LOGAN FESTIVAL OF SOLO PERFORMANCE to Return to 1st Stage in 2026

1st Stage will present the Logan Festival of Solo Performance, running from August 20 - 30, 2026. The festival will gather celebrated solo performers from across the country for two weeks of performances, workshops, discussions, and events. The 2026 festival will feature three Dynamic Productions:

LET IT BE ART! Harold Clurman's Life of Passion

Written and Performed by Ronald Rand

Through the unforgettable performance by award-winning actor Ronald Rand, audiences are invited on an inspiring journey that celebrates the life, passion and humor of the legendary Harold Clurman, known as “the Elder Statesman of the American Theatre”. As co-founder, with Lee Strasberg and Cheryl Crawford, of the famed Group Theatre of the 1930s — considered by many the most significant ensemble art theatre in the history of the American Theatre — Clurman helped revolutionize not only the American Theatre, but American acting in every facet. LET IT BE ART! honors the breadth of Clurman's legacy and the transformative power of theatre.

It Ends With Guinea Pigs

Written and Performed by Diana Gitelman

Directed by Faline England
What begins as the reluctant adoption of two male guinea pigs unexpectedly becomes a portal into generational trauma, cultural identity, marriage dynamics, motherhood exhaustion, hamster-related murder guilt, and an eventual emotional awakening. We journey from non–self-care Soviet Jewish roots to pigs, lice, and healing through pig poop. The guinea pigs—objectively useless—become absurd spirit guides, opening the door to unprocessed grief tied to Frisky and “Babushka” (Grandma). Along the way, they help forge new boundaries and rebuild self-worth, culminating in a love of self, life, and, oddly...these pigs.

Baron Vaughn: Cycle Breaker

Written and Performed by Baron Vaughn

Directed by Aysan Celik

Nothing brings your own childhood into focus like raising your own children. Married 40-something father, Baron Vaughn digs into his own past to understand how it formed him and how he'll approach parenthood in his funny and deeply human solo show. Baron explores his relationships with his parents and grandparents as he uncovers the values he wishes to instill and the damage he'd rather not pay forward to his own children. Part stand-up comedy, part memory play, Baron Vaughn: Cycle Breaker is a meditation on family and what it takes to truly break a cycle.

The Logan Festival of Solo Performance will run August 20-30, 2026 with performances of each show as follows:

LET IT BE ART!: Thursday, August 20 at 7:30pm; Saturday, August 22 at 5:00pm; Sunday, August 23 at 7:30pm; Friday, August 28 at 7:30pm; Saturday, August 29 at 2:00pm; Sunday, August 30 at 5:00pm

It Ends With Guinea Pigs: Saturday, August 22 at 7:30pm; Sunday, August 23 at 2:00pm; Wednesday, August 26 at 7:30pm; Thursday, August 27 at 7:30pm; Saturday, August 29 at 7:30pm; Sunday, August 30 at 2:00pm

Baron Vaughn: Cycle Breaker: Friday, August 21 at 7:30pm; Saturday, August 22 at 2:00pm; Sunday, August 23 at 5:00pm; Tuesday, August 25 at 7:30pm; Saturday, August 29 at 5:00pm; Sunday, August 30 at 7:30pm

How to Purchase Tickets

Please email the box office at boxoffice@1ststage.org for reservations. General admission tickets are $20 per show and $10 per show for Students with valid ID. Individual tickets can be purchased online at www.1stStage.org or by emailing the 1st Stage box office at boxoffice@1ststage.org.

Subscriptions and Flex Passes are available for savings of up to 50% off regular price tickets. Tickets, Subscriptions, and Flex Passes can be purchased online at www.1ststage.org or by calling the 1st Stage box office at 703-854-1856. 

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