Pics from the 2019 Dallas Solo Fest

Brigham Mosley performing Critical, Darling!

Sacha Elie performing Who You Calling a Bitch?!?

Justin Lemiuex performing Girl Dad

Erin in the box office

Shea leading Mel Moseley thru tech

Jaye Lee Vocque performing Based On Actual Events

Brad McEntire performing his show Cyrano A-Go-Go

Box office table in the Theatre Too lobby

Sacha Elie performs Who You Calling a Bitch?!?

Carmel Clavin performing The Marvelous Mechanical Musical Maiden

Jeremy Julian Greco in Keeping Up With the Jorgensons

Press from the 2019 Dallas Solo Fest

PRESS / MEDIA MENTIONS FOR THE 2019 DALLAS SOLO FEST

• Solo Fest Review: Keeping Up With the Jorgensons [TheaterJones.com | Jill Sweeney | June 20, 2019]
• Solo Fest Review: Girl Dad [TheaterJones.com | Jill Sweeney | June 20, 2019]
• Solo Fest Review: Sexology: The Musical!  [TheaterJones.com | Martha Heimberg | June 20, 2019]
• Solo Fest Review: Critical, Darling! [TheaterJones.com | Martha Heimberg | June 20, 2019]
• ​Solo Fest Review: Based on Actual Events ​[TheaterJones.com | Martha Heimberg | June 20, 2019]
• A Father of Five Goes to See Theatre Three's Girl Dad, Just in Time for Father's Day [D Magazine | John Gempel | June 12, 2019]
• Reasons To See The 2019 Dallas Solo Fest [YouTube | June 8, 2019]
• Solo Fest Q-and-A: Sacha Elie [TheaterJones.com | Haley Nelson | June 7, 2019]
  Dallas Playwright Brigham Mosley Gets Musical, Dragged-Up and Personal in His Latest One-Man Show
• Dallas Playwright Brigham Mosley Gets Musical, Dragged-Up and Personal in His Latest One-Man Show [DallasNews.com | by Dan Singer | May 7, 2019]
• TSP Q-And-A with Brad McEntire [TheSoloPerformer.com | Grant Knutson | June 4, 2019]
• Solo Fest Q-and-A: Carmel Clavin [TheaterJones.com | Haley Nelson | June 4, 2019]
• Solo Fest Q-and-A: Brigham Mosley [TheaterJones.com | Haley Nelson | June 3, 2019]
• Solo Fest Q-and-A: Jaye Lee Vocque [TheaterJones.com | Haley Nelson | June 2, 2019]
• Solo Fest Q-and-A: Brad McEntire [TheaterJones.com | Haley Nelson | June 1, 2019]
• 18 Can't Miss Shows in Dallas-Ft. Worth  Theater in June [Culture Map Ft. Worth | Lindsey Wilson | May 31, 2019]
• Solo Fest Q-and-A: Justin Lemieux [TheaterJones.com | Haley Nelson | May 31, 2019]
• TSP Q-And-A with Brigham Mosley [TheSoloPerformer.com | Grant Knutson | May 31, 2019]
• Solo Fest Q-and-A: Melanie Moseley [TheaterJones.com | Haley Nelson | May 29, 2019]
• TSP Q-And-A with Sacha Elie [TheSoloPerformer.com | Grant Knutson | May 24, 2019]
  ​Dallas Solo Fest @ Theatre Three [GuideLive.com | listing | May 20, 2019}
• ​Dallas Solo Fest @ Theatre Three [GuideLive.com | listing | May 20, 2019}
• TSP Q-And-A with Justin Lemieux [TheSoloPerformer.com | Grant Knutson | May 21, 2019]
• Audacity Theatre Lab presents 2019 Dallas Solo Fest [Culture Map Dallas | staff | May 17, 2019]
• TSP Q-And-A with Carmel Clavin [TheSoloPerformer.com | Grant Knutson | May 17, 2019]
• TSP Q-And-A with Jaye Lee Vocque [TheSoloPerformer.com | Grant Knutson | May 11, 2019]
• Heads Up: 2019 Dallas Solo Fest Announced [TheaterJones.com | JMark Lowry | May 9, 2019]
• Dallas Solo Fest in the Quadrangle [VisitDallas.com | listing| May 8, 2019]
• TSP Q-And-A with Mel Moseley [TheSoloPerformer.com | Grant Knutson | May 7, 2019]
• Audacity Theatre Lab presents 2019 Dallas Solo Fest [ BroadwayWorld.com | BWW News Desk | May 7, 2016 ]
• 2019 Dallas Solo Fest [Art&Seek | listing | May 7, 2019]
• Keeping Up With the Jorgensons at the 2019 Dallas Solo Fest [VisitDallas.com | listing | May 7, 2019]
• TSP Q-And-A with Jeremy Julian Greco [TheSoloPerformer.com | Grant Knutson | May 1, 2019]

