Solo Fest 2021 – Featuring Caroline Hawthorne!

It’s nigh time for the 4th Annual PlayGround Solo Performance Festival, celebrating the work of intrepid solo performers as they harness their immense imaginations to captivate our attention for close to an hour — no small feat for a solitary creative in front of an attentive audience. This year’s festival boasts an impressive roster of personal storytelling, free-wheeling fiction, and docudrama dives into histories public and private.  We encourage you to catch every show at least once for the full experience, but to help you sift through the embarrassment of riches and learn a little more about our creatives, we asked our performers (and writers!) a few questions about their relationships with Solo Performance and PlayGround!

Next up: Caroline Hawthorne (she/her) in her irreverent musical comedy The Slutty Virgin!

PG: Why is Solo Performance important to you?
CH: Solo Performance allows artists to create the kind of theatre they want to see in the world. We are taught that the arts are by the people, for the people, but then we end up seeing the exact same works over and over again. There will never be enough stories featuring women, POC, and members of the LGBTQ community. This is primarily a comedy show, and there are never enough funny women/non-binary people given the opportunity to perform. I created this because I want strange, eccentric, funny people to see this and think, “Maybe my story is worth sharing”.

PG: How is the PlayGround Solo Fest helping you reach your artistic goals?
CH: Getting into the PlayGround Solo Fest has given me a new confidence in my artistic abilities. I have always wanted to be an artist who creates and performs her own work. PlayGround Theatre giving me this opportunity has been the confirmation that I am on the right track. Plus, performing this over Zoom means that anyone around the country can watch this (including people who often don’t get to see theatre). Even though I love the accessibility the internet gives us, I hope I will get to perform this live and in-person once the pandemic is over. This show grows with me, so I am curious what the next iteration of it will be. I’m already thinking about the next thing I want to create.

PG: In one sentence, what should audiences expect from your show?
CH: Expect dirty, musical comedy, but also expect honesty.

You have two chances to catch Caroline’s show in the Solo Fest: opening weekend 1/24/2021 @ 7PM PT, and second weekend 1/30/2021 @7PM PT!
Click either date to purchase tickets for that event, and check out the full schedule of performances in this year’s festival!