The 28th Annual Fillet of Solo Festival

Both my brother and I got our DNA tests done. Upon receiving his, he declared, “I’m Mixed!” We are Black—at least that is how we were raised, though the percentages in our tests would confirm his assertion. This solo performance will investigate America’s most effective con job— Race = Identity. Through a blend of comedic characters, personal stories, cutting observations, and historical insights, this show will look at Race in America and my relationship to both. You will laugh. You will think.

Ric Walker is a dynamic and versatile performer with extensive experience in film, television, comedy, and theater. Known for roles in Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Fox TV’s APB, he has also graced the stages of The Goodman Theatre, the Alliance Theatre, and The Second City Chicago. His improvisational prowess shines through his work with iO Chicago, ComedySportz, and as a director and ensemble member of the award-winning Improvised Shakespeare Company (Chicago). Ric’s currently touring solo show, American –Race– Me, is a funny and thought-provoking exploration of race in America. Beyond his professional accomplishments, Ric fosters new talent as a Professor of Comedy Writing and Performance at Columbia College Chicago, home to the nation’s first BA program in Comedy. Ric’s dedication to performance and education makes him a respected and influential figure in the theater community.

A storytelling show featuring the stories of Immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, their descendants and allies, originally created and produced by Nestor “the Boss” Gomez, also available as a podcast. More about 80 Minutes Around the World at: https://www.nestorgomezstoryteller.com/immigration-stories.html

Maria Kostas has told stories on various stages around Chicagoland. Her stories are sometimes entertaining, sometimes historical, perhaps insightful, and quite personal. She blends the past with the present as she shares impressions gathered from working with large groups of people most of her life, including work as a teacher, a business owner, a bartender, and a couple of seasons as a carnie.

For Tim Schreiber‘s first mid-life crisis, he got married and had kids. After studying English, Journalism, German, Linguistics, Education, and Library Science, he was a professional librarian for 13 years until he gave all of that up to stay home with his two young children. In addition to hearing and telling stories, his hobbies include playing tennis, reading long history books, and creating spreadsheets for his solar panels. Tim discovered storytelling in front of a live audience in 2018, when he finished in second place at two StorySlam shows in a row, caught the storytelling bug, and got involved in many storytelling events around Chicagoland.

Rajneesh Sehgal comes from the vibrant city of Mumbai in India, where he grew up and studied Computer Science. His journey took him across continents to settle in the suburbs of Chicago, where he now cherishes life with his wife and two boys. As a CTO and co-founder of a SaaS company, he thrives on the challenges of entrepreneurship. Amid a mid-life crisis, Rajneesh sank into depths of depression. Yet, he emerged more vital than ever, shedding 70 pounds and conquering not just one but two full marathons alongside eight half-marathons. Rajneesh discovered his love for storytelling in May 2024 and has won 2 Moth StorySLAMs in 4 attempts. Rajneesh hopes to inspire others to lead a mindful, intellectually curious, and healthy lifestyle by embodying the change he wishes to see.

Fran Locks Born in England 1944. Went to Nigeria after college to teach for British version of the Peace Corps. Lived and worked in London in teaching and social work. Came to Chicago in 1975. Worked as a paralegal in her husband’s solo law practice. Has 2 sons and 4 grandchildren.

Valee Kathy Kittikamron was born in Bangkok and immigated to Chicago at the age of 8, she has straddled many worlds. Dubbed herself as “the luckiest person ever” – she has managed to set foot on all continents except for Antartica by the time she was 25. Meeting her nomadic partner along the way, she is now a full-time, proud Mama of two kids. As they have become proficient at packing and carrying their own, she is excited to plot their next around-the-world adventure together… while continuing to help folks build wealth through Real Estate. This will be her first time on stage in decades.

From dating to career to pursuing a meaningful life, Lane explores the power of mild dissociation and the courage it takes to care. Be warned: this show contains stories and jokes. Directed by Brandi Jiminez Lee. Musical Design by Zach Schroeder.

LaTanya Lane (she/her) is a company member with 2nd Story, a two-time alum of the Voices of Our Nations Arts writers’ workshop, and winner of the 2018 Diverse Worlds Grant from the Speculative Literature Foundation. You can learn more about LaTanya and her work at www.latanyalane.com.

“RESILIENCE!

BACK ROOM STORIES features stories from across the storytelling spectrum. Our shows were produced for several years at the Oak Park Brewing Company in Oak Park. Co-producers Margaret Burk, Peter LeGrand and Megan Wells switched it up to BACK ROOM STORIES OUTSIDE! and have performed in inviting outdoor spaces for the past five summers. This year’s show features four personal stories about the power of resilience to transform adversity to adventure.

Margaret Burk brings decades of performance, teaching and producing experience to her storytelling programs and workshops. She tells throughout the Chicago area and on the nationwide virtual stage. Margaret produces Tellers’ Night, a monthly show at Robert’s Westside in Forest Park. She was recently featured at the Fox Valley Folk Music & Storytelling Festival in Geneva, Il. www.margaretburk.com

Kelly Campos is a talented singer/songwriter as well as storyteller. She twists folk & fairy tales into new patterns, highlights African American life with her true stories, and weaves music through them all. Kelly made her debut at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tenn. this past October. www.kellycampos.com

Peter LeGrand is a dedicated teacher and a master woodworker. He has made boats, a small home that can be pulled by a bicycle, and the portable stage on which we have produced Back Room Stories OUTSIDE for the past five summers. In his solo show, The Missing Stories, Peter tells stories about three generations of his Dutch Jewish family before, during, and after World War II.

Megan Wells is a full-time professional touring storyteller and a sought-after storytelling coach. For thirty-four years Megan has been telling every kind of story to adults and children alike. Her lauded historical impersonations include Princess Diana, Mary Shelley and Florence Nightingale. Megan has been featured many times at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough Tenn. www.meganwells.com

‘Between Two Poles’ is a solo show that explores the internal and external tensions that exist growing up the daughter of two ideologically-differing families from Poland, and the absurd ways this manifests in day-to-day life. Directed by Francesca Sobrer. 

Klaudia Siczek is an interdisciplinary artist who loves to make videos and theater, and has done so both in Poland and in Chicago.

In 1983 Renaldo Hudson was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. 37 years later, including 13 years on death row, Renaldo was liberated.

Renaldo has told his story of transformation many times in his current role as Education Director for the Illinois Prison Project. And now, for the first time since his release in 2020 Renaldo shares how hope is sparked from the darkest of moments, reflecting on what it took to shake him sober. Renaldo will take us on a journey from being disinvited to a birthday party on death row to sitting in a room with the Governor of Illinois. Renaldo’s clemency that granted him freedom was awarded based on his petition- a story that was not litigated, rather, a story that was simply told and heard.

Produced by Suzy Kahn Weinberg, founder of Big Shoulders Stories, dedicated to elevating and amplifying the voices of the people who work relentlessly to make our city and communities better.

Renaldo Hudson is an educator, minister, and community organizer, focusing his work on ending mass incarceration across the nation. After being sentenced to death row, Renaldo was incarcerated for 37 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. While in prison, Renaldo developed and implemented groundbreaking programs inside the Department of Corrections, including the prison-newspaper Stateville Speaks, and the Building Block Program, a transformational program run by incarcerated people within the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Hudson’s work and life have been featured in media outlets including the BBC, CNN, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Magazine, and others. His story and work to create backend mechanisms for the release of incarcerated people is the subject of the documentary, Stateville Calling. He was released in September 2020 when Governor Pritzker commuted his life sentence, and joined the Illinois Prison Project as its Director of Education later that year.

Opening Act: Kisses by Arlene Malinowski

In 1982, Tania is a Black girl from an all-white suburb who lives with Haitian immigrant parents. She plays with white Barbies, dodges microaggressions, and tries to blend in while longing to see herself reflected. She discovers her superpower when she is cast as the Caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland. On stage, she doesn’t have to blend in; she is confident, free of boundaries, and empowered to push beyond other people’s narrow vision of her. Through performing, Tania sets on a journey to claim her blackness and heal from the cultural isolation she experienced in childhood—a blend of cautionary tales, pop culture references, antiracism provocation, and humor. Black Girl From a White Suburb illustrates how Tania has cast herself as the leading role in a culture that wants Black women to be supporting characters.

