Plus One Fest: Sun Oct. 21-Mon Oct. 22 - Q&A with Aladdin Ullah

During the Dark Nights of OUR TOWN, Tongue in Cheek celebrates the solo show with our Plus One Solo Show Festival, which runs Sunday October 21 and Monday, October 22 at 7:30 pm at Theatre 54 @ Shetler Studios (244 West 54th Street, 12th floor).  Plus One features 5 short solo shows and a musical guest.  Tickets are $18 online and at 212-868-4444.

We sat down with writer/performer Aladdin Ullah to hear how he likes to develop work and who is favorite writing companion is.

1. What excites you about writing and performing your own work?

Writing a piece that is very personal is the most exhilarating and frightening thing one can do. It is always fulfilling to see how an idea develops from a thought, to a word, to an actual living, breathing piece brought to life on stage. That process whenever it works with the audience either laughing or being moved is what inspires me to keep creating.

 2. What scares you about writing and performing your own work?

Whenever I attempt to write something funny I'm always cognizant whether or not someone will laugh, while writing a more dramatic piece I often tend to wonder is this serving the story? Are my characters sounding like real people? Whenever I write I like to bare my soul which is always a scary thing. Being that vulnerable is a big risk, which makes me love the process of developing new work.  

3. Where do you do your best writing?

Late at night in my bedroom with my tiny dog Pebbles sleeping on the floor making funny noises while she is sleeping.