By Mitchell Oldham
Sometimes we stumble upon things that we’re not so sure how to categorize. And when we venture off to the margins, that can happen with more and more frequency. Fillet of Solo, an eye-opening and thoroughly gratifying festival showcasing the work of solo artists, has often found itself caught in that misty realm. Entertainers and artists mount a stage and tell revealing stories full of heart, wisdom and penetrating humor to hold audiences enraptured for an hour or so. But how do you define what they do? Is it performance art or theater?
When Sharon Evans, then artistic director of Live Bait Theater, originally conceived of the festival 28 years ago; she simply wanted to create a community. One where veteran and emerging solo artists could come together and support and encourage one another’s work. What they all had in common was the way they used their imagination and skill to create something beautiful and express important ideas and feelings. They were and are storytellers who, either as individuals or collectives, use their life experience as inspiration for the themes that shape their material.
Now with nearly three decades of festivals under its belt, Fillet of Solo seems to have hit a comfortable stride of success. Evans’ efforts with the Jeff Awards means there’s now a slot for best solo artist in its recognition categories. And, judging from the entertainment roster for the 2024-2025 season that kicked off Friday, November 8th, the wealth of options to indulge an appetite for excellent, rarely found and budget friendly entertainment continues to boom. Although still involved with the festival, Evans handed over its oversight and curatorial responsibilities to Dorothy Milne in 2010. A performer in the festival and, before retiring, the artistic director at Lifeline Theater, Milne’s discerning eye and ear mean this season’s festival satisfies a broad palette of interests and topics.
Photo: Scott Parker
With titles like, Too Fat to Run, Outspoken LGBTQ+ Stories at Sidetrack, Confessions of a Spiritual Existential Nihilist, and Sex, Race and Jesus, you know you’ve landed in unconventional, highly intriguing territory. But, as seen Saturday night, what you find inside those stories usually turns out to be even more tantalizing and satisfying.
Running through to the 17th, there’s ample time to take in a fistful of shows. At $12 a hit, they’re incredibly inexpensive for the quality of the festival’s product. With the right show, you feel as if you just had a Tomahawk steak at Gibson’s for the price of a discounted Big Mac.
One of those ultra-bargains includes Don’t Rush Me presented by the Sweat Girls, six performers “with over 31 years of shared history”. (A family emergency prevented one from performing Saturday night.) Each of them could give Mark Twain lessons on spinning a dynamite story. One after another, they would take the podium, lean into the mic and weave a tale about an aspect of life that leaves you speechless. Caroline Schless Andres’ recollections of life growing up on 15 acres with her sisters and strict; but eccentrically generous parents, was gleefully transportive. Aptly titled Full Service Fantastic, her piece set a high bar for what was to follow. The rest of the Sweat Girls, which includes festival organizer, Milne, stepped up and matched the challenge with flair and an unconscious touch of class. Cindy Hanson’s piece Steely, a tribute to fallen Sweat sister, Jane Blass, was a master class in using language to express gratitude, compassion and the unfathomable rewards derived from true friendship. Each beautifully scripted monologue, etched in finely crafted humor, made the mundane extraordinary and repeatedly revealed the beauty that can be found in life’s dark places. Equal parts savvy and sage, it’s no surprise so many consider the Sweat Girls modern-day griots.
That was the 7 o’clock show at Rhapsody. A half block west and a two-minute walk south on Glenwood, Anthony Spaulding was just about to kick off his 8:30pm performance, To Cut a Barber’s Hands, at Lifeline Theater; the second festival venue. If the Sweat Girls personified smoldering wit, Spaulding’s all about kinetic energy as he recounts his journey from being an incarcerated 16-year-old carrying a life sentence to becoming an upstanding member of his community. With just two props, a barber’s chair on the far left of the stage and an electric keyboard on the far right, he spins a tale of almost fantastical redemption in an authentic voice that’s completely his own. It’s the purity of that voice and the resolve fueling his candor that make his story of belief in self and unflinching spirit-powered drive so compelling.
Through his words, you come to understand the uniqueness of his roots and appreciate the ferocity he feels for his found passion, cutting hair. When he asks the question, “What would you do without your hands?”, he’s asking what would you do if what defines you, what gives you purpose and a livelihood, is taken away.
It’s mesmerizing to watch Spaulding enact scores of iterations of himself on stage. From the desperate little kid who would do anything to get a real haircut, to the ebulliently successful barber, to the enraged aspirant who feels disabused when his barbering license is held back for further review, you’re carried away by the sweep of trauma and triumph that define his life. Small portions of the performance could be shortened to concentrate impact, but they don’t deter from the power of the piece or the integrity of the artist.
It’s hard to imagine that Fillet of Solo’s festival contains bushels of artist telling equally enchanting and enlightening stories. They’re like potato chips, after you’ve enjoyed one or two, you still crave more. The only reasonable solution: a season pass.
Photos provided by Dorothy Milne
Recommended
Fillet of Solo- tickets and information
Venue 1: Rhapsody Theater 1328 W. Morse/Chicago
Venue 2: Lifeline Theatre 6912 N. Glenwood Ave./Chicago
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