Kisses: If someone gave you a box with everything you ever lost- What would you look for first?

Tania Richard is a published writer, award-winning actress, teacher, and antiracism educator. Her platform, Tania’s Take, showcases her podcast, essays, DEI educational content, and videos. Her blog, Writing My Mind, was on The Chicago Tribune’s blog site for ten years. She is active in the Chicago live-lit scene. She’s also an award-winning playwright. Her commentary can be heard on OUT Chicago, NPR’s The Story, All Things Considered, and WTTW’s Chicago Tonight. As an actress, she has appeared on Chicago Fire, Chicago Justice, Chicago PD, and Empire, among others. She has performed on Broadway with Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Goodman Theatre, The Second City, and other theatres. Her memoir is Black Girl From a White Suburb: Finding Her Light, Using Her Voice.

Arlene Malinowski is an interdisciplinary theatre maker and teaching artist who views her work as an artistic extension of her commitment to disability social justice. She has created and toured her solo work across the US and internationally with nominations for the LA Ovations and LA Garland Awards. Chicago Cultural Dept Theatre Artist in Residence. 3 Arts Fellowship. Semi-finalist for the O’Neill, Blue Ink, New Plays From the Heartland. She’s a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists where she developed and teaches the “Solo Show and Storytelling” curriculum. As an actor she has worked in film and TV as well as the stage in LA and Chicago. She is, to her knowledge, the only actor to have appeared in Shakespeare ’s Measure for Measure AND Dougie Howser in the same 24 hours. New book! “Creating and Performing the Solo Show” written with Julie Ganey, Northwestern University Press coming 2025.”

A one person show about the struggles of a confused kid that wants to be funny. From first grade in Catholic School up to the current moment. A lifetime of hating school, dropping out, starting and stopping while dealing with success and failure. The trials and tribulations of wanting to be an artist and a performer. All the roadblocks, dead ends, missed opportunities and determination to keep at it.

This is Pete Wood‘s third time performing at Filet of Solo. The first on his own. He has been with The Goodman Theatre’s GeNarrations Program since 2018 crafting many of the stories in this very show. He also workshopped a play based on one of his stories with Alex Lubischer through the Goodman. He has been working with Eileen Tull on many different performance workshops at Berger Park in Edgewater. There will be a staged reading of his play “Neighbors” on December 17th at The Berger Park Gunder Mansion. Originally a native New Yorker, he has been in Chicago since 1999 and has lived in Rogers Park since 2017. He was part of Tony ‘n Tina’s Wedding at Pipers Alley for six years and currently plays “Johnny Rocco” in Chicago’s famous Gangster Tour, Untouchable Tours. He is semi retired from never actually having a real job.

A woman has her first visit with a new therapist and explores her depression and psyche through relating and by revealing stories from her past and present. Funny, honest, vulnerable, and even hopeful, this story gives insight into the experience of having a mental illness. Directed by Jean Gottlieb. 

Sandy Borglum has been an actor since she was a child. She took a 20-year hiatus in Chicago to support her family. Now, as she gets near retirement, she’s dipping her toes back in the water and hoping to go for a swim.

Jean Gottlieb (she/they) is a director, producer, and published playwright, who has worked in Chicago theater for more than 30 years.  She is currently the managing director at Subtext Studio TC.

Cuentos from the Americas is a Bilingual (Spanish/English) journey of stories from North,
Central, South America, the Caribbean Islands and personal stories about growing up in Chicago. Written & performed by Colombian-American, award winning storyteller Jasmin Cardenas. The stories are a mix of ancient myths, legends, folktales from this hemisphere and personal stories of being bicultural. As a Colombian-American who grew up ‘Latina’ in the U.S. Jasmin pulls from her life experience of being stuck in between her identities as una Colombiana and an American. Using participatory elements of song, music and dance listeners will be on their feet by the end learning how to Latin dance!!! Her Album Cuentos from the Americas won the 2024 World Storytelling Award. Appropriate for Ages 5 and up.

Jasmin Cardenas is a bridge builder and believes in the power of stories to unite us. She has told stories to thousands of children, families and adult audiences all over the world. Jasmin just returned from telling at Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, UTAH, was a Feature Teller at the 2023 National Storyteller Festival in Jonesborough, TN. Recent collaborations include, The Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Children’s Theater. Jasmin is the Adaptor and Bilingual Narrator of Maybe Something Beautiful, a new puppet film for children, available on YouTube. Jasmin is a CPS Vendor and regularly offers high quality programs at schools (public & private), libraries and universities all over the region. Jasmin is an international LAB Fellow of Georgetown University’s Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics. A proud Actress and SAG-AFTRA member, TV credits include NBC Chicago Fire, Showtime’s The CHI & ABC’s Betrayal. www.JasminCardenas.com or Facebook: JasminCardenasCreates

The least corporate people ever sharing stories about Getting the job, getting to the job and getting by at the job. Or not.

Bonnie Bagdon (A Day in the Life) told stories to juries of twelve for more than 30 years before she retired in 2022 and joined Goodman Theatre’s GenNarrations storytelling program. Since then she has practiced storytelling in the Chicago area performing with Story Lab, Is it a Thing, Serving the Sentence, Story Sessions, Let Me Tell You a Story, Word Salad, and Fillet of Solo for the past two years. She recently performed her first original one person show “Mrs. President: Mary Todd Lincoln’s Campaign to Make Her Husband President” at Chopin Theater for Yippie Fest 2024 and is excited to be doing the show at the 16 th Street Theater for the North Berwyn Park District on Presidents’ Day.

Joni Dobson is an Evanston resident and a member of The Goodman Theatre’s GeNarrations group since 2018. Her journey has taken her from Illinois to London, with diverse experiences as a Pan Am stewardess, a reading teacher, and a truck driver selling L’Eggs Pantyhose. After a 26-year career at IBM, Joni now enjoys classical guitar, creative writing, swimming, and tai chi. A proud mother of two and grandmother to one, she has completed twelve sprint triathlons. This marks her debut as a storyteller, exploring the question, “Can you really save the world if you don’t speak French?”

Judy Parker, a Modern Dance major, spent a lifetime working survival jobs where she never had to wear nylons. She lived in NYC for 18 years studying dance, acting and singing, doing summer stock musicals and stand up comedy. In Chicago since 1999, she’s been in Tony & Tina’s Wedding and more recently Greater Tuna and Young Frankenstein. She takes writing and acting classes at Berger Park where she performed her one person show, Mrs. Hitler. She’s been in the GeNarrations storytelling since 2018 and is grateful to be back at Fillet of Solo.

Nancy Solomon is delighted to be performing at Fillet of Solo again. She thanks Bonnie Bagdon for assembling “Essential Workers” for the second year and making it possible to present stories with her peeps from GeNarrations, the Goodman Theatre’s free storytelling program for people 55 and older. Nancy joined GeNarrations in 2018. Her teaching artist is the remarkable Adrian Azevedo. Recently, Judy Parker and Peter Wood, two GeNs classmates, dared Nancy to go with them to tell stories outside GeNs and Fillet. Although terrified at first, she now actively seeks opportunities to share her stories with anyone who shows even the slightest interest in being willing to listen. Nancy is especially grateful to the extraordinary people who create storytelling venues, including Scott Whitehair, the folks at Is This A Thing?, Story Sessions, Voicebox, Word Buffet, and many others. Find them at Chicago-storytelling.com.

Growing up in Southern Ohio with an alcoholic dad and bipolar mom, LeeAnn has to learn how to forge her own way. When she’s four years old, her only protector – her 12-year-old brother – dies, leaving behind a grieving family and her parents’ divorce. All LeeAnn wants to do is go to Disneyland, but life has other plans. LeeAnn brings the audience on an inspiring, empowering, and unforgettable journey as she embraces the adversity of her childhood and finds support in the most unlikely places, including from the other side. It doesn’t matter where you started, it matters where you go. Directed by Charles Askenaizer. 

