Aasif Mandvi, whose monologue play Sakina’s Restaurant was recently seen Off-Broadway, was awarded the United Solo Special Award at the United Solo Festival's 10th anniversary gala in New York City November 24.

The evening also celebrated the close of the largest solo festival in the world, which opened in New York September 19 and featured performances by 120 artists from all over the world.

“Solo shows are not easy, if all live theatre is performance without a safety net, a solo show is even more so,” Mandvi said in his acceptance speech. “It’s like walking a tight rope suspended high above the ground without a safety net. I commend all of you for choosing this particularly courageous and vulnerable form of artistic expression, and I commend the United Solo team for highlighting it.”

Other winners throughout the evening included Ellen Gould, whose show Seeing Stars was awarded Best One-Woman Show, Sebastian Galvez (An Evening With Tennessee Williams, awarded Best One-Man Show), and Eugene Wolf, whose The Book of Mamaw won The United Solo & Backstage Audience Award.

Also announced at the gala was the news that the second decade of United Solo will launch with a new festival in London, with submissions now open. Participants will have the opportunity to perform at The Actors Centre in London’s West End.

Applications to either or both festivals may be submitted online at UnitedSolo.org/submit.