2012 ALL FOR ONE THEATER FESTIVAL Announces Lineup of 10 Solo Plays

THE 2012 ALL FOR ONE THEATER FESTIVAL, which begins September 14th at the 179 seat Cherry Lane Theatre/Mainstage, 38 Commerce Street, NYC, will feature 10 extraordinary solo performers presenting their own works. This 2nd AFO Theater Festival, which continues through September 30th, will offer two performances of each play plus panels, workshops, works in development, talk-back audience sessions after every performance and a special solo performance Mentoring Program with Nilaja Sun for high school students. This second AFO season features solo plays directed by Lynne Taylor-Corbett, BD Wong and Colman Domingo; the World Premiere of “WHAT I THOUGHT I KNEW” by Alice Eve Cohen, based on her New York Times bestseller, and the NY Premiere of Emmy-winner and theatre favorite Leslie Jordan’s new solo piece “FRUIT FLY.”

Michael Wolk, Executive Producer said: “The All For One Theater Festival is a nonprofit organization presenting outstanding solo shows that inform and inspire, along with workshops and panels to promote excellence in solo theater.

“This year, we have Lily Tomlin, Patrick Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg, Carrie Fisher and many other solo artists standing with us on our Advisory Board, and their message is clear: solo performance matters. In a time when it’s easy to point and click news stories away like gnats, solo theater gives us the means to personally connect with the life’s important issues.

“Because they believe solo performance matters, BD Wong, Colman Domingo, and Broadway’s Lynne Taylor-Corbett not only serve on our advisory board, but will all direct shows in the 2012 All For One Theater Festival.

“AFO 2012 offers 10 stories of personal triumph – triumphs that, through masterful performance, become OUR triumphs.

"To cite just two examples: FRUIT FLY, a New York Premiere, is Emmy Award-winner Leslie Jordon’s inspiring peon to finding your own path; WHAT I THOUGHT I KNEW, a World Premiere by Alice Eve Cohen, is based on her critically acclaimed, award-winning memoir and tells of her miraculous mid-life pregnancy.

“A great solo show starts a conversation – so we’re delighted to announce this year ALL performances will be followed by audience talkbacks.

“We know the shows in the Festival will start many conversations and we hope, through our new booking partnership with Peter Ligeti and The Show Store, that after the Festival, our shows will tour to theaters and campuses across America.”

The All For One Theater Festival launched its inaugural season on 11.11.11 – November 11, 2011 – at Theatre 80 St. Marks in New York City, presenting a program of 15 highly acclaimed full-length solo works plus 6 short pieces, 5 panels with leaders of solo performance, and 8 workshops led by the solo performance community’s most respected instructors. A New Works Series and an evening of excerpts were also presented.

With its second NY season this fall, All For One continues to build its burgeoning community of solo theater performers, writers, directors, educators and audiences. All For One works year-round to promote its Festival shows and workshops and expand the audiences for these amazing artists.

This year, AFO premieres The AFO Mentor Project. Through this program, six exceptional high school students, selected from schools throughout NYC, will participate in an extended workshop in the art of solo performance lead by award-winning writer/actress Nilaja Sun. The project will culminate in the inaugural AFO Student Showcase in December 2012. The first of these workshops will occur during the 2012 AFO Theater Festival on Sunday, September 16 at 4:30pm. (This workshop is by-invitation-only and is not open to the public.)