LeeAnn Marie Webster, creator of the No Regrets Formula, has coached and trained 1000s of people for more than two decades toward one single thing – achieving a significant goal. She is an attorney turned international Keynote speaker, Moth StorySLAM winner, and entrepreneur with 20+ years’ experience in coaching, marketing, and business development in a range of industries. Her first national TV appearance was as a contestant on MTV’s Remote Control. Since then she has been featured in NBC, The Huffington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and dozens more.

LeeAnn is the co-author of the book “Mid-Life Without the Crisis” and was recently named one of the “Top 15 Coaches in Chicago.” She’s also an Ironman triathlon finisher and recently summited Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. Connect with her at LeeAnnMarieWebster.com

Charles Askenaizer (he/his)  is the Founding Artistic Director of Invictus Theatre where over 7 years he has led Invictus Theatre to 23 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations and 5 wins as well as winning the 2024 Broadway in Chicago “Emerging Theater” award. Invictus Theatre directing credits include NETWORK (Jeff Recommended), THREE SISTERS (Jeff Recommended), THE CRUCIBLE (Jeff Award Nomination – Director, Jeff Award Nomination – Production), JULIUS CAESAR, WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGNIA WOOLF? (Jeff Award Recipient- Director, Jeff Award Recipient- Production), HAMLET, ‘NIGHT, MOTHER (Associate Director), THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, and OTHELLO. Other directing credits include TITUS ANDRONICUS (Bare Knuckles Theater), TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA (Reutan Collective), and readings with Chicago Dramatists and Piccolo Theater. Since 2018 Charles has also directed several productions for Invictus’s outreach programming in partnership with the Cook County Juvenile Justice System and Lawrence Hall.  In 2024, Charles was named one of New City Magazine’s “Players 50 2024: The Rising Stars and Storefront Stalwarts.” Love and thanks to Todd and the Invictus Family, LeeAnn, Mom, Dad, Morgan, Moriah, Saneida, the Bug, and Rachel.

Get Fucked is Suzie Campbell’s bold and exhilarating one-woman show about embracing sexual exploration and self-discovery in the face of life’s upheavals. When a hysterectomy loomed at 35, Suzie wasn’t just confronting pre-cervical cancer—she was determined to explore and celebrate her sexuality before her body underwent irreversible change.

In this 60-minute, autobiographical one-woman-show, Suzie channels her raw experiences into a candid and empowering performance. With unapologetic humor and a sex-positive outlook, she shares her quest for pleasure and connection, navigating the tension between fear and desire with wit and authenticity. Directed by Kathryn McCray, Get Fucked is a refreshing and uplifting exploration of sexuality, self-love, and the power of reclaiming your narrative with laughter and confidence.

Suzie Campbell draws from the unexpected turns in her life to create deeply moving, powerful performances. A single mom from Evanston, IL, Suzie’s journey into storytelling began after her hysterectomy at 35, when she realized that her own story was one worth sharing. Since then, she’s brought her voice to the stages of Solo Sunday, Story Colliders, Is This a Thing?, Pour One Out, and Filet of Solo. Through her performances, Suzie dives into the complexities of reproductive health, explores the fluidity of sexuality, and dismantles the stigma around mental health, especially when it comes to motherhood. Her stories are raw, real, and often reveal that life’s paths are far from linear—but always worth exploring.

Find Suzie on Instagram at @suzietellsstories or visit her website at www.suzietellsstories.com to follow her journey.

After his life as a ‘girlfriend guy’ takes an unexpected turn, storyteller Nick Narcisi navigates the turbulent waters of love, self-discovery, and unconventional romance in the chaotic landscape of modern dating.

Nick Narcisi was an actor before the pandemic. Now he works at a cancer research laboratory (he is as surprised with that career pivot as you are). Nick was really good at telling other people’s stories, but only recently started telling his own. When he was acting, Nick worked all over the country. Some of his favorite places included: The Milwaukee Rep, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, the Arkansas Shakespeare Theater, Renaissance Theaterworks, and the Tennessee Williams Festival of St. Louis. Nick is a Moth Storyslam winner, and has been featured in Storytelling shows throughout the Chicagoland area. His show, Girlfriend Guy, was a curated selection for the IndyFringe festival in Indianapolis earlier this year.

For more information check out nicknarcisi.com or follow him @nicknarcisi.

What is it like to enter a brand-new school in eighth grade when you’re the first blind student they’ve ever enrolled? Imagine attending your first party as a college student, or setting out to look for your first job when most employers blanch at the thought of hiring a blind applicant. Author and performer Deborah Kent takes us on a journey that begins in a small New Jersey town, moves on to a college campus in the turbulent Sixties, explores the streets of New York’s Lower East Side, and carries us to a community of writers in central Mexico. Laced with wry humor, this is a story about searching for footholds in a world that is not always welcoming and discovering handholds in the most unexpected places. Hand, Foot, Hand was developed at Chicago Dramatists with the wise and generous support of Arlene Malinowski and Carson Decker.

Deborah Kent grew up in Little Falls, New Jersey, and majored in English at Oberlin College. After earning a Master’s degree from Smith College School for Social Work, she worked at University Settlement on New York’s Lower East Side. Her life took a new direction when she moved to San Miguel de Allende in central Mexico, where she lived for five years and devoted her energy to writing. She is the author of nearly two dozen young-adult novels and numerous nonfiction titles for middle-grade readers. In recent years she has branched into writing personal essays and pieces for solo performance. Hand, Foot, Hand was developed at Chicago Dramatists with the generous support of Arlene Malinowski and Carson Decker and has reached its final form under the wise direction of Kate Hendrickson.

I LOVE EVERTHING!!! is a storytelling variety show that aims to prove there’s more than one way to tell a story and features artists from different mediums telling their story.

Archy Jamjun is the producer of I LOVE EVERYTHING!!! and curator of Outspoken LGBTQ Stories at Sidetrack. He is a two-time winner of The Moth Grand Slam in Chicago and has been performing over all the city for over ten years.

Jacob Crow is a writer and performer based in Chicago. HIs writing has been featured in Points in Case and The Weekly Humorist. He has performed with Don’t Tell and he co-produces the monthly variety show True Blue Comedy

Joe Mellen told his first story at OutSpoken and just like Kim Hunt said that first time, he got the story telling bug! He has been going to storytelling events ever since. He is an acupuncturist and works as a health guide.

 Nikki Patin has been featured in The Guardian, Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Reader, on WBEZ, WTTW, FoxSoul, and on international television and radio, multidisciplinary artist Nikki Patin (PAH-tan) has been writing since she was 7. In 2014, Patin addressed the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on behalf of Black women and girl survivors of sexual violence. Nikki Patin holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Southern Maine and is the Program Director for the Resident Association of Greater Englewood. Patin’s memoir, Working on Me, is currently out on Vine Leaves Press. You can learn more about Nikki and her work at www.nikkipatin.com.

Lylah Elizabeth from the sun-drenched deserts of Tucson, Arizona to the heart of the Midwest in Chicago. Lylah Elizabeth crafts a unique blend of indie folk that echoes her journey. With a foundation in classical opera, her music is a harmonious fusion of rich, emotive vocals and earthy, acoustic melodies.

Is this a thing? is produced by Jake Cowan, Suzy Kahn Weinberg, and Damian Raszewski.

Is this a thing? is a storytelling show that features new and experienced writers and tellers of true personal tales in a welcoming and nurturing space and place. Since 2014, our theme-inspired show happens in the warm embrace of a Northside neighborhood pub, O’Shaughnessy’s at Ravenswood and Wilson. The stories all benefit from a super helpful and supportive workshop for the performers and producers to listen to each other and share ideas. Is this a thing? Yes. Yes it is. Connect with us at www.isthisathing.net!

