“Your solo show course was really life changing for me. Literally. It gave me the confidence to perform with zero training and theatrical background and allowed me to see myself as a performer and go on to develop the work you saw last night…. ” Anna Atkinson
We’ve worked with over 60 students since 2012, and turned out many, many successful shows, including award winners, new commissions and multi-star reviews.
“Jonathan, I cannot thank you enough for unlocking something in
me that has been laying stagnant for so long.
3 – 3.5 hrs each session (depending on our numbers)
(Deposit of £100 to book on, balance payable first day of course)
SPECIAL RESIDENTIAL (The Balkan Retreat, Serbia) – (exact dates tbc) £695 (tbc) (€815) (accommodation and meals included) INFO of postponed course HERE
Whether it be a monologue / theatre piece, one-person show, stand up, performance poetry, solo improvised theatre, devised or visual theatre, forum theatre, theatrical memoir or storytelling, this course will help you move from page to stage and beyond.
“Found this course so helpful, so much fabulous support and input not only from Jonathan but also all the other talented participants. Turned what can be a lonely business into one where I learned much, laughed lots and achieved far more than I hoped. Can’t recommend it enough. If ya thinking about it DO IT!!!” Lianne Campbell, 2016 (“Lessons From Leela”)
We help you with:
Writing & re-drafting material (or sourcing a writer / script).
Finding editors & sounding boards ( or adapting a script).
Performance skills & techniques.
Test your material with supportive peers
Working with a Director.
Technical & Backstage considerations.
Booking venues, (inc. Register with “The Fringe”)
Publicity, including….
Designing, Printing, distributing,
Dealing with Press, Media & Social Media, & the Web.
Arranging ticketing, & front of house.
The Premiere
Collecting & Using feedback.
“I did Jonathan’s course in 2015…it was exactly what I needed to spring an idea I’d had for a long time into action.
I needed deadlines to meet and a safe encouraging environment.
I created a show called ‘Delphine’,
I took the show to Brighton and Edinburgh fringes and will soon be performing
it in New York. Jonathan gives well balanced guidance influenced from his own experiences.
He offers handy tips and direction but the creation of the show itself is your job
which was perfect for what I needed. Just the right amount of assistance in a small group environment which was very supportive.” Clare Rebekah Pointing 2015 (“Delphine”)
The course culminates in a scratch* performance of your work in front of an invited audience, and a debrief afterwards.
(*A 15-20 minute snippet of your work) (NB: The Serbian course has different showcase arrangements. Check the link for details)
Many participants have also gone on to participate in our Lewes Festival of Solo Theatre. You could too.
“The Best £300 I have ever spent.” Olivia Nicholson, Hens/Hyenas Summer 2019 (and performer 2019 Festival of Solo Theatre)
The usual shape of the course, broadly, looks like this:
- You work on your material before and between sessions
- We work on your performance during sessions.
- We also, help you with many areas including:
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- Writing / Devising / editing / getting it on its feet
- Performance / directors / tech & backstage
- Publicity / Admin / Promotion
- Gathering the threads. Putting it together.
- Showcase!
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“It was on your Create Your Own One Person Show course in 2012 that
I first had the courage to stand in front of an audience as Bernard Shaw. (Winner Argus Angel Award 2013, and toured internationally since). I’ll always be grateful that you and your workshop gave me the courage to start and the confidence to go on with (my) show.” Paddy O’Keeffe.
LEWES / BRIGHTON
Next Set: Venue: Lewes.
Limited spaces. Usually 6 people maximum.
You need to book in advance to be assured a place.
There is some scope for spreading payments for this set.
Contact JB for more info.
SPECIAL RESIDENTIAL (The Balkan Retreat, Serbia)
(exact 2023 dates tbc) £695 (tbc) (€815) (accommodation and meals included) INFO HERE
“I really enjoyed the course, it gave me the confidence to test a piece of work in progress, something I definitely wouldn’t have done by myself. The most useful elements of the course were the writing prompt exercises, which I still have and use, and also being able to test extracts of work in a safe and supportive environment which provided critical feedback.” Lucy Bailey. 2012.
