Top 5 Things to Know When Performing a One Woman Show

Advice from the cast and crew of Grounded by George Brant at Northern Stage:

You may be alone onstage but you are not alone! The team (stage manager, director, designer, board operators, technicians, and front of house staff) is behind you, lifting you up and it’s your job to lift THEM up. (Megan Anderson, Actor)

There is lots of collaboration with the actor. Sometimes the actor just gets plugged into a design that is already thought out, but with a one-actor play we want her to be more involved, so that she feels comfortable and is aware of what’s happening around her. I am her scene partner. (Cat Wallis, Stage Manager)

Cast the right actor. It sounds obvious but she is the entire experience…it takes a particular temperament and sense of self to be able to shape and deliver a one-woman show, and to be out there alone every night. (Derek Goldman, Director)

You have to lay it all out there and be willing to fall on your face. There’s not room for ego. You cannot hold on to the last show or even the last moment. (Megan Anderson, Actor)

With great writing, as in Grounded, it’s surprising how dramatically active the event can be, in terms of staging and theatricality. Often there is an impression that solo performances are by their nature more static, or just “talky” – not necessarily! (Derek Goldman, Director)