Lisa DeSantiago is a Proud Crone and a Purveyor of Peace who believes that storytelling has the power to heal. She comes from a line of Jibaro storytellers who share histories and lessons around the table or the fire or on the front steps. Her tales of family and community have been heard in pubs and eateries around Chicago and Costa Rica. She hopes to retire on a beach, in a rocking chair trading stories and conversations for mangoes and coconuts.

Larry Glazer has always wanted to tell a story at Fillet of Solo. His preparation for this giant life leap began as a coke vender at White Sox Park, when he was a teenager. In college Larry refined his delivery as a radio disc jockey and newsman for several commercial stations. He made a career selling broadcast advertising for over 200 U.S. radio and TV stations. Some of his creative writing has been published in national magazines, the Skokie Northlight Theatre magazine, and on the White Sox scoreboard. Larry has told stories at venues in Highland Park, Ravenswood, and Arlington Heights.

By day, Donovan Harvey tries to make Chicago a better, fairer, place to live by supporting policies to preserve and expand affordable housing at the Metropolitan Planning Council. By night, well… he sleeps. In those glorious moments in the early evening before sleep, he enjoy games all of kinds (basketball, tennis, tabletop, video, etc.) and the overwhelming beauty of the lake and the people taking it in with him. He also loves to talk (and listen!). And, as a recovering debater, he now uses those powers for good – sharing joy through speech by telling stories.

Rebecca Kling is an educator, performer, community organizer, storyteller, and advocate for social change. She is co-author of ‘The Advocate Educator’s Handbook: Creating Schools Where Transgender and Non-Binary Students Thrive,’ and received a Lambda Literary Award in 2024 for her contribution to the LGBTQ Anthology ‘2 Trans 2 Furious: An extremely serious journal of Transgender Street Racing Studies.’ Rebecca’s company, Better World Collaborative, is a social justice consultancy rooted in social justice and the creative arts.

Abby McNear is a storyteller of longstanding, gifted with a dogged determination to try what scares her (eating jellyfish, going into a coal mine, traveling somewhere unusual) and then tell other people it wasn’t so bad. Abby has performed on WBEZ, Is this a thing?, This Much Is True, First Person Live, The Moth, Story Lab, and Story Vroom Vroom. Abby has lived in Evanston for 30 years, where she and her husband raised their two kids, assorted dogs, gerbils, hamsters, hermit crabs, and fish. The kids were far and away the best – she doesn’t recommend raising hermit crabs.

Avesha Michael is a ceramic artist, photographer, writer and storyteller. She has performed with Stories From the Stage, RISK!, This Much is True, Is this a thing? and many other shows around Chicago. Avesha has a Masters in Spiritual Psychology, is certified in Somatic Trauma Healing and is training to be a trauma-informed coach. She wants chickens and goats one day, and is counting the days until she can escape the city and start a peaceful homestead

Julie and her husband find a little place to get away from it all and relax in the Great Lakes State. Cue chainsaws and chipmunks! Directed by Ann Filmer, this show is about the irrepressibility of nature, reaping what we sow, and striving to untangle oneself in Pure Michigan.

Julie Ganey is a multi-disciplinary artist and educator whose work encompasses writing, storytelling, theatre, and improvisation. As a professional actor, she has appeared on many Chicago stages including Northlight, Chicago Dramatists, Shattered Globe, Victory Gardens, and Drury Lane Theatre. Julie has written three original solo plays, The Half-Life of Magic, Love Thy Neighbor…till it hurts, and Good Enough, which have been produced by 16th Street Theatre, Next Theatre, and around the Midwest. She is an active member of the Chicago live lit storytelling scene and a company member at 2nd Story. Julie is a tenacious advocate of arts education and regularly creates performance pieces with collaborators ages 3 to 93 at organizations of all sizes. Julie is an adjunct professor at The Theatre School at DePaul, a long-time teaching artist for the GeNarrations program at the Goodman Theatre, and the 2024 Creative Fellow at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts.

Ann Filmer (Director) is honored to be back at Fillet of Solo where she performed her own solo shows Ideas Unlimited and The Secret Story. Filmer is a long time fan of and collaborator with Julie Ganey having produced Ganey’s solo shows Good Enough and Love Thy Neighbor… Till It Hurts at 16th Street which Filmer founded and led for 15 years. Filmer has directed for The Kennedy Center, Goodman and A Red Orchid among others, including adapting and directing Tony Fitzpatrick’s tetralogy This Train, Station’s Lost, Nation of Heat and The Midnight City at Steppenwolf, Rohina Malik’s Unveiled and Arlene Malinowski’s A Little Bit Not Normal. Currently Filmer writes songs as Mrs Smith and The Present with her spouse and drummer Barry Bennett and sings in Vinto Van Go with Vini Bruckert. Find upcoming shows at https://www.annfilmer.com/

Nancy and Connie unwind stories of prejudice from their youth. Playground conflicts and historical injustice, looking back and moving on.

Riceland, written and performed by Connie Shirakawa, directed by Sharon Evans. Connie Shirakawa’s parents rarely talked their experiences in the Jerome Concentration camp. Her one woman show “It’s Riceland” pieces together their life stories through offhand comments they made during the course of her life. It is 30 minutes long and goes into detail about her family’s tenure in the camps, their meeting which ended in marriage and their subsequent post camp move to Chicago. Her grandmother’s early experiences as a young immigrant is also touched upon as is Japanese culture. Connie’s father is a prominent character in her story and his early death at 48 had a profound impact on Connie her brother and mother. “It’s Riceland” ends with detailing her mother’s life after her husband’s death, her life as a Chicago School teacher and Connie new understanding of her past. The impact of compiling these stories, when Connie is older allows a historical and personal perspective. America’s current and past racial issues are subtly integrated with her personal story. 

Connie Shirakawa was born on the near westside neighborhood where she grew up. Her parents Lily Ota Shirakawa and Ichi Shirakawa met in the Jerome Arkansas concentration camp for Japanese-Americans, in the 1940’s. She received a degree in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago and then worked as a copywriter at several major Chicago ad agencies. Today she writes and perform stories for Goodman Theatre’s Education & Engagement GENarrations program, Free Street Theatre and 2nd Story. She recently completed a writing residency at the Ragdale Foundation. She began working with Sharon Evans as a director in 2021. This past year they created Shirakawa’s longest story to date “ Warrior Women” which has been presented at the Chicago History Museum as part of Asian History month and The University of Illinois Champaign. Connie is excited to be performing a double bill featuring “Riceland” with fellow GENarrations writer, Nancy Solomon. Her story “Knock, Knock” was featured on NPR’s “ Snap Judgement” SPOOKED podcast. “ Snap Judgment” airs on over 500 NPR stations.

Nancy Solomon is delighted to be performing at Fillet of Solo again, especially with master storyteller Connie Shirakawa and director Sharon Evans. Nancy first met Connie through GeNarrations, the Goodman Theatre’s free storytelling program for people 55 and older. Nancy joined GeNs in 2018. She’s grateful to her teaching artist, Adrian Azevedo. Recently, Judy Parker and Peter Wood, two of her GeNs classmates, dared Nancy to go with them to tell stories outside GeNs and Fillet. Although terrified at first, she is now hooked and actively seeks opportunities to share her stories with anyone who shows even the slightest bit of interest in being willing to listen. Nancy is particularly grateful to all the incredible people who create wonderful storytelling venues, including Scott Whitehair, the folks at Word Buffet, Is This a Thing?, Story Sessions, Voicebox, and many others. Find them at Chicago-storytelling.com.

