History
Fillet of Solo was created in 1995 by Sharon Evans, artistic director of Live Bait Theatre. The Fest featured over 200 solo artists in its first 13 years. When Live Bait closed their facility in 2009, Sharon sought a new work theater to take over. Lifeline and Live Bait co-produced the 14th Annual festival and Lifeline has carried on the tradition since.
Concept
A showcase of the Chicago storytelling community, featuring new work by established storytellers and first-time work by newcomers to the form. The Festival hosts both collectives (which submit as a group with multiple tellers) and solo performers (who submit as individuals). The event takes place at Lifeline Theatre and nearby venues.
Festival Parameters:
Format: Solo performance, first person story, non-fiction, writer/performer must be the same person.
Length: All time slots are 50 minutes maximum. Light & sound cues: Lifeline provides a stage manager. Due to the time restrictions of the festival format we can only provide a few light looks and accommodate only a handful of sound cues.
Scenery & Props: A background curtain is provided, along with access to microphones, music stands, small table, chairs, pillars, a rug. If you need another item commonly found at a theater, let us know and we may have it. Both changeover time and storage space are limited. If a show requires large or numerous props to be brought in from the outside, they may also need to be removed between performances.
We Consider Proposals From:
• Individual storytellers who propose to fill a maximum 50 minute time slot (Script draft required).
• Groups who propose to have multiple tellers fill a maximum 50-minute time slot.
• Individuals who have shorter pieces and are hoping to be paired with others through the Festival curators to fill a 50-minute time slot. (Script draft required.)
• Chicago-based storytellers (with occasional exceptions for former Chicago residents.)
If chosen, artists will be expected to provide:
1. Photo, performer bio, group bio or description (if applicable), show/story title and blurb.
2. Technical needs.
3. Director (if applying as a solo performer with no group attachment). The director cannot be the writer/performer themselves.
4. Final script (if your show requires light/sound cues)
If chosen, artists will receive:
$25 stipend; Up to 2 hours tech time in the performance space; Promotion via Lifeline’s marketing; Two performance times (or 1 if artist prefers); Every artist who participates can see the other 120+ performers for free.
Selection timeline:
• August 1, 2024 – application form closes
• August 15, 2024 – Acceptance notification and draft scheduling of performance times
• Sept 2, 2024 – Performance schedule finalized
Locations:
Lifeline Theatre, 99-seat traditional theater venue and another Rogers Park venue (TBD).
Dates:
Oct 30-Nov 5, 2024 — Tech dates, up to 2-hour time slots, as scheduled.
Nov 6, 2024 — Kick Off Event
Nov 8 – Nov 17 — Festival performances: Fridays 7pm and 8:30pm | Saturdays 1pm, 2:30pm, 4pm, 5:30pm, 7pm, 8:30pm | Sundays 1pm, 2:30pm, 4pm, 5:30pm