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Steven L. Sears
I have been a full time professional playwright for almost 30 years and my plays have been performed in 25 countries. I cannot recommend Lisa more highly. She is one in a million, and I don’t say that lightly. Her level of commitment to whatever task she has at hand is total. The effect she has on her students – some of whom I have met and talked to outside her workshop – is inspirational. Her work ethic is amazing – frankly it would exhaust me. When Lisa produced and directed the staged reading of my play, “When the Reaper Calls” it was the best staged reading of any of my works that I have ever had. She worked tirelessly to put together a perfect cast that was the equal of any of the major regional professional theatres I have worked with. Lisa booked the theatre, directed the cast flawlessly and got everyone in perfect sync, a very difficult job in Los Angeles. Having seen this same play many times in full professional productions I was astonished just how close to the standards of a full production Lisa’s staged reading came. Lisa seemed to interact well with everyone. She seems to have a great rapport with actors, helped, I imagine, by being a performer herself. If Lisa has any shortcomings I have yet to find them. Overall, the main emotion I feel towards Lisa is admiration. She is talented, intense, but always polite. She is extremely committed, and yet full of good humor. I would recommend her without any reservation. Peter Colley
I have known Lisa Soland for quite a few years. I have no hesitation in recommending her. I first met Lisa at Burt Reynolds Theater in Jupiter. Charles Nelson Reilly had just begun his stint there as Artistic Director. He asked me to visit there – “and bring a play while you’re at it,” he said. So I went. First time around, it was my spoof on one-person plays, and Lisa took the role of Zelda Fitzgerald. She played it wonderfully, smartly and with focus. She already knew that she wanted to be a playwright. What I didn’t learn till later was that she wanted to direct and produce also. We never stopped being in touch. She would send me a manuscript now and then – for my commentary. I saw her perform in her own play at Hollywood’s Tamarind Theatre (the play is in the Samuel French catalogue). The list of her accomplishments is impressive by length alone, but I happen to know it is also a body of work that shows constant honing and improvement, unusual for its maturity. I think you’d find Lisa to be a beautiful asset and I know the students would love learning from her. Great enthusiasm and spontaneity, she has. William Luce
Lisa
Soland has a voice. It is completely unique. Her characters
are visible from the page. And her consistency is flawless.
What is it exactly? I feel it is the talent to speak the truth
and from the heart. Each character, a good, bad, or indifferent
person in the play, has a definite and individual voice. The
character delineation is wonderful to watch. And each of these
characters has redeeming qualities in some way. Chip Chalmers
I am writing to recommend, through your good auspices, a playwriting workshop I recently attended. It is called The All Original Playwright Workshop (AOPW) and is run by a remarkable woman named Lisa Soland. While it is true that attending Lisa’s workshop impacted my script, resulting in greater clarity and resolution in the story, it is not enough to stop there. Aside from the depth of her insight into the written word, Lisa is also an inspiring motivational speaker. She creates a depth of trust and cooperation in the workshop that encourages risk-taking as well as supportive, honest criticism from one’s peers and a deep understanding of our common goals as playwrights. Attending the AOPW has created a shift in how I see myself as a playwright and connected me to other writers in a new and exciting way. I cannot recommend Lisa highly enough. Sincerely,
To Whom It May Concern: I would like to take this opportunity to share with you my experience at the ALL ORIGINAL PLAYWRIGHTS WORKSHOP and with its creator and facilitator, Lisa Soland. I am hoping that ALAP can confidently recommend the workshop to other writers so they too might have this special opportunity. I feel a special connection between ALAP and Lisa, as I met her and learned about the workshop at the ALAP Playwrights Expo at Loyola Marymount. I’ve been involved ever since. The point of departure for this workshop as compared to the many others I’ve taken is at its heart: creator, Lisa Soland. Aside from her own unique talents as an award-winning playwright, director and actor, Lisa pours her soul into creating a safe, warm, productive and learning environment as she guides us on our own creative paths. For the first six weeks of the workshop, writers have the opportunity to listen to their work “read” by the other workshop members as actors and receive constructive comments from the group. The last two weeks, we rehearse and finalize our work for a production on the eighth night performed by actors for an invited audience. This is not only a dream-fulfilling gift for a writer, but offers yet another learning experience. As a winner of the Fellowship Award of the AOPW, I have not only experienced tremendous growth and confidence as a writer, but also as a person as a result of joining the family that is the ALL ORIGINAL PLAYWRIGHTS WORKSHOP. My wish is for all writers to have the opportunity to feel this kind of support from the world. Sincerely,