Anna Atkinson, “The Arrow of Tarot” 2020
More info / Ask questions
“Jonathan is a master of blocking – an extremely 
tricky issue with solo shows where the actor is interactin
About Jonathan Brown:
Jonathan has been performing since 2000, writing and performing one-person shows since 2006, and writing, performing & directing plays for casts since 2011, receiving 5 & 4 Star reviews, and awards…
- Jonathan has created 10 one person shows, performing in 8 of them, ranging from fully scripted plot & character driven work, through to theatrical storytellings, and fully improvised solo theatre.
- Best Male Performer Winner (Brighton Fringe 2013),
- Winner Best New Play Award (Brighton Fringe 2012)
- A number of other accolades. (see website fo mo info)
- Two previous participants of the course (Kate Darach and Paddy O Keefe) have gone on to Win Brighton Argus Angel Awards, in 2013 and in 2015 Brighton Fringe’s, with their one person shows
- David Stephens & Rachel Clatworthy went on to perform at Brighton Fringe 2015
- John Hoggett has gone on to perform his one man show at regular events.
- Sarah Charsley and Clare Rebekkah Pointing went on to perform their shows at Brighton Fringe 2016, and Clare also at Edinburgh Fringe 2016. Clare continues with Delphine into 2017 and another new show.
- Lianne Campbell has gone on to perform “Lessons from Leela” then “Upstaged” at several events across the region, and is now developing the next chapter with support from Jonathan.
- Jonathan co-directed Ghost Sex (Sarah Charsley) & co-directed Moontales (Kate Darach)
- Charlotte Fox took her show to Edinburgh Fringe 2017.
- Lorna Gayle was commissioned to write her own piece on the back of the course.
- Sarah Hickingbottom performed Brighton Fringe 2018 with her piece The Woman Who Conceived the Pill, alongside and with support from Something Underground.
- All members of the April 2018 Brighton Course performed their snippets again in Lewes on 25th May at Fitzroy House.
- Clare Rebekah Pointing is now performing her 2nd one person show “With Child”
- Jonathan’s one woman show Smoking Ban won the performer Kate Goodfellow Best Female performer award, Brighton Fringe 2014, and the show was longlisted for an Amnesty International Award for Outstanding Performance in the category of contribution to Human Rights Awareness.
- His one woman show, Betsy Wisdom of a Brighton Whore achieved many 5 star reviews, and in 2013 its performer, Rachel Guershon, was nominated Best Female Performer Brighton Fringe. Betsy has been revived 2 times and played again 2019 Brighton Fringe, with award winning Isabella McCarthy Sommerville. We’re expecting to create a film of this piece.
- Several of the Summer 2019 and the Autumn 2019 course participants performed @ Lewes Festival of Solo Theatre, and several are going on to take their shows to Brighton Fringe 2020.
- 2 of his solo shows (Betsy and The Silent Stream) have been published by Waterloo Press.
- Jonathan’s play The Widening Pool (formerly How to start a Knife Gang) was longlisted for the 2019 Bruntwood Prize)
- Jonathan has additionally one-to-one mentored & directed a number of performers and writers, including Kate Darach, Lianne Campbell, Anne Penketh, Olivia Nicholson, Jessica Forrest, Loyse de Pury, Nicholas Cohen, Giulia Menichelli, Terianne Falcone, Geoff Rob, Sarah Charsley & Sarah Hickingbottom, Marcus Pollett, and more. Many have gone on to become
- In 2019 Jonathan created and curated the first Lewes Festival of Solo Theatre, with a wonderful mix of performers, including internationally acclaimed & award-winning old hands, new performers who had completed the course, and Jonathan’s shows too.
- In 2022, Jonathan created and curated the second Lewes Festival of Solo Theatre, with another mix of performers, including new performers who had completed the course, and Jonathan’s shows too.
- Betsy won more awards in 2022, and went on to be performed in NYC, Off Broadway late 2022, alongside The Silent Stream.
- Giulia Menichelli performer her show at Brighton Fringe in 2022/23
- Cheryl Robert’s show “Dr Sheryl” is due to perform Brighton Fringe in 2024.
- Nick Cohen’s show went to Edinburgh Fringe in 2023.
- JB was previously a group facilitator, teacher & mediator.
