B&B Presents First Annual SOLO FEST: A Festival of Solo Performances

January 19, 2018

Print

SOLO FEST

A FESTIVAL OF SOLO PERFORMANCES FEATURING DIVERSE VOICES – THE VAULT THEATER & EVENT SPACE: FEBRUARY 2018

 

Hillsboro, OR – “One of the things about having your own building is that you get to program really, really cool stuff,” says Scott Palmer, Founding Artistic Director of Bag&Baggage Productions, Hillsboro’s resident professional theatre company.

Among the “cool stuff” Bag&Baggage is programming is a new festival focused on solo performers from the Portland region: SOLO FEST. The first annual festival will take place on February 1, 2, 3, and 4 of 2018 at B&B’s new home, The Vault Theater, and features four different solo performance pieces in rotation.

The performers were curated by Palmer and Cassie Greer, B&B’s Associate Artistic Director, with a focus on presenting work that expands the diversity of performances at The Vault.

“Each of our selected performers brings a powerful and unique vision to their work,” said Greer. “Ranging in style and theme, our first SOLO FEST will give our audiences the opportunity to see the kind of work that rarely, if ever, is performed in Hillsboro, and at the extremely affordable price of only $10.”

SOLO FEST is scheduled in a rotating fashion so that audiences can attend two different nights and have a chance to see all four performers.

 

Performers include:

• Rob Katsuno and his work American Spirit, a story of how American culture shaped Katsuno’s own aspirations as a Japanese-American. Katsuno is a Portland-based, award-winning author.

• Brianna Barrett and her work True Love And Other Noncommunicable Diseases, which is a true story about a young woman with chronic health issues facing her career goals, personal insecurities, and quest for true love. Barrett was voted Portland’s best storyteller in both 2016 and 2017.

• Damaris Webb and her work The Box Marked Black: Tales from a Halfrican American growing up Mulatto. With sock puppets! Webb is a Portland-based theatre-maker, and this work explores her relationship to her “blackness” in a culture that leaves little room for those who may be “in-between” race.

• Paul Iarrobino and his work MOP Deconstructed, a coming-of-age story about a gay man’s search for self- expression and acceptance. Iarrobino is a writer, performance artist, storyteller, and documentary film producer.

 

“SOLO FEST isn’t just about highlighting the unique style of solo performances,” said Palmer. “It is also about making sure that different, diverse voices and performers have a home in Hillsboro. The range of experiences that are found in these artists’ work is really amazing, and we are thrilled to make The Vault a place where everyone can feel like they have a home to perform.” Tickets for SOLO FEST are $10, and each evening features 2 different performances.

 

The schedule for performances is:

• February 1, 2018, 7:30pm: American Spirit and True Love And Other Noncommunicable Diseases

• February 2, 2018, 7:30pm: American Spirit and The Box Marked Black…

• February 3, 2018, 7:30pm: MOP Deconstructed and True Love And Other Noncommunicable Diseases

• February 4, 2018: 2:00pm: MOP Deconstructed and The Box Marked Black…

 

More information on SOLO FEST, including tickets, descriptions of the shows, and performer biographies, can be found at www.bagnbaggage.org or by calling 503 345 9590.

 

ABOUT BAG&BAGGAGE PRODUCTIONS: Bag&Baggage Productions is Hillsboro’s only professional theatre company. B&B is committed to innovative and provocative new interpretations of the classics of American and English drama, bringing surprising new insight to stories and writers from our past. Led by Hillsboro native Scott Palmer, B&B is one of the largest non-profit cultural organizations in Hillsboro, has gained an international reputation for excellence, and regularly attracts audiences of more than 18,000 to the company’s six-show season.