To Whom
It May Concern: Sincerely,
To Whom It May Concern: I write today to tell you about a great experience I have had at Lisa Soland's All Original Playwright Workshop. In 2003, I was looking for a playwriting class. I had some credits, but in recent years had focused on acting and directing, and I wanted to get back to writing. Among other groups, Lisa Soland was recommended to me. I eventually chose her group and have not missed a session since. Here are some of the reasons I have found her workshop so exceptional. 1. Ms. Soland fosters a positive, yet honest atmosphere for discussion. Feedback is supportive, yet addresses the strengths and weaknesses in a script frankly. 2. Everyone's work is read regularly. Each session has limited enrollment and all writers are given a weekly slot to bring in their new work, have it read, and receive analysis from the group. 3. Every session ends with a showcase. All playwrights see their work rehearsed, performed, and viewed by an audience. 4. Ms. Soland provides professional guidance including networking and referrals to other groups looking for playwrights. Since joining AOPW, I have received three staged readings, productions for five other plays, and publication of another. I have worked directly with four equity-waiver theatres in the Los Angeles area, and I have become a member of the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights, all as a direct result of my involvement in The All Original Playwright Workshop. 5. Ms. Soland also awards a fellowship to chosen playwrights who have full-length works ready for a staged reading. As a recipient of one of these fellowships, I can attest to its quality. Not only does the fellowship provide a monetary stipend, but Ms. Soland herself provides support such as renting a space and house management, while the playwright concentrates on final rewrites and rehearsals. 6. Finally, I have made many lasting contacts through AOPW. I encounter many of the playwrights I have met there in other theatrical venues. We have become a support network for each other because of our initial contact in Ms. Soland's workshop. In short, The All Original Playwright Workshop has been an outstanding experience for me. I believe anyone looking for such a group will benefit from the support, creative interaction, and professional contacts available through Lisa Soland and her workshop. Very truly yours,
“Thank you for being such a great mentor to all of us here in Los Angeles. Because of your positive influence I have been more certain in my choice to continue with my writing regardless of the obstacles that come along with pursuing a challenging and competitive field.” Sarah Duran (Los Angeles, CA)
“Thank YOU for such an incredible class! Connie and I are looking forward to finishing our play (starting next week) and then also making it into a MOW. We think it could really be shown on Lifetime, We, or Oxygen. I am going to re-write a few things in a couple of my ten minute plays and then I plan on submitting them. I am really glad I had "Best Friends" read during the class. I thought it went really well, and I can't wait to re-write it and submit it! Thank you again for a great time.” Jessica Matthews (Studio City, CA)
“Thank you again for everything. You are a true inspiration and you share your gifts so unselfishly. I can't wait for the next step.” Connie Monroe (Glendale, CA)
Mona Miller (Los Angeles, CA)
“I joined the workshop almost a year ago for sole purpose...forget directing and just act. Within a matter of months I found that I had a talent to write and many things that I wanted to say. I had forgotten that dream I had as a small child when I would sit and write plays as a little girl. I don't know what happened to that little girl and her dream...but she's back now!” “Lisa creates an environment where you are encouraged to "write bad stuff...really bad stuff." That gives you the freedom to live and create in a safe non-critical place and be all you want to be and not have to measure up to anyone but yourself and your own creativity as it pours out of you uniquely. Lisa does not use a cookie-cutter approach to her leadership but adapts to the individuals who attend these sessions and their own personal road maps and bumps.” “As an extra perk, my cold reading skills have soared off the charts! Each week you have the opportunity as an actor to pick up an author’s piece, totally cold (frigid, as I like to say) and bring it to life, instantly. I now experience a greater fearless approach to whatever is handed to me. Words have life in me as an actor while I have the joy of bringing life to the words of the author or playwright.” Linda L. Rand (Granada Hills, CA)