“Initially, when I took part in the course in 2014, I worked on presenting some of the children’s stories I had written and was already using as a storyteller.
Jonathan encouraged me to stretch myself to write and perform something entirely new. He was, of course, right.
I brought along a monologue I had written but had not been confident about performing and with Jonathan’s guidance and the incredibly supportive environment of the group, I was able to develop and perform it. The constructive feedback from Jonathan, the others on my course and from experienced practitioners at our showcase gave me the confidence to complete the piece and it became – ‘Pulling Up The Drawbridge’ my first one man show.
With further support from Jonathan, I was able to perform my show at The Brighton Fringe the following year and have since performed the piece at other venues in Sussex. I’m now writing my next one!” David Stephens, 2014, “Pulling Up The Drawbridge”
“The course was exactly what I was looking for. It pushed me to devise my own piece while teaching me the ins and outs of making a one person show. I had amazing support and really useful feedback and everybody came out with a good base to work from. I thoroughly enjoyed the course. Only wish I could have another go!”
Peggy Denimal Nightingale 2014
“The feedback from Jonathan and the participants helped me brush up my audience interaction skills so that I completely rewrote the first scene in a way that was much more friendly and engaging for the audience. His experience in putting on one person shows is extensive and his acting varied and skillfull, which make him an engaging tutor. It was well worth taking part. Jonathan’s course brought together a fascinating range of writers and performers and it was a pleasure to see them develop their ideas and put them on as professional shows.” John Hoggett. 2014. (“Homophobe in the Head”)
“I went on the “Create Your Own One Person Show” course in 2014. Jonathan’s course provided me with a believing audience, willing me to succeed in embodying my vision live on stage. I found it scary, exciting and supportive. Jonathan is a unique performer himself with a wide experience & creative vision. If you have an inkling towards making solo performance, even if your ideas seem a bit elusive and your self belief’s a bit shaky, I’d definitely recommend diving in and having a go. I’m currently working with the material I devised in the course.” Catherine Higgins 2014. “Nance”
“I really got a lot out of the course. Writing and creating your own show where you play all the characters, something I’ve never done before, was a big ask, but the process was facilitated really well and I felt supported and challenged which is necessary – sometimes gently challenged and sometimes not so gently but if we are performers in our own one person show then we are potentially going to receive all sorts so I really appreciated it, even if I squirmed at the time! Hearing the feedback from the scratch night where everyone really loved the story I produced was amazing. If I could do it again, I think I would definitely do more work outside of the course on all the material, so I could concentrate on the performance aspect within the course.” Suzanne Crosby, 2012.
I can heartily recommend joining Jonathan Brown on his Creating Your One Person Show Course.
The course is well-structured, fun and challenges you in a supportive way to give you the confidence to kick-start the process on making your own work. Since participating in the course, I have gone on to write my own show: Procrastinators Anonymous, and despite occasionally being stuck in the research side of this process(!),
I am excited to be developing this further, with a view to perform it in due course. As a seasoned performer and writer of his own work, not only is Jonathan Brown a fantastic resource himself, it is also great to dive into this creative and challenging process with other performers and like-minded folk.
Miranda Morris. 2015. “Procrastinators Anonymous.”
Anna Atkinson, “The Arrow of Tarot” 2020
Loyse de Pury “Eggspiry Date”
Loulou feels like a ticking bomb.
The big 4-0 is approaching fast.
She needs your help to make crucial decisions about her eggs!
Before she becomes out of date…
Your presence is essential.
Olivia Nicholson: The Hen Coop
It’s Kirstys hen do. And a weekend stuck with a bunch of strangers is just what you need to let off steam. But how do you tell your best mate that her fiance is a prick? Infact, how do you tell everyone they’re all pricks? Oh that’s easy, with tequila of course.
Jessica Forrest: Yummy Mummy
Ophelia’s days of roaming around South West London like an organic flax seed dancing around a Nutribullet are officially over. The nanny is sick, her husband’s away again and as for the dog…he would rather stay in the kennel. Pop on your listening ears and your quiet lips as we divulge into this harrowing hole of motherhood. Oh, and whatever you do, don’t wake the baby!
