Who is the Online Solo Show Creation Lab for?
The Online Solo Show Creation Lab is for actors, comedians, writers & performers who...
want to create a solo show but aren't sure how to get started (or finish one)
are struggling with blank-page paralyses, overwhelm or self doubt
are craving guidance from a fellow artist to help take an idea out of their head and into the world
want to by-pass gatekeepers, accelerate their career and create huge opportunities for themselves
A blueprint for solo show creation
The Online Solo Show Creation Lab helps actors, comedians, writers and performers learn how to create a solo show from scratch, so they can take control of their careers, become more self-sufficient artists and make mega opportunities for themselves.
Led by Fringe First winning, Olivier-nominated solo show creator & performer, Haley McGee, this self-directed online course offers you the tools to create the solo show you've been dreaming of, while strengthening your confidence in your creative instincts.
Syllabus
The course is taught in 6 sessions, or modules. Each session is based on different step Haley's solo show creation process, honed over the last 15 years of creating and touring solos internationally.
Week 1: Generating Material
Week 2: Identifying your central theme & narrative threads
Week 3: Structuring your solo show
Week 4: Editing, re-writing & workshopping
Week 5: Performing solo
Week 6: Self-producing crash course
In the true spirit of a Laboratory, experimentation, testing and practice are at the heart of this creative approach.
And as this is a self-directed course, all participants are encouraged to take it at their own pace, making sure it works for their life, schedule and learning style.
If you’re ready to do the work and commit to your solo show, you’ll leave the Lab feeling confident in your solo show creation skills, with the tools and a clear plan to complete your show and share it with the world.
Haley McGee in Age ia a Feeling. Photo by Dahlia Katz.
Course Structure
Each Session contains about 10 short videos, where Haley speaks about a particular point in the solo show creation process, offers her insights, methodology and tips. And then she guides you through exercises that allow you to put this theory into practice. PDF worksheets accompany each exercise.
You will also receive bonus material, pre-recorded Q&A sessions on each step of the process.
You’ll have access to the course material for one year from the day you sign up.
What else can I expect?
Practical Creation Exercises
Writing and performance exercises designed to put you in touch with your instincts, develop your idea and your voice and help you make big strides with your show.
Tips & Shortcuts for Artists
Loads of tips and shortcuts, to save you time and prevent you from making rookie mistakes.
Time Management Hacks
Time management techniques to help you overcome procrastination & distraction.
Self-Producing Templates
Templates to help you promote your work to venues via email, create PDF one-pagers & contract collaborating artists.
Grant Writing
Tips & resources to get you started applying for funding.
Pre-Recorded Video Q&A Sessions
30-60 minute videos where Haley answers past participant questions.
Why learn solo show creation with Haley?
★★★★★ “Canadian performer Haley McGee, now based in London, keeps producing extraordinary work, nestling in ingenious conceits." - The Telegraph
Haley McGee has been creating, performing and touring solo shows since 2009, alongside a busy career as an actor, writer and voiceover artist.
Her most recent solo, Age is a Feeling, won a Fringe First and was nominated for an Olivier award. The show played three sold out runs in Edinburgh and London and was described as "as breathtaking as it is moving" (★★★★★ The Guardian). Age is a Feeling has been translated into 7 languages and counting.
The Ex-Boyfriend Yard Sale played to sold out crowds in London and Toronto. Haley won a Dora award for Best Performer and the show was nominated for six Doras. This show also landed Haley a book deal. A book, based on the show, was published by Penguin Random House (Canada) and Hodder and Stoughton (UK).
Haley’s solo shows have been described as “defiantly distinctive” (★★★★ The Scotsman), “brilliantly entertaining, witty and poignant” (Lyn Gardner, StageDoor), and “deeply felt, consistently hilarious and hypnotically honest” (Exeunt).
Playing in over 37 venues in 11 countries, Haley's solo show have been produced by Soho Theatre (London), presented at Soulpepper (Toronto), Battersea Arts Centre & Camden People's Theatre (London) and Summerhall (Edinburgh). Her work has been translated into 11 languages, and there have productions of her solo OH MY IRMA in German and French.
With 10+ years of teaching experience, leading workshops and classes for students in high school, university and industry, Haley believes confidence in anything is built through practice. She loves helping artists dare to create the shows they’ve always want to make.
Over 120 artists participated in Haley’s wait-list-only, live version of the Solo Show Creation Lab between April 2019-Oct 2020 and 1200+ took part in her 14-Day Creative Quarantine Challenge.
Benefits & Outcomes
After completing the Online Solo Show Creation Lab you will have...
a step-by-step system to create a solo show from scratch
the ability to determine your next steps in your creation process & the skills to execute them
growing confidence in your artistic voice & creative ideas
the foundation of a productive, effective & sustainable artistic practice that works for you
practical techniques for generating material, structuring your show, editing your writing, workshopping on your feet & how to rehearse solo
a clear system & groundwork for successful & stress-free self-producing
completed basic self-producing written materials, including a description of your show to be used when approaching programmers, funders & artists partners
the tools & skills to take control of your destiny as an artist, a renewed sense of agency & liberation from ‘waiting for the phone to ring’ syndrome
Reviews from past solo show lab artists
“Haley McGee’s solo performance lab has breathed life into my show - her intimate knowledge of the form is immediately obvious, and I would recommend her lab as a must for anyone looking for guidance with their solo work. She is a brilliant, supportive mentor, and my confidence in my creative choices has benefitted massively! TLDR: this lab is RAD. ”
“Haley was an amazing Lab leader. She facilitated, suggested solutions, cheered, and informed from the point of view of both a sympathetic solo-artist and more directorially. I came away with a toolkit, a blueprint, and confidence for approaching my solo work. I heartily endorse her Lab for any solo artist who is starting, mid-way through, or re-shaping a solo work.”
“I found Haley’s lab wonderful, it helped me create a space in my life to concentrate on something I had wanted to do for years. Haley supported me in taking up space and not being afraid of my voice and using it. The sessions were all so inspiring and helped me to combat writer’s block and structure my time through exercises. I would love to do the course all over again and recommend it very highly!!”