Sharon Evans (director) was Artistic Director of Live Bait Theater in Chicago, from 1987 to 2008. During her tenure Live Bait Theater created over 200 world premieres and was nominated for over 50 Jeff awards. In 1995 Evans created “Fillet of Solo” a solo works festival that went on for 12 seasons before being taken over by Lifeline Theater. Evans’ directed many of the festival’s full-length offerings including “Dog Tales” by Jim Carrane, “Tales of Graceful Aging” by Nicole Hollander and “ Grown up” by Dorothy Milne. Evans began working as an instructor with Goodman Theater’s GENarrations, program in (2015 – 2024) creating their first westside class in Homan Square Park. She began working with Connie Shirakawa as a dramaturge/director in 2021 – on “ Ghost” for Lifeline Theater’s Fillet of Solo Festival. In 2022 They worked then collaborated on “ Connie’s Covid Adventures” for the festival via zoom. This past year they created Shirakawa’s longest story to date “ Warrior Women” which has been presented at the Chicago History Museum as part of Asian History month, The University of Illinois Champaign’s Krannert Art Museum Theater and a edited version of “ Woman Warrior ” re-titled “Riceland” for the Japanese-American Jerome Concentration Camp conference, in Little Rock. Arkansas. Evans is excited to be directing “ Nancy and Connie” featuring Shirakawa’s “Riceland” with fellow GeNarrations writer, Nancy Solomon for Fillet of Solo, Fall 2024.

Why “Not Quite A Ghost Story”? Well, it’s about me and 3 actors doing a show at a small college campus in upstate New York. In real life it took 18 hours and that night I honestly thought I was going to die. Afterwards, of the 3 other actors, 1 changed their religion, 1 stopped doing theatre, and 1 just kind of disappeared. Yes, it’s a bit of a ghost story, but it’s so much more. Directed by Scott Hanada.

Jonathan Pitts is an award-winning international improv theatre artist and storyteller. He’s performed and taught in 28 countries and 110 cities. He was last seen onstage in January’s Filet Of Solo Fest performing his one-man show, “My Dad, His Chimp, And A Serial Killer”. He is also the narrator of the feature film, “He Went That Way”. He’s told stories in 4 countries. He’s the former Executive Director of Chicago Improv Productions; former Co-Founder/Producer of Chicago Improv Festival; former Founder/Producer of College Improv Tournament; former Founder/Producer of Chicago Podcast Festival; former Founder/Producer of Teen Comedy Fest; and the Creator/Director of improvised formats The Oracle; Silent Movie; Solo Plus One; Stopwatch; and Storybox Theatre (all of which have been produced in several countries). His website is: JonathanPittsImprov.com

Outspoken is a monthly storytelling event at Sidetrack celebrating handcrafted LGBTQ+ stories. Join us the first Tuesday of each month.

Chi Williams (she/her pronouns) has loved stories for as long as she can remember, and she suspects that nothing is more central to the human experience than storytelling. Chi has been sound designing, voicing, writing, directing, and producing audio content for the past five years, pushing the bounds of genre, sound, and story with her series Between Heartbeats (in production).

Brock Ashford is a corn- fed, born and raised Illinoisan currently living here in North Halsted/Boystown. He works as a full-time staffer to Governor Pritzker and has been to nearly every gay bar in this state. Brock’s favorite hobbies include making inappropriate jokes at work, listening to house music, giving unsolicited advice, and attending mass every single Sunday.

Allison Harris, a master of the unexpected, has journeyed from arm wrestling champ to comedic pole dancer, archer, sailor, house flipper, and even kindergarten teacher. Constantly stumbling into absurd situations, Allison embraces life’s chaos. Now, she navigates the world of remote work alongside her perfect cats, Honey and Sharon. Beyond work, Allison enjoys long city strolls and runs a highly exclusive Pizza Club.

Eli Lambert-Arnold is a Mainer pursuing their dreams of being a city gay. Eli is a Chicago Poetry Center programming fellow, living ear first and slowly accumulating tattoos.

Archy Jamjun is the curator of Outspoken LGBTQ Stories at Sidetrack. He is a two-time winner of The Moth Grand Slam in Chicago and has been featured on The Moth Podcast. He has been telling stories all over Chicago for ten years.

The non-binary community is no longer hidden in the closet, but is still “othered” in many spaces. Three very personal stories allow the listener inside the LGBTQ+ world, revealing the faces of family, friends and loved ones, and encouraging them to see with brand new eyes. Directed by Willa Taylor.

Racquel Jones aka “Kan DC” is a true right-brain/left-brain kind of girl. Born in Chicago, Illinois, she received her Bachelors in Business Administration from Howard University. However her passion has always been DRAMA. A theater mascot at an early age, she often found herself backstage of shows where her father performed. Remembering the days he was challenged to feed the family, he encouraged her to study something that could always feed her. She did, and was miserable. After doing her time in “Corporate America”, Kan DC became a serial entrepreneur selling everything from “soup to nuts.” She eventually started her own clothing line, encouraged by people who often inquired about her clothing after she ditched her “grays and blues.” Now in her senior years, she is reclaiming the craft that brings her joy, acting and storytelling, and is a walking example of the adage, “It’s Never Too Late.” Recently Kan DC performed in Blacks In Green’s, “FERTILE GROUND: THE GREAT MIGRATION” and is a member of GeNarrations, the Goodman Theatre’s storytelling workshop for “youth” 55+. This is her second year performing in Fillet of Solo.

Dhamana Shauri is a storyteller and is a member of the National Association of Black Storytellers (NABS) and its local affiliate, ASE, the Chicago Association of Black Storytellers. Dhamana uses her stories to celebrate the human spirit, creating stories that educate, uplift and entertain. Her goal is to create images that allow the listener to “see” the story as well as hear it.
Dhamana performs with ASE and has performed at NABS’ annual Festival. She has shared stories at various local events including, This Much is True, Backyard Stories and the Museum of Contemporary Art. This is Dhamana’s fourth appearance at Fillet of Solo.
Dhamana is a retired teacher and licensed social worker, making connections with people and assisting them in maximizing resources to reach their fullest potential. Dhamana has three adult children and a 5 year old granddaughter, Maya who lights up her world.

William Gregory graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a B.A. and M.A. in Creative Writing. But his writing career started fresh out of High School when he wrote, produced and directed “Welcome to the Shangri-la,” and “Electric Butterfly,” at Southwestern College and U.C.S.D. Respectively. William was the lead singer and co-composer for the group Tapestry Blu-an
electronic-classical-new romantic-bolero dance band. In a time when singing in a falsetto was not cool, William had one goal, to be the next Bronski Beat. Alas, there is only one Bronski Beat. Shortly after this, William moved into Jazz/ Cabaret / Bolero, singing throughout California, New York, Pittsburgh and Chicago. His short stories “Persimmon” and “Blessings,” can be found in Hairtrigger. His writing can be found in In Pittsburgh, Chicago Rock Coalition and Midwest-Ursine. In 2023 his one act play “La Medici of Beverly Hills,” was chosen to be featured in the Perceptions BIPOC theater festival in Chicago. In 2024 his play “Sex, Alchemy and Maya Mischief,” was chosen to be workshopped and have a staged reading during the INICIOS CLATA Latine Theater Festival. He is currently working on “The Posthumous diaries of Pedro Coiulun, 11 2 play about a Guatemalan / Maya playwright and activist who lived during the Banana Wars in Central America.

Sex, Race & Jesus is a story of trial and triumph. R.C. Riley (they/them) takes the audience on a journey through relationship with their body, their soul and their higher power. This is a raw depiction of how intimacy and introspection intertwine yielding glorious revelations, powerful convictions and a hunger for an abundant life of infinite possibility, profound purpose, and an unquenchable thirst for… more. Directed by Emmi Hilger. 

R.C. Riley (they/them) is a recent empty nester, writer, performer, activist, and warrior who began writing as a means of healing after a sexual assault. Their work examines the intersection of race, sexuality and faith and seeks to find justice for and liberate those marginalized by society.

R.C. leads workshops, guest lectures, performs short stories and solo shows at colleges and theaters across the nation. Previous solo shows include: Wrong Way Journey, SOGI Say What?!, Take It Easy on The Left Hand Please, I’m Not Trying to Be Funny. Listen to their podcast, BE EMPOWERED! with R.C., which addresses topics of concern for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities, wherever you get your podcasts.

