Solo Fest at Antaeus Theatre

Following a sold-out inaugural run, Solo Fest is back by popular demand with an expanded lineup featuring more performers and more dates. Glendale Arts, in partnership with Lifechild, presents encore performances from Ernie Silva, Ruthy Otero, and Eternal Mind, alongside new shows from MrFood4Thought and Shelby Bond from April 21 through May 7 at Antaeus Theatre and ace/121 Gallery in Glendale. Performance details and ticket information are available at glendalearts.org.

Solo Fest, debuted by Glendale Arts in 2022, is a series of dynamic one-person theatrical performances amplifying the unique voice of each featured artist. The festival delivers thought-provoking storytelling through a variety of genres such as poetry, comedy, and hip-hop theatre. Program details for Solo Fest 2023 are as follows: 

Preview Performance - Friday, April 21 | 8:00pm | ace/121 Gallery: The festival opens with a preview performance on Friday, April 21st at 8:00pm. For a taste of what’s to come, excerpts from all five shows will be performed by the cast of LA-based artists - Ernie Silva, Ruthy Otero, Eternal Mind, MrFood4Thought, and Shelby Bond, along with openers Kelsey Siepser and Sonja Marie - at a ticket price of only $15.  

Nobody Knows my Name | Written & Performed by Eternal Mind (Encore Performance) - Thursday, April 27 | 8:00pm | Antaeus Theatre: A juvenile detention facility, words, and the discovery of self. Nobody Knows my Name poetically reveals the pull & push of existing in this world when you think your voice doesn't matter. Through hard-hitting imagery, rhythm, rhyme, metaphors, and wordplay, Eternal Mind takes us on a journey of revelation.

Dungeons & Shakespeare | Written & Performed by Shelby Bond (New Show) - Friday, April 28 | 8:00pm | Antaeus Theatre: Welcome to a world where you can see the greatest characters from Shakespeare possibly killed by horrific monsters from Dungeons & Dragons. Inspired by the Bard, determined by dice, brought to life on stage. Join in an epic adventure that is different every time as the audiences’ choices and the roll of giant dice decides if the heroes live or die. All the world’s a game...Come be a player!

Heavy Like the Weight of a Flame | Written & Performed by Ernie Silva (Encore Performances) - Saturday, April 29 | 8:00pm & Sunday, May 7 | 6:00pm | Antaeus Theatre: A Brooklyn kid from the projects ventures into the life written about in books like Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. Based on the hip-hop theatre genre, Heavy Like the Weight of a Flame is the story of a slim-built Puerto Rican man with an afro who plays everything from classical guitar to 17 different characters as he hops on a freight train to travel across the country in search of his voice. This award-winning one-man show is raw, intelligent, hard hitting, emotionally stirring, socially piercing, and compels the audience to think, cry, and laugh out loud.

Dancing with my Demons | Written & Performed by Ruthy Otero (Encore Performance) - Friday, May 5 | 8:00pm | Antaeus Theatre: Dancing with my Demons is a 60-minute multi-character comedy that wrestles with the most loathsome F word: FEAR. Through storytelling, physical comedy, and disco music, the show holds up a mirror to the painfully funny ways we either move through fear, or let it keep us stuck. Writer and actress Ruthy Otero has performed the show around the world, from New York and Los Angeles to a kickboxing ring in Thailand. 

Purple People who Dance Barefoot | Written by Oshea Luja & Performed by MrFood4Thought (New Show) - Saturday, May 6 | 8:00pm | Antaeus Theatre: Purple People who Dance Barefoot takes audiences on a journey through the gritty streets, alleyways, and back porches of Watts, California in the 1970s. Set against the backdrop of a vibrant, loving, dangerous neighborhood and its residents, the one-man play explores themes of identity, community, trauma, mental health, and the resilience of the human spirit through personal anecdotes and multiple characters embodied by MrFood4Thought.

Tickets / Venues

Preview Performance at ace/121 Gallery - General Admission tickets for the Preview Performance are $15. 

