Grief isn’t your standard topic for a one-woman comedy show. But Ann Randolph pulls it off with wit, grace and a lot of heart.

“It’s a hilarious and outrageous ride about love and loss,” said Randolph, who is performing “Loveland” at Orcas Center. “It’s deeply moving but audiences will also laugh.”

Randolph, pictured at right, is an award-winning playwright and performer who plays 12 characters in “Loveland.” The show will be presented on the main stage on Friday, May 29 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door.

“Loveland” follows Frannie Potts – an out of control, sexually charged misfit overwhelmed by grief – on a cross-country flight. The show debuted in 2009 in San Francisco and played for two years. Since then, Randolph has been touring the United States The show won the San Francisco Weekly Award for “Best Solo Show” and garnered the San Francisco Bay Critic’s Award for “Best Original Script.”  It also played in Los Angeles and won the L.A. Weekly Award for “Best Solo Show.”

Randolph, who lives in Los Angeles, worked with the late Ann Bancroft and Mel Brooks for her production “Squeeze Box.”

“They really helped me with my craft, and I am so grateful to them,” Randolph said.

All of Randolph’s shows are semi-autobiographical. She is currently working on an exploration of the cultural differences in America.

After her years of touring, Randolph discovered that audiences members wanted to share their own stories of loss. So following each performance, Randolph leads an interactive writing workshop and participants are invited to read their work aloud.

“It’s extraordinarily beautiful,” she said.

After her performance on Friday, Randolph will host a two-day workshop in Orcas Center’s Madrona Room from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day entitled “Write Your Life for the Page and the Stage.”

“This is an invitation for you to discover your own unique and powerful story and the profound transformation that occurs when speaking it out loud,” reads the workshop description. “You’ll learn to trust your creative impulses, embracing all of who you are. By becoming the author of your own life and learning how to tell your own story, you will not only learn to craft your experience into a compelling narrative but you will also unleash a sense of purpose in your own life you never thought possible.”

Randolph says she creates a “supportive, fun and dynamic space” in which to create. All levels are welcome.

“You don’t have to be a writer – it’s about expressing your truth,” she said. “We are all incredibly creative, and it’s about taking the time to express that part of yourself.”’

Topics include:

• Writing exercises to stimulate memory

• Learning to structure the narrative in a compelling way

• Discovering ways to create spontaneously

• Overcoming performance anxiety

• Tools to release yourself from the inner critic

• Transforming your ideas/stories into performance

Tickets for the workshop are at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1412565.