So you want to do a solo show? / Gareth Armstrong ; foreword by Maureen Lipman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Armstrong, Gareth.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

One-person shows (Performing arts)--Production and direction.

One-person shows (Performing arts).

Physical Description:

xii, 161 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

London : Nick Hern Books, 2011.

Summary:

More and more actors - faced with ever longer periods of unemployment - are turning to the solo show as a way of keeping active, keeping visible, and keeping the wolf from the door! This book is essential reading for anyone contemplating such a move, and comprehensively covers every aspect of putting on your own one-person show.

Being a veteran of the solo-show circuit, as a writer, performer and director, Gareth Armstrong is the ideal guide. He takes you step by step through each stage of the process:

Choosing the right material - or devising your own

Raising the finance

Finding the venues

Hiring a bookings manager and other personnel

Arranging publicity

Winning an audience

There is a special section on that mecca for solo shows, the Edinburgh Fringe, and an extensive appendix covering funding bodies, venues, festivals and more. Throughout the book, Armstrong illustrates his points with case studies of actual solo shows by performers such as Miriam Margolyes, Linda Marlowe and Guy Masterson. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part 1

What's Your Motivation? 7

What's Your Inspiration? 11

What's Your Show? 13

1 A previously performed play 15

2 A play using your own life experiences 18

3 A play based on a real-life character or characters 22

4 A play based on a fictional life 28

5 A play revisiting a fictional creation 32

6 A play celebrating a literary life (by impersonation or in recital) 36

7 A play adapted from other media 43

8 A play for children 54

9 A play based on utilising a special skill 57

10 A play based on none of the above 61

Finally, the First Word 63

Part 2

Getting Your Act Together 67

Money 69

People 74

Timing 83

Rehearsals 85

First Night 88

Next Steps 91

Publicity 99

Booking Agencies 104

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe 107

Life After Edinburgh 116

Touring 120

Budgeting 125

Rural Touring 128

International Touring 130.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (page 161).

ISBN:

1848420846

9781848420847

OCLC:

726817629

Publisher Number:

99948069751