United Solo, the world’s largest solo theatre festival, celebrated its 18th season with a Gala on April 20 at Theatre Row in New York City. The evening began with a musical performance, “Remembering My Dreams: The Michele Brourman Songbook,” performed by the festival’s Vice Artistic Director, Wendy-Lane Bailey, followed by an awards presentation recognizing outstanding work by the festival’s participating artists.
The Best Production Award was presented to Thomas Ellenson for his autobiographical piece “Well, Life Sucks.” Born with cerebral palsy, Thomas has faced numerous challenges throughout his life. His show blends sharp humor with raw honesty, taking the audience on a journey through his determined and deeply moving experiences.
“This show is my second one, and it started when I saw Billy Crystal’s show ‘700 Sundays,’” said Thomas. “I was blown away by how relatable his solo performance was, even though he’s a famous celebrity. He was my inspiration.” He added, “I never expected to win the festival. Even though I’ve always loved theatre, I didn’t realize it would become my career.”
United Solo’s Founder and Artistic Director, Omar Sangare, reflected on the season, stating: “For eighteen seasons, we have been proud to provide a stage where all stories are honored. Our stories matter now more than ever, and I am always moved by the utter fearlessness of our artists. It is a joy to witness performers from all over the world come together to celebrate the diversity of this art form.”
Award categories included excellence in acting, directing, and various forms of solo performance, as well as the All About Solo Critics’ Choice Award and the United Solo Audience Award. An award for Outstanding Solo Performance on Video went to Pau Aran Gimeno, acclaimed performer with Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, for his independent solo production, available via the United Solo Screen platform at https://screen.unitedsolo.org.
While the Spring 2025 season has now concluded, United Solo is currently accepting submissions for its Fall 2025 Season at Theatre Row. Artists and companies are encouraged to apply at: https://unitedsolo.org/nyc-fall-2025/
Full list of winners from the 2025 Spring Season
Best Production: “Well, Life Sucks” by Thomas Ellenson
Best One-Man Show: “Under the Rainbow” by John Gazzale
Best One-Woman Show: “Casualty of War” by Sharon Lesser
Best International Show: “galat lagchha malai mero desh ko itihas” by Rajkumar Pudasaini
Best Storyteller: Lenka Lichtenberg in “The Secret Poetess of Terezín”
Best Direction: Sue Wolf, “Backwards, Forwards, Back” and “Intact”
Best Actress: Michelle Shupe in “I Wore What When”
Best Actor: Lawrence James in “Backwards, Forwards, Back”
United Solo Pride Award: “Mounting Washington” by Penny Sterling
United Solo Audience Award: “In this Our Home” by Donna Sewall Davidge
United Solo Best Screen Award: “Water and Stones” by Pau Aran Gimeno
Best Musical: “The Ādat” by Sheherazaad
Best Physical Theatre: “Mother’s Day” by Susan Chase
Best Spoken Word: “Legacy” by Sharon Nyee Williams
Best Biographical Show: “Queen of the World” by Ivette Viñas
Best Classical Show: “Cordelia Sword of the Wind” by Jiyoung Choi
Best Autobiographical Show: “Sadec 1965: A Love Story” by Flora Le
Best Storytelling Show: “The Samurai’s Wife” by Sui Nakashima
Best Stand-Up: “I Get No Respect Confessions of a Failed Foreign Policy Pundit” by Bill Hartung
All About Solo Critics’ Choice Award: “The Troll” by Rochée Jeffrey
Best Festival Debut: “In This Our Home” by Donna Sewall Davidge
Best Script: Colleen Murphy, “I Wore What When”
Best Lighting: Melissa Shawcross, “Queen of the World”
*Winners were selected by an independent panel of over eighty theatre professionals, including The United Solo Academy Members.
**The winner of the 2024 All About Solo Critics’ Award was chosen by the staff writers of http://www.allaboutsolo.com.
***The winner of the Audience Award was chosen in an online poll at United Solo.
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