grateful Heather shared such a substantive response with us today. Learn more about Heather on her website.
I was also able to catch up with the talented singer-songwriter, musician and solo artist, Harold Payne, who has a stellar one-man show, Under the Radar, Over the Moon, which has been such a joy to produce. Harold has toured all over the globe as a performer, gracing stages in Kansas City, Los Angeles, Virginia, San Diego, the Philippines, Thailand and Sweden, to name a few!
With all of that globetrotting on his resume, Harold had this advice to offer, “Allow your show to be very portable. I have a digital copy of the images and videos that I use in both powerpoint for a PC and keynote for the Mac, as well as one I use for Qlab, if that is available. Even though most venues have something they can use for this,
I bring a laptop, an HDMI cord and a small projector. That way I can even show something on a wall with my own gear if needed. I’m also ready to just do excerpts from my solo show where that is appropriate. Since my show involves performing songs on an acoustic guitar, I have a journey instruments guitar with a neck that unbolts and fits into a very small space –for international air travel. I take advantage of being a solo performer rather than part of a tour, by arriving a day or two early and getting to explore the area. It gives me the opportunity to meet people and get the vibe of the town and also gives me some possible “localisms” to maybe inject into the show. (i.e. a few words in a local language, sayings or places etc.). Some of the people you meet might also come to your show. When possible I also tie in some other places where I can make an appearance and also attract some more attendees for the show.”
Extemely valuable information, Harold!
Another fabulous touring solo artist who let me pick her brain is Amy Veltman. Amy has a hilarious solo show, PSA: Pelvic Service Announcement, which is an excellent piece of edutainment that I have thoroughly enjoyed producing.
Amy has been performing her show for about six months, and in that small amount of time, she has already performed at the Zephyr Theatre in Los Angeles as part of the Soaring Solo Stars Series, performed it over 10 times in various fringe and solo festivals, and there is definitely more to come.
This is what Amy had to say, “I’ve used Eventotron to learn about many upcoming Fringe Festivals. It’s a great portal that makes it easy to apply once you’ve signed up your show as an event. If your show’s a comedy, https://www.thereitispod.com/ puts out a newsletter weekly with upcoming festival deadlines. I’ve had a lot of luck this year having my name pulled from Rubbermaid buckets and hats. I’ve also reached out to some theatre and other venues directly, with a pretty decent success rate.
There’s the stress of prepping for the performance, and then the stress of getting butts in seats to see our hard work. Reaching out to individuals directly and personally has helped. When I’m going to a town, I reach out to people I know in those locales as far in advance as I can, since people’s calendars fill.
In one location, I was given my show date less than a month in advance, and a link to tickets even later than that. The audience was, shall we say, far from full. I really had to work to tell myself that my value and the show’s value have nothing to do with the size of the audience. I think I believe it, and the point was driven home for me recently: I’m in San Diego for their Fringe Fest , and one of the best shows I’ve seen had ZERO people in the audience for its first 10:30pm performance, so she performed for the theatre staff, who helped spread the word about the show, and it’s been a success since.
I learned one of the best tips for getting audiences from Karin Trachtenberg, a fellow Soaring Solo performer. Her show is partially about her mother’s Swiss culture, so she reached out to Swiss organizations in advance, and filled a theatre in L.A. where she’d never been! What are the themes in your show that have constituencies you can reach out to? I reach out to local pelvic floor physical therapists and related professionals when I can. They’re not as responsive as the Swiss community, but it’s still brought me a few wonderful audience members who’ve helped spread the word about my show.”
Amy really shed a lot of light on the touring world. Such an in depth response, thank you Amy!
And last, but not least, you’ve got to meet Lisa Pezik and her powerhouse performance in Too Big For Her Britches which I am honored to produce alongside my colleague Heather Dowling who served as Lisa’s director. Lisa’s solo work has been seen in Canada and all around the world.
Here’s what Lisa learned from each adventure, “In March 2022, I had my premiere in L.A. I created my show virtually over COVID and flew in a few days before. I learned to surrender to the messiness and beauty of that unknown. From traveling, to meeting the team in person, to the first time in a theatre and performing. Trust yourself and your team. I trusted they had me, the Soaring Solo community had me, and I had me, with all the work I’d done to prepare.
Then in June 2022, I participated in the Hollywood Fringe. With my husband, son, and two dogs, we made a cross-country road trip from Ontario Canada to Hollywood and back, hiking in Colorado, seeing the Grand Canyon, eating collard green, BBQ, and grits in St. Louis! In between performing, I immersed myself in the community, seeing as many shows as I could. I realized how small, yet important our voices are in this big world (while performing in the entertainment capital of the world!) Seek out adventure and have fun.
In July 2022, I was selected for the Hamilton Ontario Fringe. I was exhausted after making the seven-day drive back from Hollywood, a week later than planned, since I’d earned an Encore. This theatre was basic with lights, sounds, projections, and it forced me to take a good look at what was necessary and not necessary to the show. Know the heart and be flexible. I simplified the show technically for the seven performances and it won an award, got rave reviews, and standing ovations. The heart of my show is characters, story, and music.
Then in October/ November 2022 I was accepted into the United Solo Off-Broadway NYC. This was a beautiful disaster! From having to find a tech person and cues that were missed, to lights malfunctioning, the smallest stage I’d performed on thus far, bringing my own set pieces from home and lugging them through Times Square, to the show before mine running over their allotted time. There was so much buzz happening before, during, and after the show that was not in my control. I went back to my breath, grounding, and connecting with my purpose and the audience. Keep calm and carry on! And see a Broadway show if you can. We saw three!
In August of 2023 I traveled to perform in the Edinburgh Fringe in Scotland. I did a full run in Edinburgh, 21 shows, with my family by the side. It was the only festival I did in 2023 and felt confident to self-produce. “Comparison-itis” can get the best of you in Edinburgh. I set my own measure of success: explore Scotland as a family, grow as a performer, and have cross-cultural conversations about narcissism. Don’t dwell on star ratings, reviews, or the challenges of what you expect it to be. I ended up winning a coveted award, Pick of the Fringe, but my biggest reward was that I accomplished the three personal goals I set for myself while staying emotionally well!
After that I did some self-producing in Hamilton, Ontario 2024. This year, I’ve made a relationship with a local black box theatre and produced two shows (in February and May) to sold-out crowds. I’ve added on a workshop component to blend my speaking and business skills, and each show I invite community non-profits and corporate business who may want to offer my show and workshop as a training program.
I’m thankful for every festival, experience, team, and audience. I’m not the same person I was three years ago, and I think that’s the point. I’m more confident, brave, and thankful for it all!”
Thank you, Lisa, for taking the time to give us all of that beneficial advice. I’m so proud to be on your Creative Team! And if you want to explore more of Lisa’s work, check out her website: https://www.infinitedesignhouse.com/lisa-one-woman-show
I truly hope that today’s informative blog really sets you up to understand what it really takes to tour the world with your solo show successfully.
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
www.SoaringSoloStudios.com
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