Creating Your Own Monologue

1.56 MB·English

by  Glenn Alterman

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PRAISE FOR
CREATING YOUR OWN MONOLOGUE
“This is the perfect book for actors willing to take on the challenge of
creating their own monologues. Every aspect of character development
and dialogue writing for solo material is handled. There is a gold mine of
information here.”
—Peter Askin, Director, John Leguizamo’s Mambo Mouth and Spic-O-
Rama,and Hedwig and the Angry Inch
“Finally, a book that truly empowers actors! Creating Your Own Monologue
offers you everything you need to know about writing your own material.
Any actor serious about writing monologues MUST get this book!”
—Charlayne Woodard, Actress and Monologist, Pretty Fire andNeat
“Learning how to effectively corral your memory and put those thoughts
into words are important skills necessary for writing autobiographical
monologues. Glenn Alterman’s book offers invaluable techniques and
tools that can assist you each step of the way. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!”
—Spalding Gray, Actor and Monologist, Swimming to Cambodia, Monster
in the Box,Gray’s Anatomy,and Morning, Noon, and Night
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Second Edition
One day, on a whim–well, actually out of
totalC frustration–I decided to bite the
reating
bullet and try to write one myself.
Considering that I'd never written
creatively bYefore, I knew it was going to
our
be a challenge. After all those years of
monologue hunting, I certainly knew
what I wanOted. The monologue that I
wn
was going to write would have a begin-
ning, middle, and end; a conflict of some
kind; and a character who interested me
M
onologue
and whom I could identify with. But
most importantly, it had to have a good
yarn, an engaging story.It was trial and
error for quite a while, lots of looking
G L E N N A L T E R M A N
at the walls, throwing crumpled sheets
of paper into the wastebasket. But one
thing I gradually began to realize was
ALLWORTH PRESS
that I could use mNEyW Y OaRKcting skills to...
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© 1999, 2005 Glenn Alterman
All rights reserved. Copyright under Berne Copyright Convention, Universal
Copyright Convention, and Pan-American Copyright Convention. No part of this
book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form,
or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without prior permission of the publisher.
09 08 07 06 05 5 4 3 2 1
Published by Allworth Press
An imprint of Allworth Communications, Inc.
10 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010
Cover design by Derek Bacchus
Interior design by Joan O’Connor
Typography by Integra Software Services
ISBN: 1-58115-429-1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Alterman, Glenn, 1946-
Creating your own monologue / Glenn Alterman.—2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
1. Monologue—Authorship. 2. Monodramas—Authorship 3. Acting—Auditions.
4. One-person shows (Performing arts) I. Title.
PN1530.A48 2005
808.2'45—dc22
2005018576
Printed in Canada
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Dedication
I dedicate this book to all solo performers
who have ever had the courage to stand
alone on a stage and perform their
ownmaterial.
I dedicate this book to every monologist
whose work has inspired me to create
my own monologues and to write
thisbook.
And finally, I dedicate this book to the
memory of Spalding Gray and
QuentinCrisp, two extraordinary men
and wonderful monologists.
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction to the Second Edition xvii
Introduction xix
Six Ways to Get the Most Out of This Book xxiii
Part I
the monologue: writing, rehearsing,
performing
1. A Definition of Terms 3
What Is a Monologue? 3
Types of Monologues 4
What Is Performance Art? 6
2. A Brief History of the One-Person Show 8
Samuel Foote (1721–1777) Creates the One-Person Show 8
George Alexander Stevens, the Father of the Monologue 8
Charles Mathews 9
Ruth Draper Perfects the Monologue 9
Cornelia Otis Skinner 10
Historical Monologues 10
The Solo Show Today 10
vii
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viii
S 3. A Preliminary Look 12
T
N
TE Questions to Ask Yourself before Starting Work
N
O
C on a Solo Show 12
The Similarities/Differences between Being an
Actor and Working as a Writer 13
As an Actor, Do I Have the Necessary Skills
to Create My Own Material? 14
Pluses and Minuses, Assessing Specifically Where You Are Now 14
Your Sense of Truth 15
4. Ways to Work, Selecting Your Tools 16
Writing 16
What Is Creative Writing? 17
Fear of Writing 17
Journal Writing 18
Using a Tape Recorder 18
Improvising: “Are You Talkin’ to Me?” 19
Working Orally: In Front of an Audience 19
Working Orally: Developing Your Stories Throughout the Day 20
5. Preparing 21
For Those Actors Who Know Which Type (Style)
of Monologue They Want to Create 21
For Those Actors Who Don’t Know What Type
of Solo Material They Want to Create 22
Perking with an Idea 23
Exercises to Help You with Your Solo Show, by Cheryl King 23
Deciding When to Begin 24
6. Guidelines for Creating Short or Audition Monologues 25
7. Fundamentals of All Good Monologues 28
To Whom Is the Character Speaking? 30
Questions Every Monologue Must Answer 30
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ix
About Autobiographical Monologues 31 S
T
N
Another Way to Approach Autobiographical Material, TE
N
O
by Cheryl King 33 C
Storytelling Monologues 34
Narrative and Dramatic Style 34
Your Personal Style: Your Voice 35
Examples of Different Voices and Styles 36
From An Evening with Quentin Crispby Quentin Crisp 36
Winfred from Monsterby Dael Orlandersmith 37
Craig from Two Minutes and Under, Volume 3
by Glenn Alterman 38
From An Evening with Shelly Marsby Shelly Mars 39
From Gray’s Anatomyby Spalding Gray 39
Cudjoe from The Sun and the Moon Live in the
Skyby Ellen Lewis 40
From Safeby Taylor Mac 41
Sam from Jails, Hospitals & Hip-Hopby Danny Hoch 42
From Time on Fireby Evan Handler 43
From Comedy You Can Dance Toby Kate Clinton 43
From Full Gallopby Mary Louise Wilson
and Mark Hampton 44
From I’m Breathing the Water Nowby Bashore Halow 45
From The Finger Holeby ty adams 46
From A Kiss to Build a Dream Onby Joe Pintauro 47
8. Using Your Acting Technique to
Create Character Monologues 48
Working from the Outside in, as an Actor and Writer 48
Working Internally as an Actor and Writer 49
9. Starting to Write 52
Two Scenarios 52
Understanding Writer’s Block 53