This week at the All for One Theatre Festival

It's been a great week so far at the All for One Theatre Festival.  Today, JTA published a review of RASH and the background to the story.  On Monday, I spoke on a great panel with RASH director Jen Nails, and two other performers and directors called Directing the Solo Show.  Today I observed Matt Hoverman in action teaching a workshop called Telling Your Story: The Art of the Autobiographical Solo Show.  Tomorrow RASH director Jen Nails teaches a workshop called Solo Show Boot Camp. You've got to click on that link just to see the great photo of Jen!

You have three more days to catch some of the other shows at AFOfest and of course, yours truly, will perform RASH a final time on closing night at 7pm on 20th November.  Audience numbers are looking good and I'm really looking forward to it.  Afterwards, I will see P.J. Walsh's solo play: Over There - Comedy is His Best Weapon if you want to join me.  It will be an evening of war, although I know that Over There is supposed to be very funny and I'm sure having met P.J. that he will be wonderful to watch.  Where will you be on Sunday night?

Pre-show preparations

Chatting to Michael Wolk, Executive Director of the AFOfest before the show

Getting ready in the dressing room before the show

Talking to the tech team before the show

Warming up on stage before the show

 Jen Nails, RASH director (Right), Patrick and Corinne, Tech team (Left)

Opening night at the All for One Theatre Festival for RASH

Thanks Coco for taking the pictures!

Before, during & after

Thanks to Coco who came to the theatre to take photos of me as I was getting ready for the play, warming up on stage and greeting the crew last Sunday. See post above for a wee selection.  Thanks also to Mari and Richard for filming the show - they will be sharing some of the material on the WITNESS facebook page. It was a great performance and I've been so touched by all the amazing emails I've received from people over the last few days, some who I know and some who I don't. Thank you! One down, one to go!

WITNESS Jenni Wolfson!

Here's what the All for One Theater Festival blogged about yesterday.

An All For One shout-out to Jenni Wolfson, who tonight will be at her day job as Managing Director of Witness, which is throwing it's 7th Annual Focus For Change Benefit at Roseland.  In this video, Jenni talks about her show RASH and gives us a shout-out.


Jenni Wolfson //// All For One Theater Festival from All For One on Vimeo.

RASH in the news

Recently RASH got some press.  Check out this interview in The Local East Village. Gabbi Lewin asks me some questions about how I ended up in human rights and Rwanda, and how the play came into being.

Michael Wolk, the Executive Director of the All for One Theater Festival I'm a part of wrote a blog post about my double life that sometimes melds into one.

Superstars of storytelling

The All for One Theater Festival has just announced its launch on Broadway World. I'm thrilled to be counted amongst the "superstars of storytelling" and "the most acclaimed and heralded artists being presented in the Solo arena today".

"They are an intensely talented breed driven by the need to tell their stories to the world. Stories so dense in dramatic revelations as to require an unbroken trance-like connection to a willing audience.  There is a heightened sense of courage at play here.  These as are the rock stars of the theatrical world. On stage on their own, they can change your life in a riveting 70 minutes".

Read more here.

Buy tickets here. 

Tickets now on sale for RASH at AFOfest

Tickets are now on sale for RASH and all the other great shows, workshops and panels at the All for One Theater Festival. 
Buy tickets here

When: November 13th @6pm & November 20th @7pm
Where: Theatre 80 St. Marks (80 St Marks Place & 1st Avenue), NY
How: Buy $20 tickets online (smartypants!) or day of show at the box office (at your peril!)

Spread the RASH!
For regular updates, "like" our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/rashsolo

Meet the Change with Jenni Wolfson

Last week I performed an extract of RASH at the legendary Nuyorican Poets Cafe in the East Village. I also spoke about my philosophy of change and the importance of networking and community.  The audience was a group of young Jewish activists in their 20's and 30's that were brought together by Pursue, a partnership between AJWS and AVODAH.

If you have ever wondered why I do what I do, then wonder no more.  In preparation for the evening, I was interviewed by someone at Pursue and you can read it here
The evening was described as follows: 

Meet the Change with Jenni Wolfson: What Happens Next is Up to You! (Click here for more info)

She speaks truth to power – on stage, in the field (from Haiti to Rwanda), and from her desk. When it comes to “fighting baddies,” you’ll want her in your corner.

Click here to see photos of the event. 

It was a great audience. The folks asked lots of questions, and even the guy behind the bar asked a question!  Then Audrey Sasson who heads up Pursue let a fun networking activity.  I have since heard from almost half the audience which I think is a great sign that we achieved one of the goals of the evening - to encourage networking!  If you want a more objective overview of the evening, read the Pursue blog post.

RASH featured in All for One Theater Festival

RASH has been selected as part of the inaugural solo show theater festival All for One.  I couldn't be more delighted.  The festival's goal is to present "outstanding solo shows that inform and inspire, together with workshops and panels to enhance the development and appreciation of solo performance."

They have a very unique approach that I have never seen before.  Their festival line up is entirely curated - they select the shows rather than putting out a call for applications.  The festival is combined with workshops by some of the top names in solo performance. Their advisory board consists of an amazing array of talented people, including some of the top solo performers, such as Mike Daisey and Nilaja Sun.  AFO also aims to act as a curated gateway to a network of performing and teaching opportunities beyond the festival.

Last but not least, the team at AFO, led by Michael Wolk, are already a dream to work with.

So mark your diaries for November 13th and November 20th for Theatre 80 St Marks in NY, and stay tuned for more.  Tickets will be available soon.

X marks the spot: RASH extract up on YouTube TEDx Channel

I was delighted to find my performance at TEDxEast on the TEDxTalks YouTube channel.  It was an amazing experience to work with Julianna Wurm and the team, as well as to hear the other inspiring speakers and meet the TEDxEast Community. Warning:  This video is a spoiler alert for those of you who haven't seen the full play. Enjoy!

TEDx catches RASH

I'm very excited to be performing an extract of RASH at TEDxEast on May 9, 2011.  It will be at the Time Center in the NYTimes building which is a fantastic space. And for those of you who won't be there, you can see it on Livestream.

As with most TED events, the conference goers are a cross-section of technology, entertainment, design, philanthropy, activist & other oddballers. If you're interested in attending this one-day conference, you need to apply.The full program for TEDxEast should be up in a few days.


Having been to the original TED and TEDWomen, they are experiences that are unparalleled in the conference world. If you've never watched a TED talk, you should definitely check it out.  If you've watched them, feel free to share a link to your favourites.