Solo Show · for actors who write
Start telling your story with guided exercises.
Generate story easily and quickly.
Earn three paychecks: as actor, writer and producer.
Begin with a recorded class, get your feet wet live, then build the whole show in a small group.
90-minute podcasts or recorded webinars
How a solo show gets you more auditions and new reps; how to monetize your show before it’s even written; how to earn 3 paychecks as actor, writer & producer; how to begin writing.
First Saturday of the month · 10 a.m. MT (9 a.m. PT, 11 a.m. CT, noon ET)
Small classes: spend the first hour just writing, the second identifying stories and characters, the third learning to shape your story. Learn to generate a 10-page story, and to market and monetize it before it’s finished.
90 minutes · audio and visual recorded class
Dig deeper into how to put a solo show up on its feet and get it produced and monetized.
12 two-hour sessions · 27 hours · 2–4 clients · begins 2nd week of October & March
Small-group intensive coaching with bi-weekly 15-minute office hours. Complete every assignment and you’ll leave with a rough draft of your script, a story outline, and a plan to get your show produced and build an audience.
New classes are announced soon. Write to April to hear first.
Free videos from April and the solo performers she has coached.
My solo show sold out last month and I produced and directed 2 one acts in May. In the past month I’ve had callbacks for Gotham and Limitless, 3 print ad look sees, 2 commercial auditions. Oh, and great head shots and a cool website and an enhanced wardrobe, etc. This is just the beginning of the new ME, so excited for more of your coaching and mentoring… 10 years as an actor and this has been the best year in my career… SO FAR!!
April’s strong, quiet, supportive presence was more vital to me exploring MY story than I would have thought. The safe environment she creates gave me freedom to be fully honest with myself in ways that surprised myself. In any interviews I give nationally about my solo play “Empanada For A Dream” (nominated for a Jeff Award for Best Solo Show), I make sure to mention April Yvette Thompson’s name because the most complete stories in my award winning play were from her workshops. She has inspired me to help others tell their stories. She taught me that the same commitment I give to others, I should give to myself. I haven’t looked back.
April has helped me discover my voice as a writer. She works like a sculptor or archaeologist, patiently chipping away at the dust and old hardened clay to find the essential pieces. She helps you let go of all the things the brain holds onto that get in the way of the story. Her advice is simple and stays with you which makes the world of writing a lot less scary and overwhelming. I have grown tremendously while working with April.
April’s deeply intuitive understanding of the human condition, along with a writer’s sense of form and structure, earn her a topnotch recommendation. I can’t wait until our next meeting for some exciting new insights!
More stories from April’s clients are coming soon.
Tony-winning producer, actor, writer & founder of TheDreamUnLocked. April was on the Tony-winning producing teams for the 2017 Best Revival, August Wilson’s Jitney, and the 2012 Best Revival, Porgy & Bess. As SimonSays Entertainment Director of Development she produced the Sundance features Blue Caprice, Mother of George and Gun Hill Road.
She wrote, produced and starred in her Miami Trilogy of plays, Good Bread Alley and Liberty City (Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Lortel nominations & a Jeff Award), at New York Theatre Workshop. Film and TV: BULL, Blue Bloods, Gotham, The Exonerated, Law & Order and more. Education: Vassar College & Rutgers University.
All classes are virtual Zoom classes. You can dial in or log on from anywhere in the world.
The easiest way to start is the StoryTelling Circle Writers’ Retreat payment plan: two payments of $340. You’ll get 10 hours of personal attention, because the retreat is limited to 8 writers. Or try the 3-hour one-day workshop for $199.
No writing experience is required. The Circle is particularly good for first-time, anxious or blocked writers.
The StoryTelling Circle begins with learning story structure by sourcing your oral memories first, taking advantage of the natural storytelling gifts you use in real life to communicate what you need, love and dream about. The way you speak is your writer’s voice in the circle. And when your writer’s voice has the attention of a rapt audience, stories fall from your lips and onto the page effortlessly.
We offer payment plans to make joining the circle easy, as well as PayPal Pay Later. Payment plans are available if your account is in good standing.
Fun. Like that one aunt that is brilliantly unfettered in her opinions and interests. Well travelled and free of heart, April is the teacher who wants you to take your stories out into the world and transform your life. Making a living from your stories and creating a life that matches your dreams is the ultimate goal. You know, the stuff no one teaches you in school.
Email [email protected] or use the contact page. April aims to reply within one business day.
Questions and answers are coming soon.
Start with a pay-what-you-can Discovery Session, or jump in with a recorded class from $15.