You can find R.C. on social media @RCEmpowers or @RCRiley.

Photo Credit: Tykeith Nelson 

Emmi Hilger (she/her) is a theatre director, educator, and producer based in Chicago, IL.  Emmi is the former Producing Artistic Director of Something Marvelous. She loves new plays and magical realism; she has had the honor of working with many playwrights and companies across the city.  Emmi believes in empowering young artists and currently teaches theatre at Beacon Academy, a Montessori high school in Evanston.

FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT! From Nutcracker rehearsals in Michigan and impromptu dances on subway platforms to Caleighs in the Scottish Highlands and a high stakes audition at El Palacio de Bellas Artes, the ensemble behind “Shall We Dance?” invites you to join us as we share stories of the dancing that has touched our lives, for good or ill, in big and small ways. Ballet, tango, salsa, foxtrot, traditional African dances — no matter what genre, these stories are linked by the power of movement.

Twelve stories spread out over two unique performances. Join us for both and get ready to boogie!

November 10th storytellers include Natalie Elizabeth, Gerardo Marciano, Denise McIntosh, Willa Taylor, Kimberly Vanbiesbrouck, and Zaneta Wrightsell. November 16th tellers include Liam Collier, Muteeat Lawal, Mary O’Connell, Judy Parker, Nancy Solomon, and Joshua Thomas.

Kimberly Vanbiesbrouck is a proud Theatre Major and the first person to graduate college in her big Belgian Family. A long standing member of the Union, Actor’s Equity Association, Kimberly has appeared in such shows as “Always”, “Patsy Cline”, “Forbidden Broadway”, “A Chorus Line”, as well as Judy Garland in, “Beyond the Rainbow”. Currently, she travels the country performing with, “Menopause, the Musical.” Kimberly has told stories around the Chicagoland area, including: Is This a Thing, This Much Is True, The Moth, Stories R Us, Voicebox and Homewood Stories. Her proudest production of them all, is her wonderful child, Isobel.

Mary O’Connell is a Chicago writer, a member of the Goodman GENarrations storytelling group, and leads a writing group at the North Center Satellite Senior Center. In her professional life, she oversaw communications for the Joyce Foundation and worked as an editor at American Medical News, Center for Neighborhood Technology, Northwestern University Press, and the British publisher Weidenfeld & Nicolson. She has written about public policy issues including education, health care, and the environment, and served on several nonprofit boards. A Chicago native and Loyola University graduate, she lives in Rogers Park, and has a daughter and a son and three grandchildren.

Muteeat Lawal began her storytelling journey a long time ago. Growing up in the Baptist Church she was supported and encouraged to speak out loudly and clearly. She quickly overcame any fear of public speaking . While in Toastmasters International she not only achieved the Distinguished Toastmaster Award but also found her voice as a storyteller. Muteeat has been a member of NABS (National Association of Black Storytellers) and is a current member of ASE (ah-shay). She has also performed with “This Much is True”, “Pour One Out”, “GeNarrations”, “InterGens”, “Fertile Ground”, and “Truth As I Speak It”. She is a trained Racial Healing practitioner with TRHT Chicago and has co-facilitated numerous healing circles in the Chicagoland area. Since retiring from a decades-long career in nursing, Muteeat has used stories to TOUCH the places we may not know need a gentle touch. STORIES ARE MEDICINE FOR THE HEART.

Judy Parker has a BA in Modern Dance, went to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC to study and ended up living there for 18 years. She spent countless hours at Broadway Dance Center taking classes in ballet, jazz and tap. She studied with American Dancemachine, a company reconstructing dances from musicals to preserve them, as well as the popular dances of the day, the Charleston being her favorite. Theatre dance is her true love. While in NYC she performed stand up comedy and acted, sang and danced in summer stock and dinner theaters. She recently performed in the comedy Greater Tuna and musical Young Frankenstein. For years she’s been in writing classes at Berger Park and since 2018, she’s been in GeNarrations, the Goodman Theatre’s storytelling program. Because of Gens, she’s happily here tonight!

Nancy Solomon is delighted to be performing at Fillet of Solo again and thanks Denise McIntosh for inviting her to join “Shall We Dance.” Nancy met Denise through GeNarrations, the Goodman Theatre’s free storytelling program for folks 55 and older. Nancy joined GeNs in 2018 and her teaching artist is the remarkable Adrian Azevedo. Recently, Judy Parker and Peter Wood, two GeNs classmates, dared Nancy to go with them to tell stories outside GeNs and Fillet. Although terrified at first, she is now hooked and seeks opportunities to share her stories with anyone who shows even the slightest interest in being willing to listen. Nancy is grateful to all the incredible people who create storytelling venues, including Scott Whitehair, the folks at Word Buffet, Is This a Thing?, Story Sessions, Voicebox, and many others. Find them at Chicago-storytelling.com.

Joshua L. Thomas (he/him) is a sophomore acting and psychology student at Roosevelt University. He dreams of becoming a drama therapist while pursuing his acting career. His recent credits include Mr. Doyle in “The Nether”, understudying in “Little Women“, being a finalist in the August Wilson Monologue Competition, devising with the InterGeNs ensemble, and starring in the 2024 Production Institute films “Stranger No More” and “For the Plot”. Sit up, lean in, and savor the show!

Denise McIntosh has straddled state lines in Four Corners, the prime meridian in Greenwich, and the equator in Kenya. More mindful about her carbon footprint now, she still takes guilty pleasure in long road trips, but cycles as much as possible in Chicago, thankful for the flatness of Illinois. When she’s not helping clients to declutter, she’s often on the dance floor, where she has competed in ballroom, mambo, hustle and west coast swing.
Denise has been writing and performing stories with GeNarrations for six years. She also has performed at Voicebox, Do Not Submit, This Much is True, Ladies Night Productions, Story Vroom Vroom, Six Feet Apart, the Goodman’s Lobby Stories, Old St. Pat’s, Book Cellar, Story Sessions, Is This a Thing?, Charmers Cafe, and Kedzie Inn with Story Jam. This is her fifth year performing and her first year producing for Fillet of Solo.

Zaneta Wrightsell resides in Uptown Chicago. She is a service professional and advocate by day and a performing artist by night. At the early age of 4, she was drawn to the stage and began singing. Zaneta was hooked. Her mother who was an elementary music teacher herself, spotted Zaneta’s gift for the arts and signed her up immediately for classical music classes at People’s Music School under the direction of Dr Rita Simo. Music enriched Zaneta’s life and opened many doors. Later in high school, Zaneta performed in Dance Africa as a featured artist for five consecutive years
under the direction of Baba Chuck Davis with collaborative and collective vision dance company called Urban Credo. Zaneta quotes, “Dance AWAKENED me : spirit, mind, body, and soul. / Dance healed me. / Dance gave me hope. / When the way was weary, DANCE was MY North Star. / Let’s Dance!”

Natalie Elizabeth (she/her) is a multidisciplinary performing artist, dance educator and Rogers Park local. She has been living and producing work as an actor, dancer, singer, director and writer in all avenues of Theatre, Film, and Dance in Chicago for the past five years. This year, she is thrilled to be on stage in her own neighborhood, and a part of the inspiring community of storytellers in Fillet of Solo!

Gerardo Marciano is a devoted organizer for housing, migrant, queer, and racial justice. You can find him shutting down streets in solidarity with Palestinians, helping to Free Heartland Kids, sharing community and vital supplies with unhoused neighbors and asylum seekers through Food Not Bombs, or keeping the Rogers Park Free Store open week after week. The story he is sharing today will be included in his forthcoming memoir “Queer Boy Magik”.

Willa Taylor has been many things in her life – college drop-out, Navy linguist, radio dj, chef, theatremaker. But the thing she has most consistently been is a storyteller. Starting with her first “what had happened was..” story explaining the broken lamp in the living room, she has taken the moments of an adventurous life and woven them into stories of hope and heartbreak, laughter and longing. When she’s not telling tales, she is adjunct faculty at DePaul and Northern Illinois, a senior consultant with Morten Group, and the founder and President of Creative Curriculum Ventures, which develops arts-focused curriculum for Black homeschoolers.