Reasons to See the 2019 Dallas Solo Fest

Announcing the 2019 Dallas Solo Fest

Mel Moseley will present Sexology: The Musical!

Audacity Theatre Lab is pleased to announce the 2019 Dallas Solo Fest, June 6-16, 2019 at Theatre Too! downstairs at Theatre Three at the Quadrangle in Dallas’ Uptown neighborhood.  Eight unique one-person shows highlight this fifth year festival with a mix of local solo performers and performers coming in from around the country. 
 
This 2019 Dallas Solo Fest line-up includes Based On Actual Events by Jaye Lee Vocque, Brigham Mosley’s Critical, Darling!, Cyrano A-Go-Go by Brad McEntire, Justin Lemieux’s Girl Dad, Keeping Up With the Jorgensons by Jeremy Julian Greco, Carmel Clavin’s The Marvelous Musical Mechanical Maiden, Melanie Moseley’s Sexology: The Musical! and Who You Calling a Bitch!?! By Sacha Elie. Collectively, the shows of these performers represent a wide variety of solo performance styles including storytelling, cabaret, drag, historical biography, memoir as well as pieces that defy any kind of easy categorization. 
 

Sacha Elie will present Who You Calling a Bitch?!?

Produced by Brad McEntire, artistic director of Audacity Theatre Lab, the 2019 DSF will be the fifth festival of its kind since 2014’s inaugural festival. The purpose of the Dallas Solo Fest is to celebrate extraordinary solo theatre as well as increase awareness and appreciation for the form in the north Texas area. 
 
The Dallas Solo Fest is produced under the Audacity Theatre Lab banner and will play at Theatre Too! downstairs at Theatre Three, 2800 Routh Street, #168, Dallas, Texas 75201. Performances are Thursdays thru Sundays, June 6 – 16, 2019.
 

Justin Lemieux in Girl Dad [credit - Jordan Fraker]

Single tickets and Festival Passes for all shows went on sale May 1, 2019.  Festival Passes include one admission to each festival show and are $65.  Individual ticket prices for each show are $15. Reservations can be made online via the Dallas Solo Fest website or by calling (214) 888-6650. Details about the shows, artists’ bios, the full schedule and ticket information here at the festival website: www.DallasSoloFest.com

Press for the 2018 Dallas Solo Fest

Not extensive, but a decent amount of press for the 2018 Dallas Solo Fest. Links to articles/reviews below:

DSF Review: PerVirgin [TheaterJones.com | Janice Franklin | June 8, 2018]

DSF Review: Meatball Seance [TheaterJones.com | Frank Garrett | June 8, 2018]

DSF Review: A Different Way of Thinking [TheaterJones.com | Martha Heimberg | June 7, 2018]

Solo Fest Q-and-A: Brad McEntire [TheaterJones.com | Mark Lowry | June 7, 2018]

DSF Review: Drunk Lion [TheaterJones.com | Teresa Marrero | June 8, 2018]

 Dallas Solo Fest, a jazz trio, a big band, Memphis Soul and Johnny Cupcakes this weekend in East Dallas [Lakewood Advocate | Will Maddox | June 6, 2018]

Dallas Solo Fest 2018 [Park Cities People | June 6, 2018]

Solo Fest Q-and-A: John Michael [TheaterJones.com | Mark Lowry | June 5, 2018]

