Before there were stages filled with people, there were solo performances. These were not elaborate stage productions but rather a single person relaying a story to a group of people. In a time when history was not written down, oral stories were instead utilized as a form of recording history, passing on information to other generations. Oral stories were also told to teach lessons, such as fables, which changed throughout time due to being passed on orally rather than being written down. As time passed, these stories evolved, and oral storytelling took on the form of solo performances. (It is important to note that before there was language, there was visual storytelling, demonstrated through early cave paintings).
Solo performances harp back to the original form of oral storytelling, but now we have a stage, costumes and props, and a larger audience. These performances are also typically scripted, forever immortalizing the exact story through the act of writing it down. However, what has not changed through the evolution of oral storytelling is how solo performances manage to take one person’s story and make it relatable to many.
Since oral storytelling has existed for centuries, we have learned that humans are natural storytellers. Even if one is not an actor, they still tell stories every day to their friends, family, etc. All of us take the details of the day and make them into one cohesive story (unless you are one who goes off on tangents, then the story can seem like multiple stories). About a year ago I was fortunate to see a performance comprised solely of solo performances. Every person who walked on stage recounted a true and personal story. What was so interesting about this experience was that some of these storytellers were not even actors, never having been on stage. Despite this, they articulated their stories so beautifully that one would never know. It really proved, as solo performances do, that everyone has a story to tell and that humans are natural storytellers.
These people’s stories were unique to them but also very relatable. You may be thinking: “But all theatre, no matter the size of the production, can be very relatable.” You are not wrong. However, I would argue that in certain cases watching a single person on stage tell a story heightens one’s connection with the story. This is due to the focus being on a single person, allowing one to get to know them better than if there were many characters on stage.
If you think about it, monologues are some of the most revealing and intimate moments in a play. Hamlet’s famous speech in Shakespeare’s play reveals Hamlet’s inner thoughts. This is a speech that is filled with such truth that we may not have learned of it if it were not spoken through a monologue. During Hamlet’s speech, we connect to him in ways that we are unable to when he is surrounded by others. This is because he feels freer to share his inner thoughts when he is alone (which many of us can relate to). In that moment, it is just us and Hamlet, and that is powerful.
Solo performances prove that though people are different, we are more similar to one another than we think. When we hear someone else’s story, we too can find a piece of ourselves in that story. This is what I experienced as I listened to people perform their stories. Though I had not experienced the unique event, I connected emotionally because when it comes down to it, humans experience the same emotions and feelings. Solo performances support this, bringing everyone closer together. One person’s story can therefore unite many, and in a world that is often divided, these stories are important.
Images
https://nerdist.com/best-picture-hamlet-1948/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/journey-oldest-cave-paintings-world-180957685/
http://read.gov/aesop/025.html
Cover photo: LB Playwright's solo performance from 2015
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