Solo Performer Spotlight
Saturday, May 16, 2020
Award-winning solo performer and NPR Snap Judgment Storyteller of Year recipient Don Reed shares a potpourri (potpoureed) of true tales both hilarious and heartbreaking.
Texas-born and NYC-based Kate Robards will perform excerpts from her hit shows Ain’t That Rich and PolySHAMory!
About Don
Don Reed, (NBC/Snap Judgment/CBS) was the 2016 Theatre Bay Area – WINNER – for Outstanding Solo Production “East 14th” (extended 22 times) and most recently Co-Produced filmmaker Robert Townsend’s solo hit “Living the Shuffle” (2019/2020).
A San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Nominee, NAACP Theatre Award Triple Nominee for Best Actor & Best Playwright, Don is also a Triple Nominee for Theatre Bay Area Outstanding Solo Production across his 7 one-man shows. Reed has traveled virtually every weekend since April 2009 from LA to perform live in the San Francisco Bay Area and nationally, A full summer 2008 Off-Broadway garnered approval from The New Yorker, New York Times, and Harlem News.
He has played one of the lead roles in the Amazon Prime comedy series Bartlett which is co-financed and recurring role stars Lin Manuel Miranda creator of the Broadway smash “HAMILTON.” Don has performed, written and directed for film, television, and especially theater. A memorable performance on Robert Townsend’s HBO Partners and Crime Special of up-and-coming comedians years ago caught the attention of some Hollywood guns and led to many recurring and guest-starring roles. Additionally, Don wrote, directed, produced and starred in short films for HBO’s Def Jam. He has produced, written, cast, voiced, and directed hundreds of entertainment advertising spots. Everything from Saturday Night Live to Law & Order, Will & Grace to the Academy Awards. Reed was the opening act/warm-up comedian for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno live audience for over 1,000 episodes.
He shared an excerpted story from the aforementioned “East 14th” – on NPR/WYNC’s nationally touring “Snap Judgment” so compelling that it was woven into the Master of Fine Arts Creative Writing curriculum at American University in D.C.
About Kate
Kate Robards lives in New York City and is an award winning writer, comic, and actor from Orange, Texas. She recently wrote jokes and monologues for the 2019 Shorty Awards and Bustle, and has written for Kathy Griffin, Stacey Abrams & Busy Phillips. The Washington Post called her work “hilarious and heartbreaking” and the San Francisco Chronicle said she has “wry wit.” Kate can be seen in New York City at her weekly standup residency at The Blond in SoHo every Tuesday, 9pm or at one of her three monthly shows: Strawberry Milk, Peach Pit at The Stand, and Cousins at The Freehand Hotel. Her comedy pilot, “PolySHAMory,” was a finalist for the 2019 Sundance Episodic Lab. She has an MFA in Writing from California College of the Arts and has been seen on Vice, Inside Edition and College Humor. @katerobards
Kate Robards is a writer and performer based in New York City where she performs stand up, improv, and acts in plays and other creative projects regularly. Her three solo shows have toured the country and internationally. She is a graduate of improvisation at UCB NY and has an MFA in writing from California College of the Arts. She has studied solo performance with Dael Orlandersmith (Pulitzer Prize Nominee), David Ford (The Marsh Resident Artist), Martin Moran (Obie Award Winner), and Lauren Weedman (HBO’s Looking). A portion of proceeds from every PolySHAMory show are donated to Women and Children’s Shelters.
Solo Performance Spotlight Shows
