United Solo to Kick Off Fifth Season in New York, Featuring 130 Productions, 9/18-11/23

Theatre Row on New York's famous 42nd Street is home to the world's largest solo theatre festival, United Solo. Its fifth season takes place tomorrow, September 18 - November 23, 2014 and features 130 productions from around the world in categories including drama, comedy, stand-up, mime, improv, musical, and many more. The Festival began five years ago as a two-week event, and has presented over three hundred solo productions since then. This year's Festival has grown five times bigger than the inaugural season, and brings far more exciting variety.

Participating artists include award winners and emerging talents. Some performers are returning by popular demand, while others are only beginning their solo careers. There are native New Yorkers, as well as artists coming to New York for the first time to present their shows at the Festival. The lineup contains everything from autobiographical shows to adaptations of classic plays. Solo performers have reimagined Shakespeare in "Macbeth in the Kitchen"; classical plays in "Oedipus," "Clytemnestra," and "The Return of Iphigenia"; and even the Bible in "St. Mark's Gospel" and "I AM." Comedies will include stand-up acts by Vicky Kuperman, who has been praised by Deepak Chopra; Nancy Redman, in collaboration with Austin Pendleton; and Addie Walsh, an Emmy-winning writer.

In a special ENCORE category, the Festival welcome back artists who found great popular success at the Festival in recent years, including "Beneath My Father's Sky" by Zara Phillips, co-directed by Eric Roberts; "FAGGY at 50" by Joe Gulla; and "Leading Men" by Blake Walton, directed by Broadway veteran Ann Morrison.

Festival shows will compete for various awards, including Best Production, Best Actor and Actress, Best Director, and Best Script. Selected scripts will be published online in a curated collection at Indie Theater Now, a digital theatre library. An elite selection of participants will perform in the Festival's third annual overseas showcase, United Solo Europe.

The Festival's Special Award is presented annually to a performer who has made an unforgettable contribution to the solo form. This year's nominees are Hannah Cabell, Billy Crystal, Jim Dale, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Kevin Spacey, John Douglas Thompson, and Michael Urie. All winners will be announced during the Festival's Closing Ceremony on November 23 at Theatre Row.

As it opens its new season, United Solo begins reviewing submissions for next season. The early application form can be found online at www.unitedsolo.org/submit for artists from around the world who wish to be considered for the Festival in the future.

Tickets for all shows in this year's United Solo are available at the Theatre Row Box Office, 410 West 42nd Street, open seven days a week from noon until the last curtain. Online and phone sales are provided by Telecharge, www.telecharge.com and 212.239.6200. The Box Office will keep a waiting list for the sold-out shows, and some last-minute openings may be available. For the full Festival schedule, visit http://unitedsolo.org/us/ufest.

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