Who is the Online Solo Show Creation Lab for?
The Online Solo Show Creation Lab is for actors, comedians, writers & performers who...
want to create a solo show but aren't sure how to get started (or finish one)
are struggling with blank-page paralyses, overwhelm or self doubt
are craving camaraderie, guidance and deadlines to help take an idea out of their heads and into the world
want to by-pass gatekeepers, accelerate their career and create huge opportunities for themselves
A blueprint for solo show creation
The Online Solo Show Creation Lab helps actors, comedians, writers and performers learn how to create a solo show from scratch, so they can take control of their careers, become more self-sufficient artists and make mega opportunities for themselves.
Led by internationally acclaimed solo show creator & performer, Haley McGee, this 6-week course offers you the tools, accountability and confidence to create the solo show you've been dreaming of, in a fun, dynamic and supportive environment.
This course runs for 6 weeks, online
Syllabus
Each weekly session is based on different step Haley's solo show creation process, honed over the last decade creating and touring solos internationally.
Week 1: Generating Material
Week 2: Identifying your central theme & narrative threads
Week 3: Structuring your solo show
Week 4: Editing, re-writing & workshopping
Week 5: Performing solo
Week 6: Self-producing crash course
In the true spirit of a Laboratory, experimentation, testing and practice are at the heart of everything we do.
You'll be supported with weekly, live video Q&A sessions, email access to Haley and a private Facebook group for participants.
If you’re ready to do the work and commit to your solo show, you’ll leave the Lab feeling confident in your solo show creation skills, with the tools and a clear plan to complete your show and share it with the world.
Course Structure
The Online Solo Show Creation Lab combines video lessons & weekly, interactive Q&As with Haley.
Course Dates: Week of Sept. 7 – Week of Oct. 12, 2020 (6 weeks)
Course Structure:
• On Mondays you’ll receive an hour-long video “lecture” from Haley with the week’s lesson and exercises with supporting PDF worksheets.
• On Thursdays we’ll have a live Q&A video session, where Haley will answer your questions and chat through roadblocks and process. These videos will be made available for later viewing.
Performance: On the second to last week (October 5, 2020), interested participants will be invited to share a short excerpt of their work in an informal, work-in-progress performance via Zoom.
What else can I expect?
Practical Creation Exercises
Writing & performance exercises designed to put you in touch with your instincts, develop your idea and your voice and help you make big strides with your show.
Tips & Shortcuts for Artists
Loads of tips and shortcuts, to save you time and prevent you from making rookie mistakes.
Time Management Hacks
Time management techniques to help you overcome procrastination & distraction.
Email Access to Haley
Ability to email Haley your questions throughout the Lab.
Self-Producing Templates
Templates to help you promote your work to venues via email, create PDF one-pagers & contract collaborating artists.
Grant Writing
Tips & resources to get you started applying for funding.
Weekly Live Video Q&A Sessions
On Thursdays Haley will answer participant questions. These will also be recorded for later viewing.
Private Facebook Community
Participants will have access to a private Facebook group, moderated by Haley, where they can share their progress and cheer each other on.
Why learn solo show creation with Haley?
Based in London (UK), Canadian artist Haley McGee has been creating, performing and touring solo shows since 2009, alongside a busy career as an actor, writer and voiceover artist.
Haley’s solo shows have been described as “defiantly distinctive” (★★★★ The Scotsman), “brilliantly entertaining, witty and poignant” (Lyn Gardner, StageDoor), and “deeply felt, consistently hilarious and hypnotically honest” (Exeunt). She's won and been nominated for numerous awards and accolades, including “Best Production” at United Solo NYC, the world’s largest solo show festival.
Playing in over 36 venues in 11 countries, Haley's solo show have been presented at Soulpepper (Toronto), Battersea Arts Centre & Camden People's Theatre (London) and Summerhall (Edinburgh). Her work has been translated into 4 languages, and there have productions of her solo OH MY IRMA in German and French.
Her most recent solo show, 'The Ex-Boyfriend Yard Sale' played to sold out crowds in London and Toronto, before landing Haley a book deal. In 2021 a book, based on the show, will be published by Penguin Random House (Canada) and Hodder and Stoughton (UK).
With 7 years of teaching experience, leading workshops and classes for students in high school, university and industry, Haley believes confidence in anything is built through practice. She loves helping artists dare to create the shows they’ve always want to make.
Over 60 artists participated in Haley’s wait-list-only, live version of the Solo Show Creation Lab between April 2019-Feb 2020 and 1200+ have taken part in her 14-Day Creative Quarantine Challenge.
Benefits & Outcomes
After completing the Online Solo Show Creation Lab you will have...
a step-by-step system to create a solo show from scratch
the ability to determine your next steps in your creation process & the skills to execute them
growing confidence in your artistic voice & creative ideas
the foundation of a productive, effective & sustainable artistic practice that works for you
practical techniques for generating material, structuring your show, editing your writing, workshopping on your feet & how to rehearse solo
a clear system & groundwork for successful & stress-free self-producing
completed basic self-producing written materials, including a description of your show to be used when approaching programmers, funders & artists partners
the tools & skills to take control of your destiny as an artist, a renewed sense of agency & liberation from ‘waiting for the phone to ring’ syndrome
an international community of fellow creators with whom you can share resources & insights
performed an excerpt of your show, which will be recorded so you’ll have proof of concept for applications* (performance is voluntary)
Reviews from past solo show lab artists
“Haley McGee’s solo performance lab has breathed life into my show - her intimate knowledge of the form is immediately obvious, and I would recommend her lab as a must for anyone looking for guidance with their solo work. She is a brilliant, supportive mentor, and my confidence in my creative choices has benefitted massively! TLDR: this lab is RAD. ”
“Haley was an amazing Lab leader. She facilitated, suggested solutions, cheered, and informed from the point of view of both a sympathetic solo-artist and more directorially. I came away with a toolkit, a blueprint, and confidence for approaching my solo work. I heartily endorse her Lab for any solo artist who is starting, mid-way through, or re-shaping a solo work.”
“I found Haley’s lab wonderful, it helped me create a space in my life to concentrate on something I had wanted to do for years. Haley supported me in taking up space and not being afraid of my voice and using it. The sessions were all so inspiring and helped me to combat writer’s block and structure my time through exercises. I would love to do the course all over again and recommend it very highly!!”
Registration is now closed
To take part in the Lab when it’s next offered, join Haley’s mailing list to be the first to know when registration opens again.
