Hudson Valley Summer Intensive
A
"Where there is play…. there is life force."
Solo Theatre Workshop
Aka Turning Your Life into Art and Thereby Making It Bearable
And perhaps profitable
Hudson, NY
Intermediate Level | Limited to 10 Participants
AUGUST 1–3, 2025
Writing/journaling/storytelling/Sharing inspirations
Remembering why art and our stories matter
even when we are SICK OF OUR OWN FACES
$825 fee includes :
• Welcome Dinner with Lauren & wine — hard hooch not included
• Two 3-hour Zoom sessions /July 21 and July 28th/exact time TBD
• Two in-person workshop days/11AM-5PM
• Final student performance at The Park Theatre
Reserve now — this will fill fast.
Audit Spots are also available for $300
Includes access to Zoom sessions and in person workshops.
To register or ask questions, contact Simone at lwsolotime@gmail.com
SCHEDULE:
Monday, July 21 (exact time TBD but it will be a three hour class)
via ZOOM
Intro to the craft/writing prompts/setting intentions/material gathering/creating a space to work and deciding on story
Monday, July 28
via ZOOM
Sharing inspirations/dealing with blocks and adding theatrical elements to work
Friday, August 1
IN PERSON/HUDSON (LOCALE AND TIME 12-6 p.m.)
Everyone will be able to share their work each day and get feedback. The focus will be on getting a 10-12 minute piece ready for the final show, but we will also look at what steps you can take after the show to continue the life and development of your piece.
FRIDAY EVENING/POST CLASS WELCOME DINNER
Saturday, August 2
IN PERSON/HUDSON
Sunday, August 3
TECH
FINAL CLASS PEFORMANCE
My classes are always emotional and fun and terrifying and ultimately, like swimming in the ocean--you never regret it. Actually, lots of people regret swimming in the ocean. So nevermind that metaphor.
They are a combo of writing/lecturing/feedback and inspiration. I don’t have a set formula for how to create a show. I like the art form of solo theater because you can make it work for YOU. Some people like a script in hand at all times. Some like improv and outlines. I work however you are most comfortable working. What kind of artist/writer are you? I will be encouraging and helping you to dig deep so if you like therapy and live performance—this is a dream!
This is your chance to create the show you’d like to watch. Your chance to create the characters you’d like to play. Get out all your ya’yas. Show them what you really can do. You’re the playwright.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to Simone at (ADDRESS)
FINDING A CAUSE OUTSIDE OF YOURSELF
(a battle cry) a backbone).
Sometimes that’s easy and apparent.
Sometimes it can be found once a theme emerges.
(It’s about BLANK …but it’s really about BLANK)
***
GATHERING MATERIAL
Some people like to write out their shows. Come in with a new scene written each class and and share their work with their script in their hands.
Some like to improv a scene/tell a story from memory and record themselves during their class share and then transpose it into a draft at home.
There’s no right answer. You don’t answer to anyone. You can create a way of working that works for you and suits your energy and helps you feel comfortable and safe and keeps it feels fun. And with an element of play. Which sounds corny and it is. High Five.
You can have one idea, one story, or a bunch of ideas and stories. One idea doesn’t shut down another and an idea may connect to your theme in ways you can’t see yet. So, don’t throw things away in the beginning.
STEALING FROM YOUR LIFE…don’t be afraid to share your humiliations.
WRITING down what really happened and then, if you are worried people will be hurt by what you wrote, either contact the person and honestly lay out that you are writing about them, explain that don’t want to upset them and ask them how they feel about it. Offer to show it to them (I always offer, but never have had anyone take me up on the offer). You can tell the person you are changing their name and some details to protect their identity (if that seems appropriate). OR you can just change details and names and protect the identity. Which is slightly harder to do with, say, your mother.
Why I do it/do it/love it
Solo theater has allowed me to:
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Strengthen my voice as a writer
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Hone my acting chops
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Create the theatrical experience that I crave
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Play characters I’m normally not allowed to play
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Set the tone of the work environment
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Tell the stories that I would want to hear/watch
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Show other creative folks what I can do
Here’s a short excerpt from a grant application I wrote a many many years ago. It still works for me:
I’ve always said that solo theater was about connecting with others. Feeling less alone. That the more honest we are… the deeper the truths the closer we will be. and I believe that. and I like finding story. Examining the why’s of humanity and giving dignity to our stories. And if we give respect and dignity to our stories, we will help someone else (who isn’t a big show-off like us) permission to give dignity to their stories. And they may really, really need that permission.
I am concerned with the flaws of humanity and enthusiastic about the hypocrisy of myself and the world around me. I’m obsessed with “Bad Women,” secrets, race, comedy, evolving truth, adoption, the American penal system, death anxiety, and life anxiety. These are all topics I’m drawn to.
I am addicted to digging for truth with the audience and in front of the audience. My very lofty and personal goals are to lessen suffering and entertain.
With Solo theatre, the audience is the other actor. I never have to worry about them not making eye contact with me, or mouthing my lines along with me, or having affairs with other married actors. They are—for the most part—there. And I like them because they are completely unpredictable.
