With Helen Tennison
* For ELEVATE info please scroll down :)
"It made me feel like an artist again" - Elizabeth Bell, actor.
Do you have an idea for a solo show?
Solo Show Lab will focus your ideas in the supportive and inspiring environment of this intensive course.
A great course to spark your creativity and give you lots of new tools to keep creating. Helen had so much amazing advice and I would happily recommend this course to anyone wanting to do a solo show or just wanting to create:) - Vic Thorson, actor.
Solo Show Lab gives you:
*Personal mentoring from an award winning theatre-maker.
*Practical in class and between class tasks that will build your show
*Techniques for rehearsing on your own
*The tools to understand structure
*A space to nurture your creative voice
*Confidence building
*Guidance as you create and share scenes for your show
*Specific, focused feedback on your work
*Peer to peer support and feedback
*Accountability
Solo Show Lab takes place over 4 evenings on Zoom and 1 full day in person, meaning you have time to reflect, create and complete tasks between sessions before sharing your work in person.
It is open to performers, actor/writers and theatre-makers of all genres and at all levels of experience who are in the early stages of creating their solo show.
Please note, you will need time to work on your ideas between sessions.
Session 1 Get Clear on Your Idea
Wednesday 17th September 2025 7pm-9pm Online
Through a mixture of self reflection, practical exercises and group work you will distill your theme, form and unique show vibe.
Session 2 Rehearsal Tactics
Wednesday 24th September 2025 7pm-9pm Online
Using prompts, scores and frameworks you'll begin creating material for your show and put together your individualised rehearsal plan
Session 3 It's All About Structure!
Wednesday 1st October 7pm-9pm Online
A powerful structure is essential in a solo show, learn the secrets to good structure and how to apply them to linear and non-narrative performance.
Session 4 Share the work
Saturday 4th October 10am -6pm Bold, London.
In this session you try out 10-15 minutes of your piece, I encourage you to be daring! You'll receive personalised feedback from me and your peers. With a cap of 6 people in the group, each person has plenty of time to discuss their piece as well as learn from watching their colleagues perform.
Session 5 Next Steps...
Wednesday 8th 7pm-9pm Online
We finish this intensive by reflecting on all we've learnt and making a clear and personalised plan for your next steps to ensure your creative ideas continue to thrive.
'What a joy to be part of Helen’s solo show lab and explore how our ideas unfold in an inspiring and thought/movement provoking environment! Helen’s nurturing way of facilitating and holding the space allowed for a lot of ideas, images and questions to emerge. The flow of the sessions, the structure of the feedback, as well as the presence of a group of inspiring artists created a nest for more authenticity and confidence in what I am creating and made me feel closer to my vision of my show. The lab’s spirit brought a lot of encouragement to experiment and let go of self-judgments and criticism, so I felt free to be who I am in and with my own show. I am so grateful for Helen and the other artists for all the support on this journey that we embarked on together. '
- Sally Souraya, artist and clown
Places on Solo Show Lab are limited to just 6 participants
This is to ensure in-depth and individualised guidance for every participant :)
£270 Full Price
£230 Early Bird Price - extended to Monday 15th Sept
To apply for this course please fill in the form below, short answers are great!
If you know me or you're already on my mailing list you can email hello@helentennison.com :)
Alternatively, you can send a short video covering the same information (no more than 3 minutes) to hello@helentennison.com
Want to know me better? Watch one of my YouTube videos (above) scroll to the bottom to read my biog or follow me on instagram @HelenTennisonTheatre
I run directing, acting and movement courses and offer private coaching and mentoring.
Want to find out more about me and keep up to date? To sign up for my highly irregular newsletter or just ask me a question, email hello@helentennison.com
Want to take your solo show further?
ELEVATE!
After the first Solo Lab, the fabulous participants wanted to keep working, so I created ELEVATE.
It takes place over a longer period of time so that you have more time to keep developing your show between meetings.
It has more studio time so that we can be really specific about your scene content and performance.
*Includes one private session
* more creative prompts
* 3 x more studio time
* more accountability
* more personalised coaching
*Dramaturgical insights
*Practical advice on logistics, touring, tech and next steps.
*Culminates in a mini scratch performance!
Sunday October 12th 2025 10am-6pm at Bold, London
Studio Day: Three Key Scenes!