“When I first heard about Lisa's workshop I thought, "Developing new projects and material sounds like great fun for me - as an actor". I never imagined that, in less than a year, I'd be half way through my second full-length play! And, to top it off, my first play is being produced in November by a theater company. The workshop has been a truly amazing experience for me. In a short period of time I've watched a group of people come alive as writers, actors and directors. Lisa has taught me that everyone is a writer and everyone has a story. All you need is paper, a pencil and courage!” Julie Shimer (N. Hollywood, CA)
"Lisa brings together an incredible group of people who are asked to check their fears in at the door, and simply promise to write. That's all. It sounds simple because it is. Writing is in everyone, she says. Well, I told her the best I could do was write her an e-mail. Yes, somewhat silly on my part, but partly true. All Lisa wanted me to do was find a story and tell it. I did. And I'm writing. Once you discover that "story" that you need to tell someone, you realize that's half the battle. The other half is to put it on paper. Lisa encourages you to do that. You don't need to write well, she says, you just need to write. Lisa provides a safe haven. You just need to bring your tale to tell. Everyone's got a one, she says. Thanks, Lisa!" Mike Shaw (Los Angeles, CA)
“I want to say thank you for all of your support in my process of writing. My goals were to write a monologue, which I am sure there is one in my show that I can use for auditions and to have the first draft done of the 10 days. I achieved both of them! It feels great and I found that I could have gone even farther than that. You are a dynamic facilitator in class and that energy transcends the computer as well. It is so great that you are making this available to people outside of LA. Thank you, Lisa!” Wendy Michaels (Coral Gables, FL)
“Thank you for giving me an outlet for all the voices in my head. Last night was an honor to participate in. The other playwrights were so helpful, and tolerant, which was an unexpected reaction to my "broken record" repertoire. I learned to talk less and write more, which is a huge accomplishment. Several of the people I invited are “in the industry", and very hard to impress. They were impressed.” Deidhra Fahey-Burns (Burbank, CA)
“Just wanted to let you know how much I am absolutely loving the workshop. It is like a soothing balm for the wounds acquired recently in NY. How wonderful to feel excited and passionate about writing again and to feel like I've found a nurturing environment. Thank you, Lisa!” Karina Arroyave (New York, NY)
“Thanks…for providing us with such a wonderful environment to do this work in, and for being such a cool lady too. You rock!” Vincent Archer (Reseda, CA)
“Thank you profusely from the bottom of my heart. I just got my entire one-woman show laid out. It is beautiful and I am in love with it. This is what I was meant to do, Lisa. Thank you for creating the space in which I could discover this well of information. I want to take the next workshop…” “Your contribution to me has been huge and so beyond the class and what value lies therein. I appreciate you so much and want you to know that your contribution to my being is grand and I am grateful for you.” Monique McIntyre (Miami, FL)
“I wanted to thank you for providing me the opportunity to write in the workshop. My first meeting, I was terrified of sharing my work with other people because I didn't think it was very good. Now, it's fun to be a part of a group who will support each other and be a sounding board for everyone's creative endeavors. It's like an oasis in the desert of the rat race.” Susan C. Hunter (Whittier, CA)
“I would feel remiss if I didn't share with you my gratitude for the experiences I have had in your workshop. It is my first experience with a theatrical group of artists and I have been inspired and motivated from the creative energy of each Thursday evening. The workshop has opened my eyes to the frailties as well as the strengths of my work. Both are invaluable and I am excited and anxiously engaged in writing my next play. Thank you for providing a safe environment for me. You are awesome.” Sara Ljungkull (La Quinta, CA)
