Prelims.qxd 29/07/2005 08:34 AM Page i 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 and Neat “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 Prelims.qxd 7/22/05 5:17 PM Page ii Creating_Title Page 7/28/05 1:34 PM Page 1 Second Edition One day, on a whim–well, actually out of total frustration–I decided to bite the bullet and try to write one myself. ConsideringCreating that I'd never written creatively before, I knew it was going to be a challenge. After all those years of monologue Yhunting,our I certainly knew what I wanted. The monologue that I was going to write would have a begin- ning, middle,O and wnend; a conflict of some kind; and a character who interested me and whom I could identify with. But mostM importantly,onologue it had to have a good yarn, an engaging story.It was trial and error for quite a while, lots of looking at GLENNthe walls, throwing ALTERMAN crumpled sheets of paper into the wastebasket. But one thing I graduallyALLWORTH began PRESS to realize was that I could use myNEW YORK acting skills to... Prelims.qxd 29/07/2005 08:34 AM Page iv © 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 Prelims.qxd 7/22/05 5:17 PM Page v Dedication I dedicate this book to all solo performers who have ever had the courage to stand alone on a stage and perform their own material. I dedicate this book to every monologist whose work has inspired me to create my own monologues and to write this book. And finally, I dedicate this book to the memory of Spalding Gray and Quentin Crisp, two extraordinary men and wonderful monologists. Prelims.qxd 7/22/05 5:17 PM Page vi Prelims.qxd 7/22/05 5:17 PM Page vii 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 Prelims.qxd 7/22/05 5:17 PM Page viii viii 3. A Preliminary Look 12 Questions to Ask Yourself before Starting Work ONTENTS 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 Prelims.qxd 7/22/05 5:17 PM Page ix ix About Autobiographical Monologues 31 Another Way to Approach Autobiographical Material, ONTENTS 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 Crisp by Quentin Crisp 36 Winfred from Monster by Dael Orlandersmith 37 Craig from Two Minutes and Under, Volume 3 by Glenn Alterman 38 From An Evening with Shelly Mars by Shelly Mars 39 From Gray’s Anatomy by Spalding Gray 39 Cudjoe from The Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky by Ellen Lewis 40 From Safe by Taylor Mac 41 Sam from Jails, Hospitals & Hip-Hop by Danny Hoch 42 From Time on Fire by Evan Handler 43 From Comedy You Can Dance To by Kate Clinton 43 From Full Gallop by Mary Louise Wilson and Mark Hampton 44 From I’m Breathing the Water Now by Bashore Halow 45 From The Finger Hole by ty adams 46 From A Kiss to Build a Dream On by 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 Prelims.qxd 7/22/05 5:17 PM Page x x Techniques for Dealing with Writer’s Block 54 Nothing, a Whole Lot of Nothing 54 ONTENTS C Writing about Painful Events 55 Free-Writing: An Invaluable Exercise 55 Clustering (or Webbing): Finding the Initial Core of Your Work 58 Sal from Street Talk: Character Monologues for Actors by Glenn Alterman 59 10. Creating Your Monologue: Structure and Process 61 How We’ll Be Working from Now On 62 Comparing the Actor’s and the Writer’s Processes of Starting Out 62 The Importance of the Narrator 63 Your Opening Section: The First Paragraphs 63 From Charlotte by Penny Arcade (from True Stories)64 Bernice from Two Minutes and Under, Volume 2 by Glenn Alterman 64 From Swimming to Cambodia by Spalding Gray 65 From Pretty Fire by Charlayne Woodard 65 Blanka from Some People by Danny Hoch 66 Jo from Eternal Pyramid by Anastasia Traina 66 Master of the Stale from the play The Dark String by ty adams 67 11. Developing Your Monologue 68 Developing Your Role (as an Actor) 68 Developing Your Monologue (as a Writer) 68 The Ongoing Day-to-Day Work 69 Working on Performance Art Pieces 70 A Word about Songs, Music, and Dance in Monologue Plays 70 Mixed Media 70 Prelims.qxd 7/22/05 5:17 PM Page xi xi That Old Devil, the Self-Censor 71 Taking Mini-Breaks, Breathers 71 ONTENTS Looking Over What You’ve Written So Far 72 C After the Break: Two Scenarios 72 Working Till the End of the First Draft 72 12. Developing Your Monologue II (The Ongoing Work) 73 The “Who Wrote This Monologue, and What’s It About?” Exercise 73 Questions to Ask Yourself While Reading through Your Script 74 At What Point Should You Have Someone Else Read What You’ve Written? 74 Selecting the Right Person to Read Your Monologue 75 Performing the First Draft for a Director 75 Performing the First Draft as a “Work in Progress” for an Audience 76 Making Repairs: Rewriting 76 Revising and Reshaping 76 The Three Golden Rules of Revising 76 The Subconscious and Rewrites 79 13. Completing Work on Your Monologue 80 Things to Keep in Mind in Your Closing 80 Knowing When the Monologue Is Ready to Be Performed 81 A Checklist to Decide Whether Your Monologue Is Ready to Be Performed 81 14. Preparing to Perform 83 Selecting a Director 83 Working with the Director in Rehearsal 84 Rehearsing the Audition Monologue 85 Performing the Piece 86 Prelims.qxd 29/07/2005 08:34 AM Page xii xii 15. Marketing Your Solo Show 87 Preparing Your Marketing Package 87 ONTENTS C Management/Booking Agencies That Handle Solo Artists 89 Part II interviews with monologue writers and performers 16.