Dallas Solo Fest Schedule [TheaterJones.com | Mark Lowry | June 1, 2018]

Meatball Therapy [Dallas Voice | Arnold Wayne Jones | June 1, 2018]

Events Listing: Dallas Solo Fest [ FunCityStuff.com | May 25, 2018]

Presenting the 2018 Dallas Solo Fest [YouTube | May 24, 2018]

Cody Clark: A Different Way of Thinking at Dallas Solo Fest [TexasAutismSociety.org | Carolina Sarria | May 10, 2018 ]

2018 Dallas Solo Fest [Art & Seek | May 4, 2018]

​Audacity Theatre Lab presents the 2018 Dallas Solo Fest [Culture Map Dallas | May 2, 2018]

Dallas Solo Fest at Dallas Children's Theatre's Rosewood Center [Guidelive.com | May 2, 2018]

#   #   #

DSF 2018 Teaser videos

Cain Rodriguez stepped in this year to handle the social media side of things for the Dallas Solo Fest. He created a series of delightful video teasers with the performers, capturing footage during their tech times. These were then posted to instragram leading up to the start of the festival. Here's a few. Take a look.

Dallas Solo Fest Q-and-A: Brad McEntire

Producer of the Dallas Solo Fest Brad McEntire [credit: Robert Heart/ TheaterJones]

Chatting with the man behind the Dallas Solo Fest, which runs through Sunday.

by Mark Lowry
published Thursday, June 7, 2018


Dallas — For the final interview of our Dallas Solo Fest coverage, we chat with Brad McEntire, who runs Audacity Theatre Lab and produces the Dallas Solo Fest. This is the event's fourth year (he skipped 2017 because had recently become a father, and to rethink the festival).

The event runs through Sunday at the Rosewood Center for Family Arts (home of the Dallas Children's Theater).

TheaterJones: This year's festival is different from the first three. Tell me about the changes.

Brad McEntire: Since the beginning, the team behind the Dallas Solo Fest, myself included, really have focused on making the festival a little better year by year. This year, we’ve tightened the whole thing up. There are six performers instead of eight, one week instead of two weekends and no daytime workshops. We have also moved the festival to a new venue. We are now in the studio theatre at the Rosewood Center of the Family Arts instead of where we were previously, at the Margo Jones Theatre in Fair Park.

While we have made a few changes, we have kept the good parts that have developed over the last three incarnations of the fest.  We have continued to focus on content-diverse shows to give a good cross-section of what solo performance can offer.  We have also continued the tradition of 70% of the ticket sales going directly to the artists, who still don’t pay any form of festival fee to participate. We even arranged housing for visiting artists who were coming in from out-of-town. We want to insure that the performers get a nice dose of Texas hospitality.

What is your submission/acceptance process? Are you looking for fully formed works? Stuff in development? Both?

The application process began last fall. We received dozens of submissions. A selection committee combed through each submission and we whittled it down to the six that audiences will see at this year’s Dallas Solo Fest.

We are not a “fringe” fest, so we don’t do selection by lottery or on a first-come-first-serve basis. We curate the selection very closely because it is such a focused, intimate festival. I call it a “boutique” arts festival. In place of the big, blustery, street fair-like atmosphere audiences can get at other performance festivals around the country, especially fringe festivals, we are aiming for a more personal experience for both the performers and audiences alike. With just six performers, we do our best to fit the programming together so each show is different and offers a unique theatre experience.

To answer your question more directly, we ONLY look for developed works. In order to deepen and grow the quality of the festival, we have made it a mission to seek out shows that have already played at several venues for several different sets of audiences. There are places that cater to shows in development, allowing artists to experiment and workshop, but we aren’t looking to be one of those kinds of fests. I actually host a quarterly workshop event called the Audacity Solo Salon for that kind of thing. No, we are looking for virtuosity, originality and a bit of hard-won experience from the performers we choose for the Dallas Solo Fest.

You've done fringe and solo festivals for years as a performer. Describe how networking with other artists and presenters on these circuits helped you with Solo Fest.

Independent touring fringe festival artists, particularly those that perform solo shows, are a wonderfully tight-knit community. There are Facebook groups and performers really do kind of keep track of who’s doing what and where.

