10th Season Of United Solo Festival Opens Tonight

The wait is finally over for the 10th anniversary of United Solo. With its most ambitious lineup yet, United Solo will once again unite solo performers from six continents in the heart of New York's theatre district. Over 130 productions will be presented at this year's United Solo, the largest festival of its kind in the world, celebrating its first decade of taking solo theatre to new heights. With up to five performances each day until November 24 at Theatre Row, this year's robust selection of one-person shows will attract thousands of theatregoers. Over 20 performances have sold out in advance, with more expected to follow. The festival will grant additional performance dates to its most Popular Productions. In addition to performances, United Solo also offers Master Classes with world-famous theatre creators and recognized experts, including acclaimed director Austin Pendleton, who will give his Master Class on October 8, with more Master Classes to follow.

The 2019 United Solo Special Award nominees have been announced. This award recognizes artists who made significant recent contributions to solo theatre. This year's nominees are Michael C. Hall, Alison S. M. Kobayashi, Aasif Mandvi, Maggie Smith, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Colin Quinn. The winner will be announced at the United Solo Closing Gala on November 24, 2019 and will join the ranks of the award's previous recipients: Anna Deavere Smith (2010), Patti LuPone (2011), John Leguizamo (2012), Fiona Shaw (2013), Billy Crystal (2014), James Lecesne (2015), Staceyann Chin & Cynthia Nixon (2016), Michael Moore (2017), and Renée Taylor (2018).

All participating shows will compete for various awards, including Best Actor, Best Director, Best Production, as well as the Audience Award, presented in partnership with Backstage Magazine. Participating shows represent various forms of theatre, dance, and performance art at the newly-renovated Theatre Row, which has been home to United Solo since 2010. The festival is a resident company at the 42nd Street venue, where it has presented over 1,000 productions since the inaugural season in 2010.

In celebration of ten years of extraordinary solo theatre, United Solo is excited to bring back over 20 award-winning performers from previous seasons to take part in the special THE BEST OF category, presented during the first two weeks of the festival. THE BEST OF shows will include "Inheritance: A Litany" by Janis Brenner, professor at the Juilliard School and winner of the Best Production award at United Solo in 2018. Another featured show will be "All Over the Map" by Bill Bowers, world-renowned mime, student of Marcel Marceau, and recipient of the Best Production award at the inaugural United Solo Festival in 2010. Other returning award winners include Austin Pendleton, directing Anne Stockton in "I Won't Be in on Monday," and five-time Grammy nominee LynnMarie with "There's an Accordion in My Closet." To recognize and celebrate these incredible artists, a #BestOfSolo social media campaign will run on all @UnitedSolo accounts. #BestOfSolo will feature intimate introductions, exclusive interviews, and information about these shows on social media. Meanwhile, #UnitedSolo2019 will cover all aspects of this year's milestone anniversary.

The festival features award-winning, internationally renowned performers, as well as emerging talents, and presents shows in a wide variety of categories, including drama, comedy, storytelling, musical theatre, dance, multimedia, stand-up comedy, magic, and performance art. Many are original world premieres, while others are adaptations of classic theatre and literature. A full schedule of shows is available online at www.unitedsolo.org/us/ufest.

"At the festival, you can speak any language you want - if not verbally, then through body language," said Dr. Omar Sangare, founder and artistic director of United Solo. "'All the world's a stage,' and you can see this world here, at United Solo."

Tickets for all shows at United Solo are available in person at the Theatre Row Box Office, located at 410 West 42nd Street in New York City, as well as through Telecharge phone sales at 212.239.6200 and online at www.telecharge.com. The festival expects many shows to sell out quickly, though sold-out shows may be granted additional performances.

Artists and companies interested in being presented by the festival in the future are welcome to submit an early application. Instructions can be found online at www.unitedsolo.org/submit.

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