“Seven months ago I began participating in the All Original Playwright Workshop with no more than a file of ideas of what I would like to write “someday” and a few attempted projects which I had been distracted from by other ideas. Within the first three months I had completed a full-length screenplay, submitted it for the AOPW Fellowship Award, and had a staged reading of the script.” “How did that happen? Well, Lisa has a knack for digging down to the root and finding what the individual writer needs. Her approach is not “cookie cutter.” She helped me realize that, for me, too many ideas were a handicap. She made me commit to one project NO MATTER WHAT. She was right . . . within less than a week I was sure I had chosen the wrong project. If it had not been for the commitment I had made to her and the workshop to finish the script I had chosen, I probably would have switched projects and never completed the one that won me the fellowship. The process has been a liberating education in the craft and in life.” “Thanks to the environment of the workshop, one of my ideas was able to mature into a screenplay and another is on its way to becoming a full-length stage play and several have become stand alone monologues and scenes. It is an invaluable asset to the story-telling to be able to put flesh on my characters while the work is in progress. With fellow workshop participants reading the parts, the characters come alive and their paths of possibility broaden. Thank you, Lisa for creating this healthy venue for creativity to flourish!” Rebekah Score (Simi Valley, CA)
To Whom
It May Concern -- Lisa has been an asset to the Florida State University School of Theater. She has always made herself available to her students outside of class, to discuss subjects such as playwriting, graduate school, or anything in general. What Lisa was great at in the class was being upfront and honest with us. She would not dance around anything taboo in the playwriting business world. She would tell us flat out what to expect, where to go for resources, who to talk too, who to get to know, what publishing companies work and which don't, where to move to after graduate. Lisa provided us the practical application skills for working as a playwright in the real world. She did not filter herself because we were in a college setting. She treated us like equals, because her main objective was for us to win. Her token motto was always "I want to set you guys up to win." Any critique she offered, would be because she knew it helped the story move along, which would in turn, make us more apt to getting produced. Not only has Lisa been helpful to our playwriting class, but she has made herself known in the School of Theater's community and available to actors and students to help them out. She sets up appointments with them outside of class to work with them and gets them involved in the playwrights work. In helping them, she in turn, is helping us. She made events happen that involved the entire school such as "Caffeine and Sympathy" and our staged readings for our 10-minute plays. Where playwriting is taboo, Lisa made it aware. She makes things happen and gets the ball rolling. She takes what she knows from the real world and tells us how to better our work, based on her experience. That is more valuable than any textbook could offer. I whole-heartedly recommend Lisa Soland for any institution that wishes to support writing for the stage. For without it, our stage is bare. Sincerely, Nicholas Dris
I just wanted to drop you a line to say thank you for offering the undergraduate level playwriting class this past fall. It was, without a doubt, a wonderful learning experience, albeit not the way I had originally intended. Let me explain. I feel
that many of my classes have been the theatre world according
to a textbook or Academia with very little actual practical
experience. I guess I came into your class I also learned proper formatting, how to write appropriate letters of introduction, as well as basic tools to help me write producible material. I don't mean material that will win awards or make money, but material that a producer and/or director feels can be on the stage. I don't mean to sound like I'm gushing. However, for the first time I feel like I had a class which actually prepared me for the real world. Thanks again. Sincerely,
“I was a student in Lisa Soland's Intermediate Playwriting class at Florida State University during the fall 2006 semester. I was extremely insecure when I entered the class but by the end of the second week I had grown leaps and bounds from before. Ms. Soland's enthusiasm about teaching the class and her genuine encouragement of the students work made the class productive. Very rarely have I met someone who truly wants another to excel and be their best but Ms. Soland is one of those inspiring instructors that does not accept anything less.” “All of the students were held accountable for the goals they set and Ms. Soland's consistency in monitoring our achievements instilled a great respect for her not only as a teacher but as an artist. The class provided me with a deep understanding that hard work really does pay off regardless of any outside factors. When a student hadn't done the work or put as much time into their writing, it showed and this challenged me to come into class with work I was proud of and ready to work on. I walked away from this class having learned the importance of discipline, confidence and above all integrity.” Danielle Jackson (FL)
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