I have noticed two things again and again when meeting solo touring artists around North America. First, solo performers almost always have an overwhelming sense of enthusiasm. They are real champions for their own shows and like to talk about what they do with audiences and fellow artists. They also are amazingly self-sufficient. Solo performers aren’t just the single actor on stage during their shows, but more often than not, the driving force behind the scenes, too. They are interested in their own marketing, ticket sales, technical requirements, and a bunch of off-stage concerns that traditional actors aren’t always that into. I think this is maybe because the production for a solo performer is by its nature a rather personal endeavor.

Since becoming a dad at the end of 2016, I have, of late, had to curtail a lot of my adventuring around performing my own solo shows. Kiddos, it turns out, take up a lot of time, energy and love. I am slowly getting back into it (I’m off to Minneapolis and Canada this summer to perform my solo piece Robert’s Eternal Goldfish). I hope to strike up some new friendships, see some great new shows, talk with other festival organizers and build out my network more and more.

Despite small audiences for the previous festivals, are your artists generally happy with their experience in Dallas?

On the whole, yes, the performers from the past several years have sent us overwhelmingly positive feedback about the festival and about Dallas. This has been important because one of my personal core beliefs is that the theatre should serve the artist first, then—and only then—the artist can serve the audience and the community.

Crowds have been rather uneven. Some shows sell out, sometimes you can hear crickets. It is especially difficult to market out-of-town performers to local audiences who have little name recognition outside of the fringe touring circuit. Plus, there is a lot of other great stuff happening around Dallas this time of year, such as Kitchen Dog’s wonderful New Works Festival. My hope is that audiences don’t chose one over the other, but instead turn out to both.

The team and I have gone out of our way to really push the content of the shows when marketing. We hope people will see what a given show is about, and then, based on that, decide to come see it.

To make it more worthwhile for the artists, we video shows for performers and drum up as much press for their individual shows as we can. We also offer billeting (touring speak for housing) with local theatre artists acting as hosts. We encourage interaction with audience members before and after the show in the lobby and we do our best to make them feel welcome and appreciated.

What would you like to see for DSF 2019? 2025?

Okay, don’t get ahead of yourself, Mark. If the festival goes well this year, I will do at least one more in 2019. I originally intended to do at least five years of the festival when I started. This is the fourth one. We’ll see. This is really contingent on whether audiences show up and support the event.

I’m not producing in a vacuum. If the message is, “Hey, buddy, Dallas doesn’t want or need this in the cultural landscape,” then that will come through loud and clear. If it fills a gap in the theatre community, then, of course, I’ll keep it going.

Personally, I am an advocate for intimate, indie theatre such as these one-person shows, but I’m not aiming to shove it down Dallas’ throat if it is not wanted.

If it does continue, I can promise we will try to make it better and better. I dream of the Dallas Solo Fest, eventually, becoming a multi-week event in several close together venues with panel discussions, workshops, open mics, food trucks and a roster of the best, brightest and most diverse solo shows in the world converging on Dallas. It would still be relatively small and focused, but with a wider range of programming and, perhaps, it would make a slightly deeper dent in the universe. Dallas could potentially become known as a hub for these kinds of shows, bringing in as well as exporting one-person productions. I mean, that’s the dream.

Anything else to add?

Yep, tickets are on sale. The welcome mat is out for audiences. All info one could want is here on TheaterJones and at www.DallasSoloFest.com.

2018 Dallas Solo Fest announced

DALLAS, TX – Audacity Theatre Lab is pleased to announce the 2018 Dallas Solo Fest, June 6 -10, 2018 at the Rosewood Center for the Arts, 5938 Skillman, Dallas, Texas 75231.  The festival will feature six distinct one-person shows presented by performers from around the country.

The 2018 Dallas Solo Fest line-up includes:

Jim Loucks in The Biscuiteater [credit - Rich Prugh]

The Biscuiteater
Created and performed by Jim Loucks (Venice, CA). Directed by Lisa Chess

Jim Loucks' rollicking solo performance draws on his Southern childhood to tell the story of a small-town policeman, loosely based on his Granddaddy, haunted by his shooting of a black man in the line of duty. As he nears the end of his life, he seeks redemption through teaching his grandson to respect life and to respect himself.