A turbo charged start to the course! Define and refine 3 key scenes that capture the essence of your show. You will be led through devising/writing exercises with a focus on form, storytelling and performance tailored to your chosen genre, personalised direction and peer feedback. These 3 scenes are the skeleton of your show, we build outwards from here.
Following this session, participants are given specific creative tasks to work on and send short video clips of scenes for feedback before we next meet.
Wednesday 5th November 7-9pm Online
Clarifying Concepts
A focus on how themes, performance concepts and characters weave through your play to create a coherent world and impactful structure.
An opportunity to ask questions, share ideas, challenges and wins.
Following this session, participants are encouraged to send a script/structural breakdown for feedback
Wednesday 26th November Online
Finish that Show!
What’s stopping you? We’ll confront the psychological, artistic, financial and logistical challenges to staging your show
in order to identify the strategies, skills and support that will get you to your goal.
Private Session
A personal online session with Helen to focus on your specific needs, scheduled at a mutually agreed time.
It could be used for rehearsal, dramaturgical advice or even to create a marketing plan!
Saturday & Sunday December 13th & 14th 2025 Bold, London
Studio Weekend: Celebrate & Share the Work!`
An intensive weekend to bring all your work together and turbo charge your creativity.
Saturday: Share extended sections of your work for personalised, specific, practical direction and feedback from Helen and your peers.
Sunday: Finish on a high! Rehearse and share 15 minutes of material in a mini , supportive scratch for a small invited audience.
Wednesday 17th December Online
Next Steps!
De-brief, and next steps. Knowing where your show fits and how to sell it. Tech, design and touring information. Summing up and moving forward with confidence and joy!
£375 Full Price
£340 Earlybird Price - pay by September 23rd
The course is hybrid online/in person to increase accessibility and decrease cost.
Numbers are strictly limited to a maximum of 8 . This does mean it’s slightly more expensive than if the group was bigger, but it ensures everyone gets really good individual support, plenty of time and specific personalised feedback.
This course is only open to people who have participated in the first Solo Show Lab or have developed work with me before. You can take this September’s Solo Lab and continue straight on to ELEVATE if spaces are available.
If you’d like to be part of ELEVATE or just have questions, please email me hello@helentennison.com
I look forward to working with you! :)
Solo Show Lab is led by me, Helen Tennison, an Edinburgh Fringe First Award-Winning theatremaker.
' This solo show is a tour de force performance that will sweep you away' - Elanor Parker, Broadway Baby, Doggerland
My recent ACE funded solo show, Doggerland, toured internationally and was nominated for Best Show of the Festival STOFF (Stockholm). I'm currently developing my next solo show, Miss Haversham's Clothes Swap, with the support of Stanley Arts.
I've worked as a director, writer and/or dramaturg on well over 10 solo shows, mentoring theatremakers through their creative journey.
I'm a multi-award winning theatre director working internationally across theatre genres including new writing, devising, Shakespeare, classics and performance art. I have directed for number one venues such as Guildford's Yvonne Arnaud, small scale tours and fringe spaces. I specialise in site-responsive performance.
recent projects include Mrs Dalloway for the London Library, Royal Society of Literature and Creation Theatre, and directing 'Forgive Me' a devised solo performance about the autism diagnosis process including live gaming and pole dance.
Some of the venues, festivals, places and companies I have worked with include: Belgrade Theatre, Shakespeare's Globe, Old Vic, Theatre Royal Bury st Edmunds, Theatre Royal Winchester, Southwark Playhouse, Soho Theatre, Arcola, New Diorama, CPT, BAC, Hull Truck, Brighton Fringe, The Lowry, The Pleasance, Summerhall, Creation Theatre, Bermuda Festival, Midsummer Scene Croatia, Vienna's English Theatre, Copenhagen's English Theatre, Teatret de Sorte Hest DK, Het Zuidelijk Toneel Netherlands, STOFF Stockholm.
Want to know more? You can follow me on instagram @helentennisontheatre, check out my free creative prompt shorts here or read this profile of me in The Stage.
I love mentoring new and emerging talent and have taught in many major drama schools and universities Including Drama Studio (where I was Co-Artistic Director, Head of Two Year Acting and Short Courses), East 15, Royal Academy of Music, Sylvia Young's, University of Birmingham, Goldsmiths University of London. I'm currently Associate Lecturer in Directing, Voice and Shakespeare at London Metropolitan University.
I look forward to sharing some of my experience with you,
Helen :)