The Power of Creating a Solo Show: A Journey of Artistic Discovery

I won't forget the moment I first watched Whoopi Goldberg command the stage in her revolutionary one-woman show. As she embodied each distinct character – from the young surfer girl to the disabled woman dreaming of an adventure, to the little girl using a shirt as long hair – I witnessed the raw power of one performer holding an entire audience spellbound. What struck me most wasn't just her masterful character work, but how each persona's story, though deeply specific, touched upon universal themes of dreams, identity, and human dignity that resonated with every person in the theater.

Watch Whoopi HERE

When I directed John (JD) Cerna in his award winning one person show Not as Cute as Picture that was EXACTLY our intention. JD knew something...

Creating a solo show is one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences an artist can undertake. Whether you're an actor, musician, dancer, speaker or multidisciplinary performer, developing and performing your own one-person show can transform both your artistic practice and personal growth.

First, you might be thinking…Why Create a Solo Show?

Complete Creative Control

One of the most compelling reasons to develop a solo show is the unprecedented level of creative control it offers. As both creator and performer, you have the freedom to tell exactly the story you want to tell, in precisely the way you want to tell it. This autonomy allows you to explore themes, styles, and artistic choices that deeply resonate with your personal vision, without having to compromise for other collaborators' preferences or traditional theatrical constraints.

Personal Story, Universal Impact

Solo shows often emerge from deeply personal experiences or perspectives, yet paradoxically, this specificity often leads to the most universal connections with audiences. When you dive deep into your own truth, you often touch upon fundamental human experiences that resonate across cultural and social boundaries. Your unique story becomes a mirror through which audiences can reflect on their own lives and experiences.

Professional Development

Creating a solo show is like earning an advanced degree in multiple theatrical disciplines simultaneously. You'll develop skills in:

Playwriting and dramaturgy

Character development and performance

Production management

Marketing and self-promotion

Technical theater elements

Audience engagement

These skills remain valuable long after your show closes, enhancing your versatility as a creative or speaker and your marketability as a performer.

The Creative Benefits

Developing a solo show pushes you to expand your creative boundaries. You'll likely find yourself incorporating new skills and art forms you never expected to explore. Many solo performers discover hidden talents in movement, music, or multimedia elements as they search for the most effective ways to tell their stories. And for the introverts it asks you to explore another side of yourself.

When you're alone on stage, you must develop an incredibly intimate relationship with your audience. This experience hones your ability to read and respond to audience energy, improving your performance skills in ways that benefit all your future work. You'll become more confident, more present, and more adaptable as a performer.

A solo show becomes a powerful addition to your artistic portfolio. It demonstrates initiative, creativity, and the ability to carry an entire production – qualities that appeal to producers, directors, and artistic collaborators. It can also serve as a calling card that opens doors to festivals, touring opportunities, speaking opportunities and other performance venues.

Personal Growth

And even larger than that, the process of creating a solo show often leads to profound personal insights. As you dig deep to find the story you want to tell, you'll likely uncover new understanding about yourself, your experiences, and your perspectives. This emotional archaeology can be challenging but ultimately enriching and healing. In every solo show I’ve directed I have had the privilege to watch the artist grow not only professionally but personally. The mere act of creating a solo show is a self-actualization experience.

Successfully creating and performing a solo show builds tremendous confidence. There's nothing quite like the experience of holding an audience's attention entirely on your own. This achievement creates a lasting sense of capability that extends far beyond the stage.

The process of developing and performing a solo show naturally leads to new connections in the artistic community. You'll likely work with directors, designers, and venue managers, expanding your professional network in organic and meaningful ways.

Getting Started

Begin with what moves you deeply. What story do you feel compelled to tell? What questions keep you up at night? What experiences have shaped you profoundly? Start writing or improvising around these themes, letting your natural voice emerge.

Consider working with a coach, director or dramaturg- like yours truly- who can provide outside perspective while honoring your vision. Schedule regular workshop performances to test material with friendly audiences. Record yourself and watch the footage critically. Be prepared to revise extensively – solo shows often go through many iterations before finding their final form.

Technical Elements

Keep technical requirements manageable, especially if you plan to tour. Many successful solo shows rely more on the performer's skill and storytelling ability than elaborate technical elements. However, don't be afraid to incorporate elements that truly serve your story.

Exercise: The Story Circle

This exercise helps you identify and develop potential material for your solo show while practicing essential performance skills.

Duration: 30 minutes Materials needed: Timer, notebook, comfortable space to move

Set up a physical or imaginary circle in your space, about 6 feet in diameter.

Choose five objects from your immediate environment that hold personal meaning or memories.

Place these objects at different points around the circle's perimeter.

Stand in the center of the circle. Set your timer for 3 minutes per object.

Move to each object and tell its story, speaking aloud as if to an audience.

Focus on:

The specific moment you acquired or first encountered this object

A significant memory or event associated with it

How it reflects something about your identity or values

What universal theme it might represent

After completing all five stories, sit down and write for 10 minutes about:

Which story felt most energizing to tell?

What common themes emerged?

Which moments sparked the strongest emotional connection?

What surprised you about the experience?

This exercise helps develop your storytelling instincts while generating authentic material for your show. It also builds comfort with sustaining audience attention and finding universal meaning in personal objects.

Exercise: The Inner Critic Dialogue

This exercise helps address the mental barriers and self-doubt that often arise during the creative process.

Duration: 20 minutes Materials needed: Journal, quiet space

Find a comfortable position and take three deep pranic breaths.

In your journal, write down your biggest fear about creating a solo show. Be specific and honest.

Now, imagine this fear as a character. Give it a name and describe its appearance.

Write a dialogue between yourself and this "Inner Critic" character

Let the critic speak its concerns

Respond with compassion and curiosity

Ask questions like "What are you trying to protect me from?"

Look for the wisdom behind the fear

Close the dialogue by writing a collaborative agreement between you and your Inner Critic:

What boundaries will you set?

How can you honor both creative risk-taking and self-protection?

What support systems will you put in place?

End with three statements of intention, beginning with "I give myself permission to..."

This exercise helps transform your inner critic from an obstacle into a collaborator, building the emotional resilience needed for the vulnerable work of creating a solo show.

Every great solo show started with a single idea and an artist brave enough to pursue it. Your story matters, and there's an audience waiting to connect with it. The only question is: when will you begin?

Nick Demos is one of the most insightful directors I have ever worked with, directing me in my solo show "Not as Cute as Picture".  He was ever-patient.  He was brilliant.  He insisted I do the show with no props or costume pieces whatsoever which was an incredibly smart choice.  He never once brought an ego to our rehearsals; he was always about the work and nothing else except the work.  I hold his talent in the highest regard, and I am forever grateful to Nick for making "Not as Cute as Picture" the successful, well-received and very popular show it became in downtown New York.  

J.D. Cerna- writer/actor