Solo Fest 2024 Spotlight: Bethany Mitchell
The PlayGround Solo Performance Festival is PlayGround’s annual celebration of the best in California solo performance. Now going on its seventh year, this year’s Solo Fest runs January 26-February 11, 2024, with nine double-bill performances over three weeks.
Today’s spotlight: Bethany Mitchell in Boxsteps and Beers, 1/27 & 1/28 at 7pm
Boxsteps and Beers is the fantastical, musical story of Bethany’s life. Driven by her original songs, we follow her journey as a touring dancer in New York City to being thrust into the San Francisco creative scene at the height of the pandemic. Equal parts ridiculous, beautiful, and heart-breaking, Boxsteps and Beers makes for a unique cocktail of song, dance, and storytelling. Get ready to laugh, cry, or feel really uncomfortable as she ruminates on topics such as sex organs, female contraception, growing up a musical theater nerd, and making a lemon drop martini when life gives you lemons. Did I mention that this show is also a drinking game? So grab a beer and sit back to enjoy something like you’ve never seen before.
Bethany Mitchell, she/her, is a dancer, singer, producer, and Fulbright Scholar from Mission Viejo, California. She has toured to over forty countries as a contemporary dancer with Liss Fain Dance in San Francisco and Battery Dance in NYC. As a musician, she plays guitar, piano, and drums and performs at venues such as The Lost Church and Hotel Utah in San Francisco and Rockwood Music Hall in NYC. Her one-woman show, Boxsteps and Beers, debuted at The Marsh in San Francisco in November, 2021. Her art salon, ArtPärdē, began in April, 2022, and Bethany is proud to have produced five shows at local venues
FIVE QUESTIONS WITH THE ARTIST
What was the seed of this play? What inspired you to write it?
The seed of my show is a song I wrote titled: “Boxstep of My Dreams.” I used to throw art salon parties in my apartment in Brooklyn, and “Boxstep of My Dreams” is a satirical musical theater song that was a party hit. After I wrote that song, I knew I wanted to write a whole show based on my original music.
Why is a solo show the ideal way to tell this story?
My show is autobiographical, so it feels appropriate that I tell my own story. I write songs as a sort of journaling, so the subject matter is very personal.
What are your artistic influences for this show?
I’ve always been inspired by Liza Minelli and definitely channel her at times during the show.
What surprised you during the creation of this piece?
I always thought that a play or a musical had to follow a certain structure, but in writing this show I realized that there is a lot of room for creativity. My show weaves acting, singing, dancing, playing instruments, and projection together in a way that I hope is completely unique.
Is there anything audiences should know about you or your piece before they attend?
Some of my songs are a bit saucy! Don’t be offended by genitalia jokes and get ready for a good chuckle 😉
PlayGround SoloFest 2024 features Amy Bouchard, Steve Budd, Geoffrey Grier, Bethany Mitchell, Miyoko Sakatani, Sonia Sawkar, Nicole Soul, Jill Young, and Hector Zavala, performed live at Potrero Stage and simulcast online. Online registrants can view the on-demand recording for up to one week following the live performance. Admission is free (donations gratefully accepted) and advance reservations are required. NOTE: For in-person attendance, masks are voluntary (PlayGround will provide masks for those who don’t have them). Online viewing is available through https://tickets.playground-sf.org (after reserving ticket, log in, go to main menu at “home”, select “tickets for upcoming performances”, find your show, and click “watch”). For box office questions, including streaming/on-demand access, email boxoffice@playground-sf.org.