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Read all about the 2023 performance - ENJOY!
Solo performance is a unique experience for both the actor and the playwright. For the actor, it can be a very vulnerable experience. They take the stage alone and must singularly engage an audience. For the playwright, the difficulty is in creating a fully realized, rich narrative within the confines of monologue. The intent of this theatrical undertaking is to celebrate the complex relation the actors and writers face when creating solo works. Much like the art of the flying trapeze, the one who flies must have someone there to catch them.
Eleven original, previously unseen pieces will be presented with their only theme being that they are monologues. Please note that the actors and playwrights are local to Tucson or have a connection to the city.
Additionally, the producers of Flying Solo are honored to have Betsy Kruse Craig directing as she brings more than three decades of performing arts experience to this project with an enthusiastic desire to cultivate local theater.
2023 - ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Betsy Kruse Craig
Betsy Kruse Craig has been a theatre professional for 35 years. Betsy graduated from the University of Minnesota Moorhead and then went on to receive an MFA from the university of Arizona in Acting and Musical Theatre. She then went on to perform professionally in New York City and Chicago with the world renowned Paper Bag Players, the News In Revue and toured with CLUE! THE MUSICAL. She then returned to Tucson, AZ where she went on to run the theatre program at PIma Community College before moving to the University of Arizona where she taught acting, directing, auditioning, theatre style, history and voice and movement. Betsy also performed extensively at The Gaslight Theatre and was an artistic associate at The Invisible Theatre before moving to the Bay Area where she performed at local theatres in such productions as CLYBOURNE PARK, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, HEDDA GABLER and ONE MAN TWO GOVERNORS. Betsy then became the artistic director of the PEAR THEATRE in Mountain View, CA and the Director of Arts for Stratford Schools where she produced and directed shows ranging from Ibsen to The Lion King. Betsy returned to Tucson in the fall of 2020 and is now the Associate Managing Artistic Director of The Invisible Theatre.
2023 CAST BIOGRAPHIES (click photo for full bio)
2023 WRITERS AND PRODUCERS (click photo for full bio)
John Dahlstrand
2023 Lighting Designer
John Dahlstrand received a BFA in Dance (’85) and an MFA in choreography (’92) and has created works for the Tulsa Contemporary Dance Festival, Artifact Dance Project and Ballet Tucson as well as his own performing group, Sueños de Tango. At the same time, he has been designing lights for theater and has worked with many local performing organizations including Barbea Williams Performing Company, Arizona On Stage Productions, Funhouse Movement Theater, Orts Theater of Dance, Borderlands Theatre Company, and most recently Arts Express. His longest community lighting relationship has been with Ballet Tucson. John recently retired after 30 years as the lighting designer and senior technical director for the renowned University of Arizona School of Dance
2023 THE MONOLOGUES
Croning Glory
A woman reflects on all that is FEMALE, from mothering, mothers, sex and aging, in the face of constantly changing societal expectations.
Betsy Kruse Craig
Back in Line
An 80-year-old woman has a moment of self-acceptance while shopping for nail polish.
By Ginia Desmond
Answering
A middle-aged woman’s ever-changing voicemail greetings informs us about her coming to terms with life changes.
By Monica Bauer
Perforated Ark
A non-binary alien’s perspective of life on earth as an outsider who’s trying to fit in.
By Ames Stevens
Bury Me with My Mother
A Mexican American woman reminisces about family secrets and the impact they had on her mother.
By Esther Almazan
Rocky
A middle-aged woman is reminded of her own painful past when she hears that the young waitress, she adores, also has a history of drug abuse.
By Susan Frank
Fluffy
Based on a true story, Fluffy, a Truman Capote inspired feline, prepares for their moment in the spotlight.
By Susan Frank
She Told Him
A stepmother faces her codependency when she offers to help her troubled stepson navigate his legal situation
By Susan Frank
Granite
A 50-something man from LA see his small hometown in a new light as his father lays dying.
By Robert Zonfrelli
No Exit Interview
A middle-aged man, in 1990s New York City, sabotages his successful career in advertising after experiencing a family tragedy.
By Robert Zonfrelli
A Promising Past
A successful 30-something New York City designer is forced to re-examine her identity after a visit from her sister.