Jonathan Silverstein directed “Touch,” one of six plays chosen for Theatre Aspen’s Solo Flights, the only festival in the country dedicated to one-person plays. Solo Flights runs Sept. 5-11 at the Hurst Theatre.
Six different curtains will go up on one-person plays when Theatre Aspen presents its fifth annual Solo Flights Festival set for Sept. 5-11 at the Hurst Theatre.
Solo Flights is the only festival dedicated to one-person shows. The plays cannot have been played before in front of a paying audience.
The event “was created to fill a void,” said Jed Bernstein, producing director of Theatre Aspen. “There were no major festivals focused on the development of one-person shows — a part of the theater genre that has been growing very rapidly. Any theater worth its salt needs to be a contributor to the development of new work and we think that Theatre Aspen can make a big contribution to the art form by concentrating in this area.”
In 2022, Theatre Aspen created the Solo Flights Project Advancement Fund, which provides $10,000 grants to two chosen festival works to support future development.
The plays chosen for the upcoming festival are: “The Binding of Lilly,” written by Joseph Dougherty, directed by Emily Maltby and starring Oona Laurence; “Long Drive Home,” written by Stephen Kaplan and directed by Hannah Ryan; “The Great Thirst,” written by and starring Justin Tranter and directed by Niegel Smith; “From Kabul With Love,” written by Safi Rauf and Sammi Cannold and directed by Sammi Cannold; and “Sugarbelly and Other Tales My Father Told Me,” written by and starring Guy Davis and directed by Dean Irby.
Anthony Rapp is the star of the one-person play “Touch,” part of the Solo Flights Festival set Sept. 5-11 at the Hurst Theatre. Rapp appeared in two of the most iconic works of his generation: “Dazed and Confused” on the screen and “Rent” on Broadway.
The sixth play of the festival is “Touch,” written by Kenny Finkle and directed by Jonathan Silverstein. It stars Anthony Rapp, who was in two of the most iconic productions of his generation: “Dazed and Confused” on the screen and “Rent” on Broadway.
“Touch” is a one-person play that follows Sydney Blatter, a gay, middle-aged, middle school theater teacher. When he encounters a former student after a panic attack on the subway, Sydney’s life takes an unexpected turn, forcing him to confront his ambitious past and his unfulfilled present.
Silverstein served as one of three judges at last year’s Solo Flights Festival choosing the two plays that received the solo advancement fund prizes. He also came to Aspen last winter and presented the play “The Year of Magical Thinking” as part of Theatre Aspen’s winter season.
He said “Solo Flights” is unique from other festivals, not only only because of its devotion specifically to developing one-person shows, but the format is set up so the creative team gets feedback from the audience after the first performance, and they can tweak the play before performing it again.
“Because of the exchange of ideas, audience members will come up to you and give you their thoughts. There is an opportunity for a one-on-one dialogue with the audience, which is invaluable,” Silverstein said. “You can take that feedback into rehearsal and see how it shapes the material. And of course if you win the prize, that’s a big deal to have money to keep the project moving forward.”
One-person plays are currently enjoying a renaissance. Comedian Alex Edelman’s “Just Like Us,” about his experience being Jewish and attending a white supremacist meeting in Queens, went to Broadway and won a Tony before becoming an HBO special that received several Emmy nominations.
The popular Netflix show “Baby Reindeer” also started as a one-person play before gaining global popularity.
“The one-person show is very pliable,” Silverstein said. “It can take any form. So it’s great to see this festival that really is sort of showing off the whole breadth of the form. And yes, I could see some of these shows absolutely going on to further life, whether they be at smaller theaters, whether they be on Broadway, you never know.”
Silverstein and writer Kenny Finkle have been working on the play in New York City, but they haven’t had an opportunity to work with Rapp.
“We’re really excited to work with Anthony,” Silverstein said. “He’s very different from the playwright. We’re very curious to see what the dialogue is going to sound like coming out of his mouth and through him. So part of our rehearsal period is to make sure the language fits with Anthony, and see how those two things mesh in order to tell the correct story.”
The three collaborators have about three days to rehearse before the first performance and then a few more days to work with the changes and perform it a second time.
“I think what Jed and Theatre Aspen are doing is a heroic thing in giving time and space to these projects that often don’t get this kind of incubation opportunity,” Silverstein said. “We all have high hopes for ‘Touch.’ We’re so grateful to see it come to life in Aspen.”
For showtimes and more information, visit theatreaspen.org.
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