Solo Work
WHY FERTILE?
UNEMPLOYED. FINALLY.
Solo WORK
my bio
I am an award-winning writer and actor, as well as a coach and director for Soaring Solo Studios. I work in collaboration with my director and the company’s founder, Jessica Lynn Johnson. In my critically acclaimed one-person shows, Unemployed. Finally. and Fertile, I brought to life 50 distinct characters . Both shows won the PRODUCERS’ ENCORE AWARD and were nominated for BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2015 and 2019. Both shows were also selected for the prestigious L.A WOMEN’S THEATRE FESTIVAL and both were deemed BEST OF FEST at SOLOFEST, the largest solo theatre festival on the West Coast. Unemployed was chosen to be part of UNITED SOLO, the largest solo festival in the world, on 42nd Street in NYC. It was on the heels of this solo success that I started coaching alongside Jessica for Soaring Solo. I directed 5 shows that gathered 5 award nominations for the Soaring Solo Community in the 2022 Hollywood Fringe Festival and one of the shows I directed and developed, Asexuality: A Solo Musical! won both the TOP OF FRINGE and BEST PREMIERE – and then went on to an award-winning run at the Edinburgh Fringe!
Solo dramedy
FERTILE.
One of the moments people responded to most from my first show, Unemployed. Finally. was my personal story of challenges with fertility. Driven by the heartfelt audience response, I decided to share my story more completely and I interviewed dozens of women – and men, too – to discover, uncover and encourage a conversation about procreation as an empowered choice.
“Jenny has a plan. A plan to get pregnant. Everyone keeps telling her that time is running out, she just turned 35, after all. So, when those pesky urine tests keep coming back negative, Jenny decides to take action and fix the problem. That’s when she runs into real problems and real questions about fertility and motherhood. As Jenny faces the world of “mom options” – egg freezing, in-vitro, adoption, and more – the conversation about the expectation of procreation really begins. Taking into account a whirlwind of outside opinions from her mom, her friends, doctors, a beloved neighbor – and even God – Jenny must ultimately look within to discover what motherhood means to her, what it means to be Fertile.”
Reach out to me if you’d like to see a recorded performance of Fertile.
MY SOLO AWARDS
FERTILE
one-woman dramedy
- WINNER Producers’ Encore Award, Hollywood Fringe 2019
- NOMINEE Best Solo Performance, Hollywood Fringe 2019
- SELECTED Best of Fest, Solofest 2020
- SELECTED 27tth Annual LA Women’s Theatre Festival 2020
- SELECTED United Solo 42nd St. NYC 2021
UNEMPLOYED. FINALLY.
ONE-WOMAN DRAMEDY
- WINNER Producers’ Encore Award, Hollywood Fringe 2015
- NOMINEE Top 5 Best Solo Performance, Hollywood Fringe 2015
- SELECTED Best of Fest, Solofest 2016
- SELECTED 24th Annual LA Women’s Theatre Festival 2017
- SELECTED United Solo 42nd St. NYC 2017
Coaching
kind words
- She’s a trusted confidant, a grounding force of nature, has a keen eye for detail, and brings a sense of humor and strategy wrapped all in one. I had the pleasure of being Heather’s first show and she directed like a pro. She knows the right balance between tough love and emotional support when it comes to putting up a solo show. She’s a gem and I’m so glad to have her on my team! – Lisa Pezik, performer, recording artist, business strategist, global speaker, international best selling author
- Heather is a teacher/mentor/coach that I never knew I needed. The techniques she teaches us and guides us to create for ourselves are simply incredible, but that doesn’t even touch upon the way that Heather makes me feel loved and deeply cared for. I didn’t know that a combination of bad-assery, compassion, challenge, exceptional techniques, and true sincerity could actually all be rolled into one. – Bethany Vee, actor, writer, comedian
- Heather’s class on Creating Characters allowed me to develop 28 distinctive characters with specific coaching on vocal, physical and especially facial expression. Each week we tested our material and Heather provided valuable feedback and suggestions on how to be truthful while bringing our characters to life. Her support and encouragement gave me the confidence to get out of the classroom and move onto the stage. – Sheila Silver, performer, educator, author “All the Adams in the World”
- Not only is Heather an outstanding performer, she is an outstanding teacher and coach. She is just the right mix of demanding and encouraging. I eagerly enrolled in Heather Dowling’s character technique class and now think of her as my go to coach for finishing touches on any character. I highly recommend Heather as an acting coach, or instructor- whatever you need, she can help you, inspire you, and empower you to do your best work! – Kirsten Laurel, performer, facilitator, AWARE-LA
DIRECTED BY ME
ASEXUALITY: A SOLO MUSICAL!
2022-2023
- Written and Performed by Rebecca McGlynn
- WINNER Top of Fringe, Hollywood Fringe 2022
- WINNER Best Premiere, Hollywood Fringe 2022
- WINNER Producers’ Encore Award, Hollywood Fringe 2022
- NOMINEE Top 5 Best Musical, Hollywood Fringe 2022
- SELECTED Best of Fest, Solofest 2022
- SELECTED BBC Writer’s Room Popcorn Award, Edinburgh Fringe 2023
TOO BIG FOR HER BRITCHES
2022-2023
- Written and Performed by Lisa Pezik
- WINNER Producers’ Encore Award, Hollywood Fringe 2022
- WINNER Best of Venue, Hamilton Fringe 2022
- NOMINEE Best International Show, Hollywood Fringe 2022
- SELECTED for Solofest 2022
- WINNER Musical Theatre Review, Pick of the Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe 2023
- WINNER Hidden Gem Award, Edinburgh Fringe 2023
SAD LIFE OF A HAPPY MAN
2023
- Written and Performed by Christion Ty Edwards
- WINNER Producers’ Encore Award, Hollywood Fringe 2023
-
NOMINEE Best Theatrical Dance Performance, Broadway World, L.A. 2023
Work
Get in touch
If you are interested in collaborating with me on a project, or if you are interested in solo performance coaching, please don't hesitate to reach out.