originally published: 02/22/2025
Backwards Forwards Back at United Solo
(NEW YORK, NY) -- United Solo's Spring 2025 Festival brings a lineup of dynamic performances from around the world to Theatre Row, running from March 18 through April 20.
“As we enter a time of global transformation, creators are more determined than ever to share their stories with audiences,” says Omar Sangare, Founder and Artistic Director of United Solo. “In challenging times, we turn to artists to speak out and bring us together—to provide comfort, clarity, and inspiration. This season’s performers continue our vision, sharing their narratives with courage and creativity.”
The festival explores a wide range of themes through diverse voices and perspectives, including celebrity culture, personal identity, human values, feminism, global traditions, and the challenges posed by entitlement, abuse, and political unrest.
Among the festival highlights are international reimagining of classic works:
* South Korea’s Jiyoung Choi presents “Cordelia: Sword of the Wind,” a retelling of “King Lear” through the eyes of Cordelia, blending Shakespearean drama with dance.
* Nepal’s Rajkumar Pudasaini explores the poetry of Bihupi Serchan in “Galat Lagccha Malai Mero Desh Ko Itihas.”
* Persian actress Shadi Yazdani performs “Yocasta,” written by Mohammad Reza Ghodsev, offering a fresh perspective on the Oedipus myth through a female lens.
The festival also features deeply personal and socially relevant narratives:
* San Francisco native Sheherazaad, whose work has been featured in Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, The New York Times, and Vogue, presents “The Adat,” a musical exploration of diaspora and alienation within the Bay Area’s Sikh community.
* Foreign policy expert Bill Hartung, dubbed the "Rodney Dangerfield of Foreign Policy," humorously examines his double life in “I Get No Respect: My Life as a Failed Foreign Policy Pundit.”
* Jacquline Goldfinger’s “Backwards, Forwards, Back,” performed by actor and veteran L. James, explores the emotional and psychological impact of PTSD.
* Other notable performances include Thomas Ellenson’s “Well, Life Sucks,” a deeply personal reflection on navigating life and pursuing an acting career while living with cerebral palsy.
For fans of The Moth Story Hour, multi-award-winning storyteller Flora Le embarks on a motorcycle journey through Vietnam to uncover her late father’s past in “Sadec 1965: A Love Story.” NAACP Image Award recipient Rochée Jefferey delivers a compelling take on internet harassment in “The Troll.” Acclaimed Czech-Canadian artist Lenka Lichtenberg brings to life her grandmother’s poetry, written in a concentration camp during World War II.
Continuing our United Solo tradition, the festival will feature a celebratory concert on Saturday, March 22, starring Vice Artistic Director Wendy-Lane Bailey and directed by festival founder Omar Sangare, paying tribute to the artists who make United Solo possible. The festival concludes on April 20 with the Closing Gala, an evening dedicated to honoring the outstanding work of festival participants.
“Theatre has become a platform for unity, perseverance, and peace,” concludes Omar Sangare, a passionate advocate for human rights and artistic expression. “Join us, regardless of agendas—we are here to create a space where human values can be preserved.”
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EVENT PREVIEWS
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