For episode 094 of Actorcast we are joined by Omar Sangare. Omar is the Founder and Artistic Director of the United Solo Theatre Festival, the largest solo theatre festival in the world! I had the opportunity to work with the "King of Solo Theatre" himself and learned a lot about the processes involved with running a successful theatre organization in New York City. In this episode, we talk about how Omar began his acting career in Poland. We reflect on how the United Solo Theatre Festival has grown throughout the years. We also talk about why solo performance is such an important art form. To learn more about Omar and United Solo, please visit their website at https://unitedsolo.org/ and follow them on social media @unitedsolo. Omar Sangare graduated from the National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw, Poland, where he studied with the Oscar-winning director, Andrzej Wajda. He was awarded a scholarship to The British American Drama Academy in Oxford, England. While there, he worked with Derek Jacobi, Alan Rickman, Michael Kahn, and Jeremy Irons. Omar holds many film, television, and radio credits. For his one-man drama “True Theater Critic,” he was voted The Best in Acting by The New York International Fringe Festival. The New York press acclaimed his lead part in the Arena Players Repertory Theater production of “Othello.” The New York Times wrote—“Omar Sangare was born to play Othello!” In 2011, he was selected by the U.S. Department of State for a video project that appeared as part of President Obama’s trip to Poland. In 2012, he was named “Person of the Year” by nytheatre.com for “a significant contribution to the NYC theater landscape.” Omar is a founder and artistic director of UNITED SOLO, the world’s largest solo theatre festival, a resident company at Theatre Row on 42nd Street in New York City. Currently, he serves as Chair of the Theatre Department at Williams College. Follow my work at ⁠https://patrick-mcandrew.com⁠ and @patrick.mcandrew