B.D. Wong, Colman Domingo, Leslie Jordan and More Will Take Part in 2012 All For One Theatre Festival

By Michael Gioia
July 10, 2012

The 2012 All For One Theatre Festival, featuring ten solo performers presenting their original works, will be held Sept. 14-30 in New York City. The NY premiere of Leslie Jordan's Fruit Fly and the world premiere of Alice Eve Cohen's What I Thought I Knew are among the offerings.

The second annual festival, which will take place at the Cherry Lane Theatre Mainstage, will offer two performances of each play as well as panels, workshops, talkback sessions and works in development.

"AFO 2012 offers ten stories of personal triumph — triumphs that, through masterful performance, become our triumphs," said executive producer Michael Wolk in a statement. "Because they believe solo performance matters, B.D. Wong, Colman Domingo, and Broadway's Lynne Taylor-Corbett not only serve on our advisory board, but will all direct shows in the 2012 All For One Theater Festival."

The advisory board for the festival also includes Daniel Beaty, Gretchen Cryer, Mike Daisey, Tovah Feldshuh, Carrie Fisher, Whoopi Goldberg, Jackie Hoffman, Matt Hoverman, Jordan, John Leguizamo, Deb Margolin, Jackie Mason, Deal Orlandersmith, Eva Price, Mark Rylance, Patrick Stewart, Nilaja Sun and Lily Tomlin.

At the 2012 festival, AFO will premiere the AFO Mentor Project, in which six high school students — selected from schools throughout NYC — will participate in an extended workshop in the art of solo performance led by award-winning writer/actress Sun. The project will culminate in the inaugural AFO Student Showcase in December. The first of these invitation-only workshops will be held Sept. 16 at 4:30 PM.

Additionally, the AFO Festival Salon will celebrate the solo theatre community with an evening of ten-minute excerpts from ten new works Sept. 26. The evening, scheduled to begin at 7 PM, is open to the public with a $10 ticket.

The ten solo plays selected for the festival — written and performed by the author — follow:

Appearance of Life by Jennifer S. Jones
(Formerly called Letters to Clio)
Directed by Jessica Lefkow
Sept. 15 at 7 PM and Sept. 23 at 4:30 PM
"A riveting thriller set in Buenos Aires in 1976 about an upper class woman who become radicalized when her daughter is 'disappeared' by the Argentine junta."

Asking For It by Joanna Rush
Directed by Lynne Taylor-Corbett
Sept. 14 at 7 PM and Sept. 22 at 2 PM
"If you had a strict Catholic upbringing, ran off to pursue a dancing career in NYC, and were sexually assaulted by a helpful stranger you meet at Port Authority Bus Terminal… were you just 'asking for it'?"

Dirty Paki Lingerie by Aizzah Fatima
Directed by Erica Gould
Sept. 22 at 4:30 PM and Sept. 27 at 7 PM
"Sex, politics and religion collide as six Pakistani-American women air their dirty lingerie."

Fruit Fly by Leslie Jordan
New York premiere
Directed by David Galligan
Sept. 20 at 7 PM and Sept. 22 at 7 PM
"Emmy-winner and theatre favorite Leslie Jordan asks, 'Do gay men become their mothers?'"

No Parole by Carlo D'Amore
Directed by Colman Domingo
Sept. 16 at 7 PM and Sept. 29 at 4:30 PM
"From Peru to the streets of NY, the struggle between a con-artist Mother and her trusting son who tries to save her from her self-destructive habits of lying and stealing."

The Purpose Project: Thao's Library by Elizabeth Van Meter
World Premiere
Sept. 23 at 2 PM and Sept. 29 at 7 PM
"Video and live performance illuminate the story of how a woman deals with her sister's suicide by building a library in rural Vietnam. Developed as part of AFO's New Works Series in 2011."

Speak Up Connie by Cindy Cheung
Directed by B.D. Wong
Sept. 15 at 2 PM and Sept. 23 at 7 PM
"A musical comedy about a Chinese-American woman who learns to speak up for herself and stand up to her mother."

What I Thought I Knew by Alice Eve Cohen
World Premiere
Directed by Elizabeth Margid
Sept. 15 at 4:30 PM and Sept. 28 at 7 PM
"Adapted from her critically acclaimed, award-winning memoir, Alice Eve Cohen shares the story of her miraculous mid-life pregnancy."

A Womb With A View by Debra Barsha
Directed by Frank Ventura
Sept. 16 at 2 PM and Sept. 21 at 7 PM
"Award-winning composer Debra Barsha's rollicking musical about a Lesbian couple’s quest for a baby."

You Want Me To Do What? by Mary Lou Shriber
Directed by Joe Ricci
Sept. 19 at 7 PM and Sept. 29 at 2 PM
"An original musical about an actress who never intended to be a nurse."

The three-hour AFO workshops, with a fee of $85 each, follow:

Jump Starting Your Personal Narrative
Instructor: Jennifer S. Jones
Sept. 19 from 2:30 PM-5:45 PM

Tell Your Story: The Art of the Autobiographical Solo Show
Instructor: Matt Hoverman
Sept. 20 from 11 AM-2:15 PM

Using Music in Your Solo Piece
Instructor: Debra Barsha
Sept. 20 from 2:30 PM-5:45 PM

Tapping the Source: Creative Writing for Any Reason at All
Instructor: Deb Margolin
Sept. 21 from 11 AM-2:15 PM

The Director/Performer Collaboration
Instructors: Leslie Jordan and David Galligan
Sept. 21 from 2:30 PM-5:45 PM

Creating Characters From Your Life Stories
Instructor: Alice Eve Cohen
Sept. 27 from 11 AM-2:15 PM

Writing for Solo Performance
Instructor: Gretchen Cryer
Sept. 27 from 2:30 PM-5:45 PM

Making It Move: Using Movement in Your Solo Piece
Instructors: Lynne Taylor-Corbett and Joanna Rush
Sept. 28 from 11 AM-2:15 PM

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Michael Wolk is executive producer of the AFO Theatre Festival with Megan Kolb as associate producer; Town Square Productions is the general manager.

The All For One Theater Festival launched its inaugural season Nov. 11, 2011, in New York City, presenting a program of 15 acclaimed solo works plus six short pieces, five panels with leaders of solo performance and eight workshops led by the solo performance instructors. The AFO has recently partnered with The ShowStore to offer touring and booking support for plays from the festival's first and upcoming seasons.

The Cherry Lane Theatre is located at 38 Commerce Street. For more information and tickets, call (212) 352-3101 or visit AFOFest.org.