Nick Cohen: “Life Without Oscar”
Nick’s career is okay… RSC, BBC… But he wants more! So he flies to LA and lives with an Academy Award winner, desperate for his own Oscar. But the passion Oscar incites can be very dangerous….
Jacquie Hummelbird: “Laraine, Loos, pies, mops etcetera” (working title)
Laraine works in a loo and is fed up with her life…she’s bothered by her snobby supervisor, feels stifled by her xenophobic pie loving husband, and takes responsible for her naive sister -will all of them going to Gibraltar solve her malaise?
Nine Night by Lorna Gayle
Martha is asked to host her best friend’s Nine Night. The past comes back to haunt her as she bumps into some of the guests. Will she be able to contain her tainted memories? Or will grief get the better of her.
A play about grief, friendship and loyalty
Fashioning A Dream by Paulette Harris-German
60s Britain was a harsh and hostile place, but, no match for the sunny disposition of Miss Florence, Can she rise to her calling or will tragedy steal her dream.Paulette
Frustrated with her apparent inability to write her one-woman show, Jane joins a support group for people who are perpetual procrastinators and whose lives are permanently put on hold as a result. At these meetings Jane comes face-to-face with different facets of her procrastination and learns why she needs to eat a frog every day so eventually she can climb out of the quagmire of inertia. 2015Lianne Campbell: “And the winner is…” (‘Lessons from Leela’)
With confidence boosted by a fabulous experience in a Karaoke bar, a dancer decides to spread her wings and audition for a dance part in a West End show. A show that requires her to, um, sing. The dance section of the audition complete, she swaggers through to wow the auditioners with her new found “voice skills”. Will she fall or fly!? 2015
Clare Rebekah Pointing: “Delphine” (Working Title) ‘Hello, my name is Delphine, my mum says its french chic but I like it because my favourite animal is a Dolphin’
Delphine is 30 and up until now the possibility of falling in love has only ever existed in her imagination. Now something has happened and Delphine must finally face the joys and difficulties of adult freedom. 2015
Sarah Charsley: “Ghost Sex”:. Having a lot of sex with people who subsequently disappear? What is the obvious explanation? Sarah knows. 2015
Kristina Howell: “Cul-de-sac” Single, childless, and now the sole remaining member of her family, Caitlin feels at a dead end. Following her mother’s funeral, she returns to clear and sell her parents‘ house – the house she grew up in, in the cul-de-sac of her childhood. Here she finds tough memories and troublesome belongings. Overwhelmed by stuff, can she take possession of herself? 2015Terianne Falcone: “My Mother, The Shoe, My Dad and The Motorcycle Accident.” Four true stories from Terianne’s life. Funny and not-so-funny. 2015
Catherine Higgins: “Nance”.
British/Australian Catherine Higgins grew up in the first inland town settled in Australia in 1815. To mark the 200 anniversary of settlement, Higgins travels back on the journey of her ancestors and meets the extraordinary Nance Ferrel on the way. 2014
Kate Darach: “Moon Tales”:
Thirteen tales based on the old names for the full moons, muse on the particular and universal aspects of womanhood. Each chapter is a different character whose story interweaves with the others. From 16th Century Yorkshire to the affluent ‘burbs of Johannesburg, from a middle-aged femme fatale in Hunter’s Moon to a teenage porn star in Milk Moon, these are dark, witty, disturbing and thought-provoking statements of what it is to be a woman, across time and place. “They say we’re creating the problem…a ‘culture of mistrust’. He’ll change his mind when he steps out and gets carjacked, won’t he?” (From Moon Tales) 2014
David Stephens: “Pulling Up The Drawbridge.”
Soup, spiders and fruit – is this what it means to be English? There’s an earthquake coming … Can you feel it? George can and it might shake the land from under his feet. Things ain’t what they used to be. it’s time to wake up and smell the soup, but only Tomato will do.George has had enough of talentless talent shows, antisocial spiders and fruit with too many seeds. The fear of losing what it means to be English has driven him to the edge, literally, and from his cliff-top tent he is going to defend his island against whoever or whatever may be coming. Everyone else was too busy watching telly. 2014
John Hoggett: “Homophobe in the Head” 2014