MONOLOGUE
MONOLOGUE FYI
o Monologue: A story, speech, or scene performed by one actor alone
oEarly form of monologues: Shakespeare soliloquy
o 'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.
MONOLOGUE:
THEATRE V. FILM
Saved By The Bell
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO2SirSH7Rg
Romeo and Juliet
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHoaPLO6Zd8
ANALYZING YOUR MONOLOGUE
oBefore learning or rehearsing your monologue, it’s helpful to be familiar with the
entire play or work from which it’s taken. Then apply the movement, voice,
improvisation, and character development techniques
oBreak your monologue into beats-the smaller sections of a scene that usually
come at points where a character shifts moods or emotions or changes topic
oYou will also need to consider what movements, gestures, or words make up the
transitions-bridges between beats
oCareful attention to smooth transitions between beats is necessary to prevent a
choppy performance. Your aim should be a seamless scene with appropriate rhythm
and pacing and an apparent, logical sequence of ideas
ANALYZING YOUR MONOLOGUE
oIf another character is supposed to be speaking during your monologue, ask yourself
the following to determine how you can indicate what he or she is saying:
o How long should I pause to listen?
o Should I look constantly at that character, or glance at him or her occasionally?
o How should I respond with my posture and facial expressions to what that character is saying?
oCharacter Development
o Family-what is my character’s family life like? Include specific people.
o Occupation-what is my character’s job? By choice? Dream job?
o Relationships-what relationships is my character apart of? Friends? Family? Acquaintances?
o Favorites-what are my character’s favorite things/ideas/people?
o Fears-what are my character’s fears about life/people/the moment?
o Beliefs-what does my character believe about life/people/the moment?
o Goals –what is my character’s goal in life? In the scene?
PERFORMING YOUR MONOLOGUE
oWhen performing your monologue, don't spend a lot of time looking at the
imaginary character
oUse the techniques of pantomime to place the character in a specific spot and
imagine him or her to be a certain height or moving in a certain way
oBe consistent: when you look at that character, look at that same spot
oImagine the total environment of the situation
oUse the entire space allotted to you, don’t remain rooted in one spot
oRemember this is a dynamic exchange between two characters, even if one of them
is not speaking
USE THE OUTLINE BELOW FOR THE FOLLOWING
MONOLOGUES
1. Summarize the story being told
2. Is an environment clear?
3. Who could they be talking too?
4. What is the character’s objective, goal in this story?
5. Provide a possible moment before and after the monologue.
TO GILLIAN ON HER
BY: MICHAEL BRADY
TH
37
BIRTHDAY
Rachel: This was my mother’s hat, kind of her lucky hat. The last time I saw her, I mean before
the accident, she was wearing this hat. She always wore this hat. This was her bike. It’s a long
story. We used to come out here, first thing when she got back from the summer. It was like our
place to get reacquainted, have a mother-daughter. She would tell me all about her
orangutans and then she’d go develop her pictures. I remember the last time she had given the
orangutans our names. Esther was the bossy one. Paul was the one that made faces all the
time. And Rachel was very, very quiet. I had forgotten all that. You know sometimes I think
about her, and I tell myself if I think about her, somehow she’s still alive. That’s crazy, right? I
went with her once, to Kenya, when I was nine. I was in her way the whole time, though she
never said so. The next summer I lied. I said it was too hot, I wanted to stay on the beach. I
could have helped her now. I know how to tag the animals and I can do the weighing and the
observing. We could have been friends. That’s what she wanted. I just wanted her to be my
mother. She was a good scientist. I think she was the best. But she was away a lot. And she took
risks. Going up on that mast was reckless. It was stupid and reckless and why doesn’t anyone
talk about that? She shouldn’t have gone up there. She was my mother, and if she had acted
like my mother, just that one time, then maybe she’d be alive today.
THE CAGEBIRDS
BY: DAVID CAMPTON
Wild One: (Shouting) Listen to me! All of you! You could be free. All of you! Must I be caged
because you lack willpower?(she pauses, and looks around her. She gives a rueful little laugh) I
have no right, have I? No right to commit such an outrage. (she goes up to one of the Ladies
who, at the last minute, moves away-not obviously or insultingly, but as though she had just
remembered that she ought to be somewhere else. Through the following speech this pattern is
repeated, so the room is full of Ladies weaving about, without the Wild One getting too close to
any of them) I come bursting in-actually I was tossed in, but let that pass. I come hurtling in, and
within minutes turn your comfortable, satisfied, non-communicating, slave society upside down. I
tear down the paper screens you built so carefully. I blew great gusts through the hot-house
air. I shatter your fragile Sunday quiet. No, I didn’t I only tried. I didn’t succeed. I couldn’t
succeed, because you’re not alive. You can’t be alive, because if you were, you’d be charging
at that door with me. This very minute. All shoulders together. Boom! Thud! Pow! Crash! But
there you sit. I haven’t the right to stir the dust. I’m the Wild One who doesn’t belong. Ignore
her. You have to ignore her, because if you didn’t you’d either have to break out or break
down. I’m sorry. No, I’m not, but it’s an accepted figure of speech. I’m sorry, but if you don’t
like me, you’ll have to do the other thing. I’m sorry, but I’m the Wild One, and the cage hasn’t
been built that can hold me.
