What's In A Name?...Choosing a Good Title

So you’ve written your solo show (or at least some promising draft pages). You’re starting to see the shape of it, maybe even rehearsing. You’ve got your tech dreams, your postcard layout, your festival short list…

And then it hits you.

What are you going to call this thing?

Before you reach for a title generator or ask ChatGPT to mash up words like Euphoria + Trauma + Laughter, take a moment to consider just how much your title is doing for you. Or not doing, in some cases.

You have to think of it this way -- choosing a good show title is your very first piece of marketing, and sometimes, the most important one.

It’s what goes on the poster. The press release. The festival program. It’s how potential audiences (and producers, and reviewers) make their first decision -- do I want to know more, or do I keep scrolling?

No pressure.

What Makes a Good Title?

A good title:

• Catches the eye without trying too hard.

• Holds up beyond one moment in time.

• Says something (without saying everything).

• Is Googleable and ideally not already the name of a Netflix series or a plumbing company in Kansas.

  
  

Memorable Beats Clever

We all love clever. But if your clever title needs a two-minute explanation or hinges on a pun only your college roommate will understand, it may not land, or worse, fail the test of time.

Instead:

• Go for emotional resonance. “Happily Divorced” is a title that stood out to me this year. It’s short, but it covers a whole gamut of emotions in just those two words.

• Think about what your audience will remember. Is there a feeling, an image, a phrase that sticks. “Tangerine Vagina” is very evocative and just plain fun to say. You don’t know what the show is about, but you’re interested.

• Give them something to grab onto. “Notes From A Narcissistic Negro And Other N Words” is a mouthful, and most people won’t get it right 2 out of 3 times. But they’ll remember that there’s a lot of Ns in it, and the use of Negro is titillating (oh my gosh, I can say it because that’s the title!). *Special note here that if you have a good but long title, make sure that you also “brand” the shortened version yourself. Don’t let other people do it. In this case, the creator uses NNN or just Narcissistic Negro for short.

  
  

Resist Trends

Avoid titles that rely too heavily on current slang or TikTok vibes unless your show is meant to be extremely of-the-moment. If it’s a play with real legs, pick something that can age along with it.

The title should still make sense five years from now -- when you’re touring internationally and doing your one-person show in Edinburgh. (Yes. Dream big.)

Title-Birthing Prompts

If you’re stuck, here are a few questions to spark ideas:

• What’s the central image or turning point of your story?

• What’s the feeling you want people to walk away with?

• Is there a line from the script that says it all?

• Is there a contradiction at the heart of your story? Those make great titles.Think: I Am My Own Wife, The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, We’re Gonna Die — each one intriguing, layered, and just strange enough to make you curious.

  
  

A Few Dont’s 

• Don’t settle for “My Story” or “Untitled (Solo Show).” Even if you’re still figuring it out.

• Don’t copy a famous song or movie title unless your show is explicitly about it, and even then, tread carefully.

• Don’t choose something so vague it sounds like a perfume ad. (We’re looking at you, Awakening.)

  
  

Trust the Process

You might not find your title on Day One. That’s okay. Some titles show up fully formed, others sneak in through the side door after a workshop performance or a late-night rewrite.

If you’re in doubt, try it out:

• Say the title out loud. A lot. Does it keep sounding better or does it stop making sense?

• Put it on a flyer mock-up.

• Ask someone not in the theatre what they think it means.

• Listen for the eyebrow raise or post it and watch for positive emojis. Then you'll know it's landing.

  
  

Final Thought

As the first piece of marketing you'll create, your show title doesn’t need to explain the whole journey, but it should open the door. Make it so that people want to walk through that door.

Down the line, we’ll talk about how to write a show description that builds on the magic of a great title, without giving everything away. Until then, keep writing, keep dreaming, and give your show a name it deserves.

Our intrepid team does a lot for the love of the theatre. Help spread the love and keep us caffeinated!