Episode 18: How to Create a One Woman Show

There are so many different ways for us to tell our stories. In this episode, we delve into the one woman / man / person show, which has spawned TV shows like Fleabag, Baby Reindeer, and Chewing Gum.

Our guest, Dahéli Hall, is no stranger to the form. Her latest one woman show, SPADURA, injects her personal life experiences as she “unapologetically takes on the baby industrial complex and the unique fertility obstacles faced by Black women in America.”

In this episode, we cut up about what it takes to pull off a one-woman show, the stamina that comes with performing, taking your career into your own hands, and what she sees next for her career.

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A breakdown of our chat (rough cut time markers):

(00:03:16) Dahéli’s journey to creating her one woman show, SPADURA

(00:04:12) Her parents being great examples for her entrepreneurial and creative efforts

(00:06:49) Black women and artistic sacrifice

(00:08:09) The challenges of being a multi-hyphenate

(00:10:53) The lack of support she experienced as a young filmmaker

(00:14:16) Navigating the meritocracy within her improv group

(00:17:02) The importance of authenticity

(00:19:00) The challenges of the pandemic

(00:20:03) Artistic grief

(00:22:08) Dahéli and her producer having different goals for SPADURA

(00:22:58) Putting pressure on our art to save us

(00:25:15) The decision to shoot her comedy special

(00:26:26) The challenges of creating about a life experience that you’re currently going through

(00:28:21) How the story and performance of SPADURA has evolved

(00:31:35) The iterative process of developing a one person show

(00:32:58) Not treating SPADURA as a traditional comedy stand up special

(00:34:00) How she managed real time feedback for SPADURA

(00:35:04) Expectations of what is considered Black comedy

(00:36:25) Touring as part of the iterative process

(00:38:47) Knowing when your work is completed

(00:41:18) Benefits and challenges of solo shows as a platform

(00:44:33) Crowdfunding for SPADURA

(00:47:27) Our How We Create segment where Felicia, Dria, and Georgette share things inspiring them this week

HOW WE CREATE Recommendations

Felicia: House of Dragons streaming on Max

Dria: Therapy and drawing what makes her special as a person

Georgette: Slow Horses S3 streaming on Apple TV+

Dahéli: Asking for $100,000, believing in herself, and remembering her worth and value

Dahéli’s one woman show, SPADURA, is currently on tour. She’s also filming her special September 25, 2024 at Dynasty Typewriter in LA. Support her crowdfunding campaign here and learn more about her journey.

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PRODUCTION CREDITS

This podcast is a production of The Create Daily. It was produced by Georgette Pierre and executive produced by Felicia Pride.

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