THE BOYS NEXT DOOR
BY: TOM GRIFFIN
Lucien: He be fat with doughnuts. Arnold’s got the rugs. He’s like nuts or something. He’s my
friend too. And Barry. He golfs. He be gone now. I miss Barry. I do. I miss Barry. (pause sings
again) A B C D E F G…(silence. Lucien buries his head in his hands. He cannot continue. Clarke
only watches. Slowly the lights change until Clarke and Jack are in darkness and Lucien is in full
focus. He looks up. He stands. He is no longer the retarded Lucien, but rather a confident and
articulate man. He takes the floor. To the audience, the Senate) I stand before you, a middleaged man in an uncomfortable suit, a man whose capacity for rational thought is somewhere
between a five-year-old and an oyster.(pause) I am retarded. I am damaged. I am sick inside
from so many years of confusion, utter and profound confusion. I am mystified by faucets and
radios and elevators and newspapers and popular songs. I cannot always remember the
names of my parents. But I will not go away. And I will not wither because the cage is too
small. I am here to remind the species of the species. I am Lucien Percival smith. And without
me, without my shattered crippled brain, you will never again be frightened by what you
might have become. Or indeed, by what your future might make you.
DOLL HOUSE BY WILLIAM BORDEN
Do you know why I became an architect? When I was a little girl, m y dad got me this two story doll
house, with a wall missing and my grandparents gave me little furniture to go in it, little chairs, and
a little refrigerator. Little people too. One day I pretended the people were moving, and I took all
the furniture out of the house, and I put it in my brother’s toy mayflower moving truck. I pushed the
truck out the front door, across the sidewalk, over the curb and into the street.
A car came along. The people were killed. I forgot to tell you, I put the people in the truck too, so
they were killed. I went back inside, and I looked at my empty house, and I felt really great. Like
I’d accomplished something. I made up new people, imaginary people-a mom who was never tired
and a dad who never got mad, and me, the little girl who was free to do whatever she wanted, and
there was no dumb brother and there was no dumb dog.
I’d think, this room could be bigger. And wouldn’t it be neat if there were two flights of stairs? I’d
make all these changes in my imagination, until it was a completely different house. I drew pictures
of my new house.
“What’s this?” my dad asked one day. “Are you going to be an architect?” “What’s an architect?”
“An architect does what you’re doing there.” That’s when I knew who I was!
PLAYWRITING
1. Create a world that's true to real life or fantastical or that mixes the mundane with
the magical. But whatever set of rules you create for that world, make sure you
follow them.
2. Write a conflict that builds as the play progresses. As you structure the conflict,
think in terms of your play having a beginning, a middle and an end.
3. Write characters that want something (which puts them in conflict with other
characters) and try to get what they want at every moment.
4. Make sure that each character has something at stake, a consequence if he doesn't
get what he wants.
5. Create a "ticking clock" that puts the characters under pressure to get what they
want right away.
PLAYWRITING CONTINUED
6. Make sure there is a good reason, an "event," for your play. It's not enough for two
characters to sit around and talk for a while and then leave. There needs to be some
important reason why we're watching them now, at this particular moment.
7. Write dialogue that illuminates your characters and advances the plot at the same time.
8. Make each character speak in a distinctive voice. If you have trouble with that, try
imagining a specific actor you know - even if it's someone who will never play the part - in the
role.
9. Do not have a character tell us something she can show us instead. For example, it's much
more effective to hide under the bed than to say "I'm afraid."
10. Give each character a "moment," something that justifies the character's existence in your
play and that makes him attractive for an actor to play.
-Playwriting 101
MONOLOGUE IDEAS
Describe some of the different places you have lived in your life. How do you feel about them?
What was your favorite childhood piece of furniture? What is your favorite piece now?
Recall your favorite summer. Recall your least favorite.
What was your favorite childhood song? Why is it a favorite?
What was the first play dance recital, or public presentation that you remember?
Tell about an important teacher you have had. What did you learn from this teacher or how did they inspire you?
How did you learn to drive? Do you have a scary driving incident? If so, describe that time.
Tell about a sad memory of your life.
What was your favorite security object as a child? What happened to it?
What is the most money you have had at one time? What did you do with it?
What book touched and influenced your life?
Have you reached a turning point in your life? If so, describe the moment or time and how it changed the direction
of your life.
What defenses do you use to keep people from knowing you?
What is the most daring thing you have done?