Liam Collier (he/him) is an activist and theatre maker, specializing in ensemble-based modes of creation. Born and raised in New York, Liam moved to Chicago in 2017 to pursue his passion for immersive theatre and arts education. From 2018 through 2023, Liam worked at the Goodman Theatre, serving as the Community Programs and Special Projects manager and a lead teaching artist of the Goodman’s multigeneration InterGens ensemble. He continues to teach storytelling through the Goodman’s GeNarrations program at Willye B. White park. These days, you’ll also find him leading K-12 experiences at the Art Institute of Chicago and devising exciting new theatre with Lifeline and Northlight Theate’s in-school residencies.

Experience live storytelling with Lily Be as she crafts an unforgettable, interactive show where the lines between performer and audience blur.

Lily Be is an Afro-Latina storyteller and the first Latina to win a Moth GrandSLAM, as well as the first to be featured in Spanish. Since 2023, she has lived in her van, traveling across the country to offer storytelling workshops rooted in her unique pedagogy, *Story Neighborhood*. This narrative mapping experience empowers individuals and communities to connect through their stories, fostering intentional community building. Through her workshops, Lily amplifies marginalized voices and teaches the art of mindful storytelling, helping others discover their narrative ethos while creating spaces where their stories can thrive.

Story Sessions is a celebration of the Chicago storytelling community since 2013. Story Sessions started at a bar, and eventually ended up at City Winery from 2015-2018. Monthly curated shows paved the way for an open mic that started in 2019. The Story Sessions Open Mic is at West Town Bakery @ Howard and Ridge starting January 3, 2024. We have four incredibly experiential storytelling events coming next year! Stay tuned, follow us on Facebook or say hi to Jill Howe.

Line up: Kevin Gladish, Kelly George, Deborah Hines, Francesca Sobrer 

Kevin Gladish is thrilled to return to Fillet of Solo and to once again work with Jill and Story Sessions. He has performed at such venues as You’re Being Ridiculous, This Much is True, Solo Sunday, Do Not Submit, and The Moth Grand Slam. As an actor, he’s worked with Steep Theatre, Griffin, City Lit, and The Artistic Home, among others. His solo show, A Secret in Plain Sight, about his experience as a late discovery adoptee and search for birth family, debuted virtually at Filet of Solo and was performed at Solo Sunday in Chicago as well as at the Borderlight Fringe Festival in Cleveland, OH. 

Kelly George (they/them) is a nerdy non-binary Chicago transplant hailing originally from Kentucky. They have an adorable queer family including 1 partner, 1 rambunctious kindergartener, 3 even more rambunctious cats, and over 30 houseplants. They managed to turn their life long love of telling and listening to stories into a career as a narrative therapist. Although they now spend most of their time listening to and understanding other’s stories, they come to the story telling scene with a performance history as a theater kid and a former drag king. They believe “you cannot hear the story of another without being changed” and want to thank you for opening your heart to the stories they have to tell!

Francesca Sobrer is a storyteller, writer, teacher, actor and director. Francesca loves working with actors, and other storytellers to help them develop the story they want to tell. Presently working on a collection of stories about growing up on Nantucket Island, she has been published in Chicago’s Storytellers Press, True Stories about Love and is in the upcoming True Stories about Family. A multi MothStorySLAM winner, Francesca with Story Sessions for this season of the Fillet of Solo Story Festival! francescasobrer.com

Over the past ten years, Deborah Hines has shared her writing at: Goodman Theatre, 2nd Story, Northwestern MA/MFA Writing Workshops, Columbia College Story Week, Fillet of Solo Festival, threecatproductions in Edgewater, Royal Souls Coffee House in Rogers Park, where she sometimes hosted, and she was a proud member of the Lincoln-Belmont Library Writing Group. She’s spent her life working as a typesetter, make-up artist, esthetician and alphabetizer of many manila files in many offices. She lives in Lakeview with her books, her plants and an abundance of her own files that store everything she’s ever written. She feels this living arrangement keeps her in good company.

Judgment day approaches. In the form of my 20th high school reunion. And before I come clean to my schoolgirl crush, I need to role-play the conversation with some strangers. That’s where you come in. Join me for a play/focus group/social experiment with music that asks the age-old question, “Do people worship one another because we miss God?”

Grace Kessler Overbeke (she/her) is delighted to make her Fillet of Solo debut! She has worked as a dramaturg at theatres and universities nationwide including Steppenwolf Theatre, The Kennedy Center, The La Jolla Playhouse, Theater J, Portland Stage Company, Northwestern University, University of Florida, and Duke University. She is the author of First Lady of Laughs: The Forgotten Story of Jean Carroll, America’s First Jewish Woman Stand-Up Comedian (2024 NYU Press). She premiered “Swear To Todd” at the Edinburgh Free Fringe Festival in 2024. She received her PhD in Theatre from Northwestern University.

With over 30 years of shared history, the Sweat Girls have been called “the undisputed tribal elders” of the solo performance scene (Chicago Reader, 2014). Known for their “contagious gusto,” the Sweats are glad to represent the graying edge of Chicago’s flourishing Live Lit community.

Caroline Schless Andres is the most recent member of the Sweats, though it’s now well over a decade.  During the week she sweats by teaching English Language Arts for 8th graders. Prior to teaching, she performed in LA and Chicago. She is also a sometime violinist, advocate for LGBTQIA+ youth, working continuously to keep libraries intact and gender care available and misses her mom every day.

Cindy Hanson (November 9th & 10th performances only) is the co-writer of Cooking With Lard and co-adaptor of Hen Lake, both first produced at Lifeline Theatre. She has written and performed Evelyn Dances and the performance piece, Me and My Chakras, in Chicago, San Francisco and New York. Cindy has also written How Margaret Got Home, which was workshopped at Heartland Studio Theatre and she was a regular participant in Write Nights at Frank’s Cocktail Lounge in Ft. Greene Brooklyn. Listen to some of Cindy’s stories on Unabashed from 2B on SoundCloud.

Dorothy Milne was an ensemble member of Lifeline Theatre for 32 years and served as artistic director for twenty. She is retired but still cheering Lifeline on. Dorothy continues to co-curate the annual Fillet of Solo Storytelling Festival and she has directed more than 20 productions at Lifeline Theatre.

Clare Nolan has performed throughout the Chicagoland area, including work at Lifeline Theatre, the Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, the Organic Theatre, the Body Politic, New Tuners’ Theatre, and Blind Parrot Productions. Nolan served as artistic director of Blind Parrot and co-wrote original productions of American Gothic and Exploits of a Living News Paper (Jeff Citation: New Work). She teaches acting at Columbia College, has taught preaching at Seabury Western Theological Seminary and the ACTS D. Min in Preaching Program and has worked with high school students at her church for thirty years.

Martie Sanders has performed on Chicago and Regional stages since 1986 including: Chicago Shakespeare, Lookingglass, Goodman, Lifeline, American Theater Company, Purple Rose, and Madison Repertory. After receiving her Masters of Social Work degree in 2020, Martie became a Chicago Public School social worker, starting her career online during the pandemic and now working in person at a high school. Martie enjoys her summertimes by mentoring teenagers in creating and performing children’s productions in a theater garden.

Pamela Webster has retired to five acres in Naples, Florida where she enjoys the bears, river otters, deer, wood storks and quiet sounds of nature, interrupted only by the voracious buzzing mosquitos and biting fire ants. She and her husband are members of Floridians for Democracy a group determined to turn Florida blue. Pamela also freelances as an antique finder for her son’s decorating business. The other 6 months of the year she travels the US in a truck camper with her husband, Keith and their dogs Willa Cather and Oscar Wilde. They typically end in Vail to enjoy hiking and biking in the mountains.