Individual Performances at Antaeus Theatre - Tickets for each full performance start at $25 for General Admission seating. Reserved section tickets (with General Admission seating within the section) are $35. A $75 VIP ticket includes reserved seats in the front row and a swag bag.

Special $25 Enlighten tickets for deserving individuals (age 17+) who would otherwise not be able to attend are also available for purchase.

TeenTix members are eligible to purchase $5 tickets on the night of each show, subject to availability.

Antaeus Theatre is located at 110 East Broadway, Glendale, CA 91205. 

ace/121 Gallery is located at 121 N. Kenwood St., Glendale, CA 91206.

Full details and tickets are available at https://glendalearts.org/programs-2/popup/.

Donations to Glendale Arts in support of the organization’s mission to connect artists and audiences are also gratefully accepted at https://glendalearts.charityproud.org/Donate/?cid=10627.

About the Artists

Ernie Silva - A product of the Bushwick projects in Brooklyn, New York, Ernie Silva started his creative career at the age of 12. Eventually his musical side came calling to be recognized which he developed while sleeping on odd couches, random nights at hostels and homeless shelters, and a few nights riding freight trains around the country. An award-winning artist, Ernie can be found teaching theater, poetry, and personal storytelling to incarcerated youth, senior citizens, and formerly incarcerated adults in and around Los Angeles when he is not on stage performing his theatrical plays.

Ruthy Otero - Just months after bringing her solo comedy Dancing with my Demons to Los Angeles, Variety Magazine chose writer and performer Ruthy Otero as one of Ten Comics to Watch. A native New Yorker and graduate of New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Ruthy writes engaging stories about growing up a first-generation Puerto Rican-American in the Bronx, and is unafraid to tackle issues such as religion, sexuality, ethnic shame, and mental illness.

Eternal Mind twists, bends, breaks, chops, mixes, and poetically shapes his world into spoken word -- a responsibility he was taught to teach the youth. Through hard hitting imagery drenched in thought provoking style, Eternal Mind unapologetically speaks his language and the elders say, "When he speaks, the ancestors are pleased." It has been said that artists are the voice of the people. The vibration of Eternal Mind's words resonates so deeply, that we will indeed know the people have spoken. 

Oshea Luja, artistically known as MrFood4Thought, is a celebrated poet, documentary filmmaker, and stage director and producer. A visual, musical, and literary artist, the “prince of poetry” as he’s been called has showcased his work on the global stage for over two decades. Luja is also the Artistic Director of StillWaters Network, Producer of the StillWaters Experience, and co-founder of the literacy-focused StillWaters Writers Workshop. 

Shelby Bond is an MFA alumnus in Advanced Theatre Practice from London’s Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. He is also a graduate from The Second City Conservatory in Los Angeles. Over the past 20 years Shelby has performed live for over 700,000 people and has written and produced 28 plays. He has guest-hosted MTV’s “Love Line”, been a headliner at the LA County Fair, and a featured act in the Los Angeles Improv Comedy Festival. His touring shows have won people’s choice and “Best of Fest” and “Pick of the Fringe” on three continents as well as having been one of the top ten rated shows out of 2500 at the Edinburgh Fringe.

About Glendale Arts

Glendale Arts (GA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that generates opportunities throughout greater Los Angeles to showcase, promote, encourage, and engage with the arts. Founded in 2008, GA delivers dynamic arts and entertainment programming through signature programs such as the Glendale International Film Festival and Solo Fest. The organization marks its 15th year of connecting artists and audiences in 2023. Find out more at GlendaleArts.org or @GlendaleArtsCA on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

About Lifechild

Lifechild is a theatrical production company focused on amplifying the often-overlooked voices in society through live performance and educational workshops. One thing that makes Lifechild so special is its dedication to making each of the live theatrical performances it produces accessible to underserved youth and income qualifying adults by, not only offering complimentary tickets, but also covering transportation costs where applicable. Lifechild continues to grow working with the city and other local organizations to provide creative workshops free of charge to the community.