Lila Kay: Artist Profile

All About Solo's Editorial Team recently caught up with Lila Kay, star of She Speaks in Tongues, to learn about her journey through the world of solo theatre.

Tickets are available for She Speaks in Tongues on March 18 at 7:00 pm at United Solo's 20th Annual Solo Theatre Festival at Theatre Row in New York City.

Get tickets here.

Why Solo Theatre?

I love telling stories, and solo theater is one of the oldest art forms. I feel like you can really connect with people and share a wide range of emotions when you're hearing a story from just one person; it’s kind of like telling a story at a campfire. I like the almost confessional aspect of it and how you can really just let everything go in a solo show. Since it's just you up there, you can change how you tell the story from performance to performance, and it's all up to you. I also just love watching solo shows. Some of the most impactful pieces of theater I have ever seen have been solo shows, and I always thought, “man, I really want to do that”.

Describe your show in 6 words

Raunchy, Spontaneous, Truthful, Unreliable, Peculiar

Your show “She Speaks In Tongues” is a one-woman dark comedy exploring the psyche of a heroin addict who lives on the street as she recounts moments in her life and talks about the misconceptions of drug use. What was it that drew you to this subject?

Well, I was taking a walk one day, and this woman came up to me on the street. Without hesitation, she just started telling me her entire life story. She told me about her struggles with addiction and how she lost contact with her family, but was strangely glad she had. She told me about how she is happy with her life, but everyone turns their nose up at her. I listened intently as she spoke. When she was done, she asked me for a light and then just walked away. Even though I never even got her name, her story stuck in my brain, and I started looking at everything differently. How stigmatised addiction is, and how society treats homeless people. The idea for the show clunked me on the head, and I wanted to speak about this issue and shine some light on the matter. Not all homeless people are junkies, and not all junkies are homeless.

The show is billed as a “dark comedy” talk about how you use humor to tell this story.

The topics of the show are inherently dark. However, I feel the best device to tell darker stories is humor. Humor is a way to get people to actually listen to what you have to say, and bring them into a topic that has so much stigma and reassessment towards it. You gotta tell a joke to break the ice a bit.

Where would you like to see your show go after your run at United Solo?

I would love to see the show go to other theaters in New York City. I have a dream to one day bring this show to Broadway, that would be amazing, and I could die happy. I am also interested in perhaps making a film script version of the show.

She Speaks in Tongues

March 18, 2026 at 7:00 pm

United Solo Theatre Festival

Theatre Row, New York City