A SOLO THEATER/STORYTELLINGCLASS
BEGINS MONDAY APRIL 15TH
7 weeks plus performance
$630
Final Performance will be filmed so you'll have a copy of your work to watch every morning and evening....
• The class will be LIVE/IN PERSON! After years of zoom classes I am so happy about this.
• Location will be the Santa Monica Playhouse, from 6-9 p.m.
• CLASS SIZE will be limited. 77 people max. kidding. 9 Max.
We will explore things like:
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Differences between showing and not telling/What’s a story and what’s an anecdote?
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Finding and turning up the gas on theatrical elements/moments in a story. From page to stage kind of thing.
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Vulnerability and storytelling. Trusting your instinct and learning to tap into it.
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Artistic statements/intentions. Who are you? What matters to you? What ignites that FIRE IN THAT BIG OLE BELLY?
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Collecting material and inspiration. Throwing all the ideas out at first. One idea doesn’t shut down another even though they may SEEM unconnected.
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Having fun/getting your ya-ya’s out (your own personal form of that). Creating the show that you would want to act in and that you would want to watch.
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Further opportunities/development of past the class. Like…Story telling shows. Fringe theater. Touring. Producing. Self producing or approaching producers. Turning material into on-line content.
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Finding collaborators/directors and dealing with writing personal material without the worry of never being spoken to again by everyone you know.
Every week you will have writing and performance assignments. (Sharing a stories).
By the end of the 7 weeks you’ll have multiple stories/monologues to choose from for the final show. Before the holiday break you’ll decide which story to focus on for the final performance.
All levels are welcome. I don’t work from a strict formula. Sometimes I give individual homework assignments so everyone can be working from WHERE THEY ARE. One person may get the assignment to ‘tell a story about your family that embarrasses you” and another may be assigned to “turn that monologue into a movement piece with no talking”. It will depend upon where you are and what you and your material NEEDS.
WARNING!
I love an inspirational quote! FOR EXAMPLE: Maya Angelou // "There were people who went to sleep last night, poor and rich and white and black, but they will never wake again. And those dead folks would give anything at all for just five minutes of this... So you watch yourself about complaining. What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it."
ANOTHER WARNING!
The Hollywood Asshole Clause
Many of us are working actors who are also single mothers AND are adopted. Therefore, I have a HOLLYWOOD ASSHOLE CLAUSE that states that the schedule may change and classes may need to be moved/rescheduled. I will always work with everyone and their schedules to MAKE IT RIGHT and make sure that you get what you came for. And the same goes for YOU ALL. If you must miss a class, I’ll offer make up classes.
TO SIGN UP
Send me an email to Lauren.weedman@icloud.com or weedman71@hotmail.com
Tell me what you’re working on or hoping to work on. Why you’re taking the class. That kind of thing. There’re no right answers—I just want to know who I’m dealing with. Weed out the killers and the ex-husbands.
Venmo @Lauren_Weedman
Or
Paypal@paypal.me/laurenweedmanstudio
Or leave an envelope stuffed with cash under my door mat.
!
That’s all for NOW. Please email me with any thoughts or questions.
xLauren
November 4th and 5th
Saturday and Sunday
10 am to 5 pm
Where:
Berg Studios Annex
3273 Casitas Ave, #105
Los Angeles CA 90039
Cost:
$300 student price (you must be currently enrolled in a scene study class to receive the student discount)
$350 non-student price
Solo Performance with Lauren Weedman: November at Berg Studios!
Ever wanted to tell your story? Either on the stage or online? And ever been daunted by exactly how to do it? In this new era of the content creator, there has never been a more necessary time to become familiar with the special set of skills this kind of performance requires.
Berg Studios is very excited to welcome award-winning comedic actress, playwright, and author Lauren Weedman to lead a Solo Performance Intensive in November!
Solo performance is an art form that at its core is about connecting with others in a profoundly personal and creative way. Examining the deeply personal nature of our humanity, and giving dignity and spark to our stories.
Lauren has created an exhilarating workshop that walks the actor through both disciplines of acting and writing specifically for this medium. The result is a set of skills that will give you the confidence to take your story out into the world, where it belongs!
Creating a solo show helps strengthen your voice as a performer. It allows you to create the theatrical experience that you crave. You will convert your questions, your memories, your obsessions, and your experiences into theater or film.
Now is the time to show other creative folks in the industry who YOU really are and what you’re capable of while generating exciting and personal material that can translate into theater or other online content.
If you have many ideas or want help finding one, this workshop is for you. Maybe you’re in the middle of developing a new piece, or you simply don’t want to lose touch with the feeling of creating a new work/making some art. We will share our ideas and stories, collecting the inspirations that will help feed your creativity and bring your show to life.
There are many different forms of Solo Performance. True personal stories, historical characters, a series of characters around a central theme, narrative first-person address, magic realism, and so much more. We will explore ways to turn your story into a piece of theater. Brainstorm scenes, characters, and themes. Figuring out what your material wants to be. Letting the material and stories dictate the form. It’s theater. It’s storytelling. It’s connection. Ultimately, this workshop is about believing that one’s own experiences and dreams are not only important enough to share with the world, but that it is essential to do so!
One on One Coaching
I am sometimes available for private coaching. email me with questions and for rates