Putting on a play is a big job, so you might wonder why anyone would choose to do it alone. Fortunately, the hard graft is almost always balanced out by the creative freedom and exposure that solo performances bring.
Solo shows have launched the careers of successful actors like Phoebe Waller-Bridge, whose one-woman fringe hit Fleabag catapulted her into the mainstream when it was adapted into a BBC TV series. Richard Gadd’s award-winning Netflix series Baby Reindeer is another example of a project that started as a one-man show. For more established actors, they’re a chance to break away from typecasting and showcase true versatility. In 2024, US screen titan Billy Crudup did just that, commandeering a stage that was his alone while playing the titular swaggering cockney in a West End revival of David Cale’s 2017 monologue Harry Clarke.
Whether this is your first foray into performance or you’re a professional looking for a new challenge, here are some things to consider before putting on a one-person show.
JUMP TO
A one-person show—also called a solo performance, one-man show, or one-woman show—is a theatrical performance featuring a single performer. Though these types of shows are presently enjoying a moment of dominance, they’ve been around since ancient storytellers and bards. The English actor Samuel Foote gained popularity with his solo performances in 18th century London. In the 19th century, Charles Dickens’ and Mark Twain’s dramatic readings of their own works helped make one-man shows more widely accepted.
These days, solo shows encompass a range of styles and subjects. Some are monologues grounded in realism, like Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie, and others incorporate experimental elements. For example, Nassim Soleimanpour’s smash hit White Rabbit Red Rabbit is designed to be performed unrehearsed and by a different actor every night of its run. Bruce Springsteen’s biographical solo show, Springsteen on Broadway, wove together personal stories and acoustic renditions of his music. Rebecca Vaughan’s fringe favourite Austen’s Women saw her play 14 Jane Austen characters in mini sketches. In short, there are no rules to staging a one-person show. Whether you’re performing, writing, directing, or all three, they’re a unique opportunity to collaborate in new ways and try new things.
- To showcase your skills: Solo plays are a chance to take control of your career without having to wait for “the call.” Instead, you can create a piece that plays to your strengths and gets your writing, devising, and acting skills maximum exposure.
- They're cost-effective: One-person shows are generally cheap to produce. After all, they could technically be written and rehearsed in a bedroom. While there’s no guarantee of making a profit, keeping costs low and not having to split money earned between a company increases your chances of a turnover.
- Flexibility: Staging can be kept simple and flexible, which keeps things cheap and makes the show easy to move around. You could even perform it in unconventional locations like museums, shops, or private homes.
- It's a challenge: For established and aspiring performers alike, solo plays are an opportunity to build your confidence, versatility, and ability to hold an audience’s attention on your own.
How to Start an Acting Career 1. Do your research
Watching other solo performances is an invaluable way to learn how it’s done. You can stream Fleabag and Prima Facie with a subscription to National Theatre at home. Another excellent one-person show, Duncan Macmillan’s Every Brilliant Thing, performed by its co-author Jonny Donahoe, is available to watch for free on YouTube. Better still, keep an ear to the ground for any live shows coming up. Observing others will give you lots of clues on what you should (and shouldn’t!) do in order to nail a solo performance.
Try to get your hands on texts of one-person shows, too. If you’re looking to perform one, it’ll give you an idea of what’s already out there. If you’re hoping to write, they’ll give you the chance to look more closely at the script and earmark useful parts.
Making Your Solo Show: The Compact Guide by Lisa Carroll and Milly Thomas offers practical tips and guidance for creating a solo show, and books like The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr are helpful if you’re writing, too.
2. Ask for input
Whether you’re writing your one-person show or staging someone else’s, ask people you trust for input from the very beginning. You won’t know if your piece resonates without reciting it to others, so it’s essential to try parts out as you go.
3. Find a director
If you can, find someone whose creative input you value to be your director. If you’ve written your own piece, they may even act as editor too, providing another pair of eyes to let you know if your script ties together well and which lines to kill. Make sure they’re someone you’re happy to collaborate with – it can be intense and personal when receiving feedback.
4. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse
Try to run your piece in full as often as you can. Solo shows have an average running time of 60–75 minutes, so it’s a tiring business. Rehearse as regularly as you can while conserving your energy. It can be a daunting prospect to get up onstage alone with no one to hide behind. Knowing the piece inside out means you can relax and focus on responding in the moment.
1. Remember to warm up
You alone have the important job of bringing the audience along with you, so make sure you’re physically and vocally prepared. Establish a warmup routine so you don’t have to think too hard about it before each performance. Focus on release, relaxation, diction, and projection.
2. Keep it technically simple
Putting on a solo show is stressful enough without adding technical complexity and more that could go wrong. A single actor building a world from a stripped-back stage can be very impactful. Trust in your ability to transport the audience without lots of bells and whistles. If you have the budget, consider hiring a lighting and sound technician: Lighting and sound changes can add atmosphere to the world of your production, and smoothen scene changes.
3. Establish your world
The same rules apply to solo shows as ensemble performances when it comes to building the world of the play. Block your performance clearly, and make sure the setting is vivid in your mind – especially if you’re keeping things simple stylistically, with minimal props and scenery. For example, if you’ve gestured toward a kitchen, make sure you keep gesturing in the same direction if it’s mentioned again. Having a clear vision will help your stage manager, lighting technician, and sound designers elevate the world even more.
4. Connect with your audience
Solo shows rely on the relationship between the performer and audience, with the latter your captive audience for the show’s duration. Acknowledge their presence, establish their role, and listen out for their responses like you would another actor, even if you’re not breaking the fourth wall.
5. Relax – it’ll help put your audience at ease
Once you’ve thoroughly prepared, it’s time to take deep breaths and allow yourself to be present. Though a pressurised scenario, performing alone is an incredible chance for creativity and play. Letting go of nerves and tension will allow you to engage with your audience, pace the piece well, and most importantly, enjoy it!
Shout about it
Use free online listings like Eventbrite and Off West End in the UK, or AussieTheatre.com in Australia, and email press releases and listing requests to publications like Time Out, which might be able to offer a few lines previewing your show. Print physical posters and flyers, share on social media, and tell everyone you know. Even if you don’t have a big budget, make sure your marketing materials are good quality and represent your show well. With any luck, word of mouth will keep the momentum going after your first marketing push.
Make a press pack
“Any publicity is good publicity,” or so the saying goes. Reviews – the glowing and the grumbling! – are a helpful way to put your show on people’s radars. Invite critics and contact industry publications to see if they’d be willing to cover your play. Get in touch with local press if you’re touring to see if they’re up for running an interview or preview.
Collaborate with venues
Get in touch with the venues where you’re booked to perform and ask if they can support you with marketing. They’ll usually be able to put up posters, distribute flyers, and post on their own social media accounts. Some might even have an in-house press office to promote the show on your behalf. It’s a good idea to ask at least a month in advance to give potential audience members plenty of time to clock the promotional materials and book.
Hire a professional
If you’ve got the money, take one big job off your plate and hire a professional to do your marketing. Filling seats is arguably your most important challenge, so it’s worth the investment to guarantee people come. Hopefully it’ll bring plenty of returns.
Putting on a solo show is a big commitment, but it’s an opportunity to show the world what you can truly do. Standout solo performances have even been known to turbo-charge the careers of actors. If you think you’re up for the challenge, surround yourself with supportive mentors and cheerleaders and you won’t feel like you’re doing it alone at all.