This One Woman is a twist on the one woman show. I A one-woman show created by many…men and women. The one-woman show where you don’t have to be one or a woman. Performers are given a suggestion of a famous or infamous woman, and they are given the freedom to creatively comment on the suggestion any way they want.

Nov 09 Show:
This One Woman: Arianna Maddix
Hosted by Kyna Lenhof
Lineup: Samantha Garcia, Lindsay Eanet, Jessica Ring, Hannah Russell, Lindsay Williams

Nov 17 show:
This One Woman: Wonder Woman
Hosted by Kyna Lenhof
Lineup: Samantha Garcia, Becky Eldridge, Neil Arsenty, Amy Sumpter, Julie Jurgens

Kyna Lenhof is a comedian/storyteller and all around great gal. She has been performing here and there throughout Chicago since the early part of this century.

Julie Jurgens loves attention but hates leaving the house. Every so often, like an unpredictable cicada, she’ll emerge from her cozy confines and share weird, funny, and heartbreaking stories with anyone who’ll listen. Learn more about this loud librarian, salty songwriter, and raunchy raconteur at juliejurgens.com

Samantha Garcia is not from Chicago, but has lived here a long time. She’s delighted to rejoin the This One Woman ensemble to learn more about each other and ourselves. She takes her silliness very seriously. Feel free to find and follow her on instagram.

Lindsay Williams loves her day job By night, she’s a comedian/writer/storyteller performing all over Chicago. After 5pm on weekdays and on weekends you can find her taking pics, performing, running, eating or probably watching TV.

Jess Ring by day has the exciting job as an employee benefits consultant. She can likely answer your questions around all things health insurance but to keep her sanity she loves to find time to be creative which has brought her here. She has recently gotten into storytelling and is thrilled to talk about anything that is not benefits related. Unless of course if you really need help with your benefits, come find her afterwards.

Neil Arsenty is an actor, comedian, writer, Chicago history nut and Simpsons Trivia host. He can be seen most recently in South Side on MAX and American Rust: Broken Justice (with Jeff Daniels) on Prime Video. His writing pieces have been published in Cracked and other online e-zines that aren’t around anymore, apparently. He also writes on his acclaimed Twitter handle @dailysimpsons regularly and on his online Chicago history blog once every other year or so.

Additional performers include: James Whittington, Becky Eldridge, and Lindsay Eanet

To Cut a Barber’s Hands
written and performed by Anthony Spaulding
with dancing by Kayla Greene

To Cut A Barber’s Hands is a One Man variety show created and performed by Anthony Spaulding. It has comedy, it has drama, singing, dancing, poetry, songs and tells several stories within the theme of the show that conjures your reasoning. With dancing by Kayla Greene! Sensational, thought-provoking and entertaining — Anthony is DYNAMITE!

Mentored by the legendary Dr. Margaret Burroughs, Anthony Spaulding was encouraged to take all the skills he cultivated while incarcerated and to give it a go. He was released after 27 years in prison and came out on fire! Anthony performed at The Goodman theater, The Second City, and venues all over the city of Chicago. A consummate artist and musician, Anthony Spaulding is always looking for an opportunity to create, perform and network. For bookings or more info see, Anthony Spaulding.com

Born in Chicago Illinois, Kayla Greene follows where her spirit leads her. Since the age of 2, Kayla was trained under the greats in Chicago such as Mayfair Academy, Chicago High School For The Arts (ChiArts), Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center (CMDC), After School Matters and Goodman Theatre. She Choreographed in Theatres and plays such as Goodman Theatre and Currently To Cut A Barbers Hands By Anthony Spaulding. Kayla Is Known for her skills in Jazz, Hip hop, Musical theatre, and Bellydance. You can follow more of her work on social media at Officialkaylaag on Instagram.

Three weeks before the Chicago Marathon, Eileen Tull gets a “concerned” email from a “concerned” acquaintance who is very “concerned” that she, fat as she is, plans on running the marathon. “What are you trying to prove?” they ask. Eileen brings the audience along on the journey beginning at the start line through injuries, self-doubt, perseverance, and many, many, many miles.

Eileen Tull is a Chicago-based storyteller, theatremaker, poet, educator, and one-woman-show person. This is her 15th solo show – others include Partially Submerged and Floating; Mommy, Give Me Pills; Phone Calls With John Kasich; Bad Dates; and Jesus, Do You Like Me? Please Mark Yes or No. She has performed throughout the country, from San Francisco to New York City, including in the SF Fringe, New Seeds Festival, United Solo, the Cincy Fringe, the Minnesota Fringe Festival, and the Dallas Solo Festival. Her work has been seen all over Chicago in bookstores, art galleries, bars, other non-traditional spaces, and at Theater Wit, Stage Left, Broken Nose Theatre, Loose Chicks, and Chicago Danztheatre. She is a drama instructor with the Chicago Park District, where she has taught creative classes to folks of all ages for almost 10 years. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Directing from Randolph College. Earlier this year, Eileen founded Fat Theatre Project, a creative arts organization that tells stories by/about/for/with fat people.

True Confessions of a Failed Debutante explores how unrealistic expectations can set you up for disappointment. What could possibly go wrong if you’re getting all your information about sex from reading romance novels? Set against a Southern backdrop, this solo show by Beth Ann Bryant-Richards, is a story that anyone can relate to.

Beth Ann Bryant-Richards is a Fillet of Solo veteran, and she has also enjoyed a long association with Tellin’ Tales Theatre. She now lives in Wilmington, NC and is a dedicated member of Port City Playwrights. Thanks to Tekki, Lotti, Eileen, and everyone else who gave feedback on the script. Kudos to Lifeline for being, well, a lifeline to solo performers.

Photo credit: Kelly Starbuck

Do you believe in a ghosts? Explore the haunted roads of Mississippi, an abandoned home in Wisconsin and the asylum at Manteno with me, if you dare. The veil is thin and we catch fleeting glimpses through it. Is it our imagination or are we gifted with a tiny peek of what is waiting?

Errol McLendon is a two-time Moth winner. He has performed stories in Kansas City, St. Louis and at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN. His two solo shows have been presented in Orlando, Atlanta, Indianapolis. He has taught storytelling workshops in Lagrange, Lockport, Lake Geneva and Houston and currently runs a weekly Tuesday night drop-in storytelling workshop in Berwyn. He also runs a storytelling show and a storytelling open mic in Berwyn.

Back in the early 90s I saw Spalding Gray, literally sitting at a table and reading from a manuscript and sipping from a glass of water. And I saw John Leguizamo, who did a show called “Spic O Rama.” I watched those shows and said, “I can do that” and “there needs to be something like that for people like me.” Learn how I went from infant to artist, braved fallout shelters, bus passengers, and became a spy to find my place on the bus and in the world, in “Wheels and Beer”. Directed by Cheryl Snodgrass. 

Michael Herzovi is an actor, writer, and solo performer who challenges disability assumptions. His solo show Wheels and Beer was a success at the inaugural Green Bay Fringe Festival last summer. He has recorded audio description and voiced captions in documentaries, including The Tuba Thieves. Michael has told stories about living with a disability with Tellin’ Tales Theatre, Small Fish Radio, You’re Being Ridiculous, This Much is True and others. He’s received the 2019 3Arts Fellowship from the UIC Department of Disability in the Arts and Culture, and the 2020 Access Fellowship at Chicago Dramatists. He appeared on Fox Television’s neXt and AppleTV’s Shining Girls, and in a promo for the Illinois Treasurer’s IL ABLE campaign. He is a co-producer and voice actor with Sarah is Sally Productions, making ASL story videos encouraging children’s literacy. He is delighted to be a part of Filet of Solo! His website is www.michaelherzovi.com.

Who do you think you are? explores how this question transforms over Patrick’s life filled with opportunities, challenges, humor, pathos and adventures.

Patrick Curtin is a native Chicagoan who hones his storytelling skills at the Irish American Heritage Center and Goodman Theatre’s GeNarrations program. He shares stories in a variety of venues including Steppenwolf, Second City, Outspoken and Story Lab Chicago.