Chris Davis performing Drunk Lion [credit - C. Davis]

Drunk Lion
Created and performed by Chris Davis (Philadelphia, PA). Directed by Mary Toumanen

A lonely alcoholic lion spends his days drinking into oblivion in a cantina, until he meets Chris, a young foreigner learning how to speak Spanish. The unlikely pair forge an intoxicated bond over life, love, and alcohol.

Drunk Lion is written in Spanish and English, but it's all translated for you in the action, so no one is left behind! The writer Chris Davis lived for 3 years in Mexico, and the play documents some of his over-the-top experiences and ultimately is a dedication to his second home country. Chris embodies all of the characters exploring languages, loss, alcoholism, and how universal stories can be found in every corner of the world. Even Lions get drunk in cantinas!

Cody Clark performing A DIFFERENT WAY OF THINKING

Cody Clark: A Different Way of Thinking
Created and performed by Cody Clark (Louisville, KY). Directed by Taylor Martin.

Magician Cody Clark has a different way of seeing the world. Whether it’s finding the magic in an everyday moment, or recreating an everyday moment with his magic, the magician’s art is never far from his mind.

Cody discovered his love for magic at age 11, 9 years and 9 months after his parents discovered he had autism. Through stage magic and story, sleight-of-hand and journey of mind, Cody will show you the world through his eyes. Maybe you’ll find that his way of thinking isn’t all that different from yours.

John Michael in Meatball Seance

Meatball Séance
Created and performed by John Michael (Chicago, IL). Directed by Janet Howe.

John Michael returns to the Dallas Solo Fest after his sell-out show Crossing Your I's (later retitled Dementia Me) at DSF 2014. Meatball Séance is his latest offering—quite literally—to the ghosts of memory. John Michael attempts to summon the spirit of his deceased mother so she can meet/approve of his new boyfriend. And what better way to connect than through her favorite recipe for meatballs?

John S. Davies presents OH, JESUS! OR...

Oh, Jesus! Or… An Actor, a Cynic and a Savior Walk Into a Bar
Created and performed by John S. Davies (Dallas, TX). Directed by Matt Lyle.

Jesus is back (well, he says he's Jesus...) and he has daddy issues. The crucifixion/resurrection thing didn't work out so well the first time. The world is still in chaos, so he's convinced his Father to let him try again, but this time he's going to use 21st Century tech to get the word out. Unfortunately, he keeps getting interrupted by a cynic with a stick up his ass. Davies presents a strange and uproarious meta-journey into the landscape of faith and deception.

Nkechi Chibueze in PerVirgin

PerVirgin
Created and performed by Nkechi Chibueze (New Orleans, LA). Directed by Eritria Pitts.

​Kechi is 34 years old and has never been kissed . . . and she REALLY wants to talk about it! Join Kechi as she lays out the blueprint to becoming a super virgin, shares her cringe-worthy crushalationships with lessons in love, reveals her grandiose plans for her first kiss, and and explains how the Pussycat Dolls and Zumba are her sexy spirit animals!


The 2018 Dallas Solo Fest is a production of Audacity Theatre Lab and will play June 6-10, 2018 at the Rosewood Center for the Arts, 5938 Skillman, Dallas, Texas 75231. A full and detailed schedule will be released soon. Single tickets and Festival Passes for all shows go on sale May 1, 2018.  Festival Passes include one admission to each and every festival show and are $65.  Individual ticket prices for each show are $15. Discounts available for students, etc. Reservations will be able to be made at the Dallas Solo Fest website or by calling (214) 888-6650. Details about the shows, artists’ bios, the other festival information at: www.DallasSoloFest.com

Press from the 2016 Dallas Solo Fest

The 2016 Dallas Solo Fest was pretty successful. Below is an extensive listing of the press coverage. Click and read.

