Cheryl King wears a lot of hats. She is a writer and actor. She is a director and producer. Described in a New York Times article as “something of a matriarch of the Off Off Broadway solo scene,” she also created and runs Stage Left Studio, the only solo show repertory theater in New York.
But how exactly does one become such a major figure in New York solo performance? In a recent interview with Examiner.com, King answered this question and others, including what it takes to be a successful solo artist.
King got her start performing in Albuquerque, New Mexico with a vaudeville show in 1978. “After that I moved back east to Atlanta, and studied mime, and performed as a solo mime for four years,” she explains. “I then became a standup comic and worked exclusively as a comic until 1995. That’s when I wrote my solo show and started studying acting.”
King performed her first solo show in U.S. cities and in Denmark. Proving that a solo show can enjoy a long lifespan, King started performing that show in 1997 and did her final performance in 2006 at Stage Left. In that time King also began producing others’ solo shows, curating solo show festivals, and creating Stage Left to give solo artists a space to workshop and perform shows. She says:
It’s interesting to see how the public perception (or the critics’ perception) of solo shows has mutated in the years I have worked in the format. As a mime, I became accustomed to the curled lip and muted disdain that occurred when I let people know what I did for a living. The same was true for solo shows, for the longest time. People expected solo shows to be a sort of confessional, a rambling narrative more suited to a psychiatrist’s couch. Some solo shows were like that – but most were not, and most were unfairly judged as being self-involved, boring, “how I came to the city and found myself” sort of tales.
King says that for performers, solo shows can be “a very satisfying experience.” “Actors go out on auditions for years and don’t get cast, and finally they decide to create their own material. Those that have enough talent to write their own material, and to find a way to produce it, finally get their chance to perform.”
By the same token, there are challenges to be found in the art form. “A solo play requires more innovation. If the actor is playing multiple characters … then the actor and director have to find ways to write and act it that keep the delineation between characters clear and manageable.” King also says it can be difficult to market solo plays to bring in audience members.
In terms of a solution to one of the major struggles of solo artists in New York — finding the money to live in an expensive city and create and produce a show — King says, “There’s no one answer, and no solution exists that does not require steady work toward the goal, and patience and perseverance.”
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For more insights from Cheryl King, read her April 2010 Backstage.com article, “All Alone: Actor-writer-director-producer Cheryl King discusses the acting challenges of one-person shows.”
Also check out the Stage Left Studio website for information on its current solo shows, including My Three Moms and The Rope in Your Hands.
Lastly, keep an eye out for three different theater festivals King has a producing and artistic directing hand in this year: The Left Out Festival April 7-19, The Mama Drama Festival in or around September, and The Women at Work Festival in October. More information on these festivals can be found on King’s website.
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