SOLO: The Book Launch!

SOLO is comprehensive guide for anyone interested in creating solo performances

"The art of solo performance has exploded in the last twenty years as an immediate and accessible art form. The number of solo festivals grows every year, and artists are hungry for the opportunity to center their own voices and experiences. Solo is designed to feed that hunger.

Seasoned theater educators and performers Arlene Malinowski and Julie Ganey have compiled an invaluable guide for students and practitioners alike. Topics include high-stakes narratives, compelling characters, and the role of narrators, as well as practical exercises, interviews with performers at every stage of their careers, and examples from real one-person shows. Performers will also find advice on collaborating with directors, incorporating technical elements, and producing and marketing strategies.

Whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned professional looking to refine your show-in-progress, Solo is an essential volume for anyone ready to bring their story to life onstage."

Come join us for a reading, Q&A and celebration for the book launch of Solo!

Meet the Authors

Julie Ganey is a multi-disciplinary theatre artist with deep roots in storytelling, improvisation, and arts education. She has appeared in roles on Chicago stages large and small for decades and is an active member of the live lit storytelling community. She is the author of four solo plays, and her most recent, Michiganderish, was commissioned as part of her year-long creative fellowship at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts. Julie is a company member at 2nd Story, an adjunct professor at The Theatre School at DePaul, and a long-time teaching artist for the GeNarrations program at the Goodman Theatre.

Arlene Malinowski is an actor, writer, solo artist who has been teaching the art of solo for over 25 years. Her 5 award-winning solo shows have been produced across the country and abroad. She's been nominated for LA Ovation Award, LA Garland award, O’NEILL Semi-finalist, Blue Ink and Heartland finalist. She’s been awarded a 3 Arts Fellowship and Chicago Cultural Center residency. Her writing has been published in several anthologies. She’s a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists and to her knowledge is the only actor to have appeared in Shakespeare ’s Measure for Measure AND Dougie Howser in the same 24 hours.