The United Solo Festival Presents MADMAN

The United Solo Festival presents MADMAN, written and performed by Jake Austin Robertson, on September 23 at 7:30pm, October 14 at 4pm and October 17 at 9pm, The Studio Theater at Theatre Row, 410 W. 42nd Street, NYC, 10036. The one-man play is directed by Sara Morgulis. Already a Festival Bestseller, MADMAN has sold out its first two shows and now has a third performance on October 17!

MADMAN is a reinvention of his 2015 Princeton acting thesis. It's 2007 and the 14-year-old Jake is secretly in love with another boy in his class. He suffers in isolation, hiding his queerness from a loving but flawed family and a conservative smalltown community, until he discovers a magic Russian book that leads him on an unbelievable journey to escape from himself.

"I'm thrilled to debut this work in New York at the world's largest solo festival," says Jake. "I decided to do it not just for myself, but for the kid I used to be and for kids like him, who are struggling to escape from who they are. It's for people who find solace in the pages of their favorite books, for anyone who has read a story and found themselves lurking in its chapters. MADMAN is a tale where pain runs headfirst into laughter; where love is married to lies; and where absurdity is vigorously making out with reality."

More info and tickets at: unitedsolo.org/us/madman

Jake Austin Robertson is a member of Actor's Equity. He is an actor, improviser, writer and VO artist in NYC. He has an MA in Acting from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and a BA in Slavic Studies from Princeton. He most recently performed in Babette's Feast Off-Broadway at Theatre at St. Clement's. Raised by two moms in Lombard, Illinois, he is fluent in Russian and Disco.

UNITED SOLO THEATRE FESTIVAL is an annual international festival for solo performances held at the Theatre Row in the heart of the New York City theatre district on 42nd Street, currently in its 9th season. Fiona Shaw called United Solo "the mecca of the solo shows in the world." Over 130 participants from six continents will present their shows every day from September 13 until November 18, 2018. Numerous performances are already sold out. Through its mission, United Solo presents renowned artists as well as new talents, discovers original stories, connects artists with their audiences, exchanges diverse perspectives, fosters a dialogue for change, entertains, and now also educates through its professional training program led by distinguished artists and cultural icons.