Scarlett Fever [TheaterJones.com | Mark Lowry | June 12, 2016 ]
The Challenges of Festival Producing [YouTube | dribblefunk | June 11, 2016]
Tricky Escape [TheaterJones.com | Janice Franklin | June 11, 2016 ]
Awesome Sauce [TheaterJones.com | Janice Franklin | June 11, 2016 ]
What's Your Type? [TheaterJones.com | Janice Franklin | June 11, 2016 ]
The Hero In Me [TheaterJones.com | Mark Lowry | June 10, 2016 ]
Dallas Solo Fest 2016 Filled With Imagination, Invention and Poignant Performances [Dallas Examiner.com | Christopher Soden | June 8, 2016]
Solo Fest Q&A: Vincent Mraz [TheaterJones.com | Shelby Allison-Hibbs | June 6, 2016 ]
Solo Fest Q&A: Diana Shortes [TheaterJones.com | Shelby Allison-Hibbs | June 6, 2016 ]
Solo Fest Q&A: David Mogolov [TheaterJones.com | Shelby Allison-Hibbs | June 6, 2016 ]
Très Drôle [TheaterJones.com | Jessica Fritsche | June 5, 2016]
Bottle of Truth [TheaterJones.com | Jessica Fritsche | June 4, 2016]
Han Shot First [TheaterJones.com | Jessica Fritsche | June 4, 2016]
Tara Forming [The Dallas Voice | Arnold Wayne Jones | June 3, 2016]
3 Tips for Creating Your Solo Show (and Why You Should) [Backstage.com | Arnold Wayne Jones | June 3, 2016]
Solo Fest Q&A: Ryan Adam Wells [TheaterJones.com | Shelby Allison-Hibbs | June 1, 2016 ]
Solo Fest Q&A: Maggie Gallant [TheaterJones.com | Shelby Allison-Hibbs | June 1, 2016 ]
2016 Dallas Solo Fest [TheaterMania | May 30, 2016]
Solo Fest Q&A: Brigham Mosley [ TheaterJones.com | Shelby Allison-Hibbs | May 30, 2016 ]
Dallas Solo Fest | Margo Jones Theatre Fair Park [DallasObserver | Lucas Buchels]
Solo Fest Q&A: Eileen Tull [ TheaterJones.com | Shelby Allison-Hibbs | May 30, 2016 ]
Dallas Solo Fest: Super Mortal [GuideLive.com | May 29, 2016 ]
Solo Fest Q&A: Erin Singleton [ TheaterJones.com | Shelby Allison-Hibbs | May 29, 2016 ]
Dallas Solo Fest: The Escape Plan [GuideLive.com | May 28, 2016 ]
2016 Dallas Solo Fest on WhoFish [WhoFish | May 28, 2016]
Dallas Solo Fest: Liberte Egalite Adaptee at the Magnolia Lounge in Fair Park [ GuideLive.com | May 22, 2016 ]
Having Survived the Temple of Doom, Eileen Tull is attempting to Find Her Lost Ark [ Chicago Ambassador | Bob Chiarito | May 19, 2016 ]
Raiding Solo with Eileen Tull [ Go Date Yourself Podcast | May 17, 2016 ]
Q-and-A with Diana Shortes [ TheSoloPerformer.com | May 18, 2016 ]
Little Big Scene Podcast: Let's Talk Solos [ Little Big Scene Podcast | May 16, 2016 ]
Q-and-A with Eileen Tull [ TheSoloPerformer.com |  May 15, 2016 ]
Eileen Tull: Sharing Her Truth Is an Inherently Feminist Act [Clyde Fitch Report | Shawn C. Harris | May 10, 2016 ]
Q-and-A with Vincent Mraz [TheSoloPerformer.com | May 9, 2016 ]
Audacity Theatre Lab presents 2016 Dallas Solo Fest [CultureMapDallas | April 29, 2016 ]
Audacity Theatre Lab Sets Dallas Solo Fest 2016 Lineup [ BroadwayWorld.com | BWW News Desk | April 28, 2016 ]
3rd Annual Dallas Solo Fest Line-up Announced  [ TheaterJones.com | Mark Lowry | April 19, 2016 ]
Bring it, 2016 [TheaterJones.com | TJ Staff | January 10, 2016 ]