SHOW IN A BAG - Solo Show Development Opportunity for Local Artists!
Solas Nua is proud to partner with Fishamble for a second year to offer their renowned Show in a Bag program to local DC artists. This is an opportunity for DMV area performing artists to develop their own work with the support of dramaturgs from Solas Nua and Dublin’s Fishamble the New Play Company. We aim to offer performers a vehicle to tell a unique story with a small scale production that they can perform anywhere. At the end of this process, artists will have a complete solo script to produce and perform themselves with little to no physical production elements (limited to what can fit in a bag!)
Show in a Bag was started by Fishamble in collaboration with the Dublin Fringe and Irish Theatre Institute in 2010. Solas Nua is honored to collaborate frequently with Fishamble in producing and touring their projects, and now to bring their dramaturgical practices directly to our community for two years in a row.
Submissions are now open and will close on November 17, 2025.
Requirements:
- Pitches must be for the artist to write and perform themselves.
- Concept should be original for this project
- Artist must be able to commit to a deadline driven process and be able to complete a written script for a single performer (themselves)
Pitches can include:
- Multiple skills if you have them! Show us a story that only you can tell; if that means using other mediums in your performance (Irish dance inspired piece The Humors of Bandon was a Show in a Bag pitch)
- Autobiographical stories
- Many, many characters, but only one performer.
Timeline:
- Submission deadline update: Monday November 17th, 2025
- After reviewing all submissions, Solas Nua will reach out to a selected group for a brief audition/interview to get to know the artists and their ideas better
- Two artists will be selected and announced by mid January 2026
- Between January through July, the selected artists will have dramaturgical meetings with artistic staff members at Fishamble and Solas Nua to support their new work development process
- In August, there will be an informal, invited sharing of the solo show that the selected artists have been working on.This will be both a culmination of the development process and a way of sharing the work for feedback from theatre professionals and possible future production plans.
Application Information:
- If you are interested in applying, please fill out this form: Show in a Bag Application Form
- The deadline is Monday November 17th, 2025
- If you have any questions, please contact production@solasnua.org
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why is it called Show in a Bag?
The goal is to create a small scale piece an artist can produce themselves or with a Fringe Festival. The physical production elements essential to tell your story should be so limited that they fit in a bag!
Can I turn a play I’ve already written into a solo show?
This project should be original work, a chance to develop an idea that is either completely new, or one you haven’t had a chance to try yet.
Can I adapt a well known story into a one person show?
We are not looking for adaptations - use this opportunity to create something completely unique to you. Your story can feature well known icons - maybe your character is an Elvis impersonator (like in Pat Kinevane’s King)!
Is there a public performance at the end of the process?
There will be a sharing where you can invite friends and colleagues, but there will not be a performance publicly advertised.
Can artists outside of DC apply?
Solas Nua aims to enrich our nation’s capital and its immediately surrounding metro area with Contemporary Irish Arts and its traditions. We are only accepting applications from artists based in DC, Maryland and Virginia at this time.
