Jeff Swearingen and Kris Noteboom tackle the solo
format for the first time
The
2015 Dallas Solo Fest opens June 4 at the Margo Jones Theatre in Fair Park. The
festival, in its second year, will feature eight solo performers from around
the country as well as a few locals. Each artist will perform an original
one-person show.
For
two local performers in the festival, Jeff Swearingen and Kris Noteboom, the
Dallas Solo Fest marks the World Premiere of new work. More than that, though
each has an extensive background in the performing arts, their participation in
the DSF serves as in introduction into the world of self-created solo work.
Jeff
Swearingen has been a fixture in the Dallas theatre scene for over a decade. He
has won Best Actor awards and worked on many area stages. In 2011 Swearingen
co-founded Fun House Theatre and Film. The goal was to disregard the usual
plays tailored for young actors and instead challenge them by casting them in plays
usually performed by adults. Swearingen is currently directing adolescents in productions
of Sam Shepard’s True West and David
Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow.
Though
Swearingen is not a stranger to solo performance (he performed Andy Eninger’s
solo show The Last Castrato for
Audacity Theatre Lab several times) An American Asshole in France, will be his foray into self-created solo work.
 |
| Jeff Swearingen |
Several
years ago, Swearingen took a trip to France. It did not go as planned.
“I
told this story of what happened to me so many times,” Swearingen recalls “and
people seemed to enjoy hearing it . When Brad [McEntire, producer of the Dallas
Solo Fest] suggested I make it into a show, it seemed like a good idea.”
KrisNoteboom has worked as an arts journalist in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area for the
past half decade, mostly for TheaterJones.com, while he completed his masters
and PhD work in performance studies at University of Texas at Dallas.
“Initially,
school didn’t allow me the time necessary to take part in theater as a
participant,” says Noteboom. That changed when he was prompted by a class
assignment to try his hand at creating a one-man show.
“I
was taking a class with Fred Curchack called Creating Original Performances.
Our first assignment was a four minute performance,” says Noteboom “I didn’t
know it then, but that was the skeleton of the show.”
The
class assignment gradually expanded into a full show called And Then I Woke Up, a series of humorous
and bizarre monologues about dreams.
Both
performers believe premiering their work in Dallas in important. For Swearingen
home is a key component of his play.
“It
is fitting that I do the show first here at home in Dallas,” says Swearingen
“One of the main through lines of the piece is a fear of leaving home, of
getting lost in the world.”
For
Noteboom doing his play at the Dallas Solo Fest serves as a means of
reinvention.
“Its
a good way to reintroduce myself to the Dallas-Ft. Worth theater community.” Says Noteboom
“I took the job writing for TheaterJones, which let me stay involved in theater
from a distance. But, I’ve always been a performer first. And, hopefully this
is a good way to show people as I try to transition back to that.“
 |
| Kris Noteboom |
Now
that they have each created an original solo show, is there anything they are
learning about putting the work together that is different from the usual work they
do in the theatre?
“I
have the freedom to do what I want on stage,” says Swearingen “I can format the
show to fit my personality and follow my twisted little tangents, rather than
have to mold my performance to fit a larger canvas like in work I am hired for.
That’s kind of refreshing.”
For
Noteboom, who is taking And Then I Woke
Up to four other festivals this summer after the Dallas Solo Fest it is the
behind-the-scenes work that is such an eye-opener.
“I’m
learning what goes into actually producing a show. A lot of paperwork,” says
Noteboom “I always respected producers, but now I worship them. It’s tedious
and not fun, but necessary work for putting on a show. That’s been the biggest
adjustment for me.”
The
Dallas Solo Fest will be produced by Audacity Theatre Lab and will play at the
Margo Jones Theatre June 4-14, 2015. Located at the Magnolia Lounge in Fair
Park at 1121 First Avenue, Dallas, TX 75210, the Margo Jones Theatre features
ample free, well-lit parking, access to the DART Rail, and a handy BYOB
policy!
Single
tickets and Festival Passes are available. Individual ticket prices for each
show are $12. Reservations can be made via the Dallas Solo Fest website or by
calling (214) 888-6650. Details about the shows, artists’ bios, the full
schedule and ticket information at: www.DallasSoloFest.com
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