WHAT IS A MONOLOGUE?

MONO-means one or single and -LOGUE means speaker or speech.

• A monologue expresses the thoughts of one person.

• A monologue should have a beginning, middle and end.
• A monologue should always reveal something personal -it a
story, a secret, an answer to a question, or an emotional
outpouring; but ALWAYS for a specific objective or need that you
will build.
 Ideas for generating a story for a monologue:

• The first time you fell in love or the end of that love.
• What pictures and keepsakes do you have? Look through them and write.
• stream of consciousness timed writing. Write without editing yourself - first
thoughts
• Write about a specific theme, i.e.; guilt, pride, obsession, fear, etc. What event is
connected to this theme?
• Write while listening to music. Have you tried music you usually don’t listen to?
• People watch. Go somewhere where you can see a variety of people (even try
different locations) and write about one person who stands out to you. What is
their story? Why are they behaving the way they are? What is their secret
(everyone has at least one)?
• imagine the "real" story behind a news article, or tabloid headline. Pick a story that
moves you. Write about it as if it was happening to you or someone you love.
• turn at random to a page in the dictionary, point to a word and use it it as your first
word in the monologue
• write about a painful memory.

Questions to ask yourself when writing a monologue.

• Look at the speaker in third person. Who is the speaker? Now imagine it from a first
person’s point of view; your point of view. Now, answer the question again, who is the
speaker--who are you?
• Who are you talking to?
• What do you need from the listener?
• What is in the way of what you want? How is the other person (the one you are talking
to) behaving that is contrary to what you need from them? Remember, in real life we
try to remove obstacles from our lives, but acting requires a greater truth, so put as
many obstacles in your way as possible when working on a character.
• What tactics (actions) are you using to get what you want? What are you doing to get
around what is in the way to get what you want?
• Where and when is this taking place? •
• What do you learn about the speaker’s personality, emotions, or
thinking?
Each of you will learn to give CONSTRUCTIVE feedback to your peers. Remember, that these are works in
progress and must be treated with respect, honesty, and tact.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Listening Guide for Monologues
Listener:___________________
Reader:___________________________ Appropriate for age and auditions YES NO
Volume
Pacing
Fluency(how does the piece flow?)
Who is speaking?
Who is the speaker talking to?
What does the speaker need?
What tactics are they using to get what they need?
What’s happening in the scene?

When and where is this happening?

What 3 things do you learn about the character speaking?
What’s the purpose of this monologue?

What do I (the listener) want to know about the situation that DOESN”T come through yet?

______________________________________________________________________________________
Listening Guide for Monologues

Listener:___________________
Reader:___________________________ Appropriate for age and auditions YES NO
Volume
Pacing
Fluency(how does the piece flow?)
Who is speaking?
Who is the speaker talking to?
What does the speaker need?
What tactics are they using to get what they need?
What’s happening in the scene?
When and where is this happening?
What 3 things do you learn about the character speaking?

What’s the purpose of this monologue?

What do I (the listener) want to know about the situation that DOESN”T come through yet?
 TEACHING STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES: Our acting activities in this class and
subsequent classes are designed to help students create, discover and/or develop characters and
ideas that will form the center of their monologues (one you have written or discovered from
other sources). These exercises will be assigned and talked about in class, but once assigned, you
will need to put work in it outside of class. Remember, you get what you put into it.

Step into Their World: • Bring in a collection of photographs, magazine or newspaper portraits,
art reproductions, etc.
• Create a list of questions the subjects of the photographs might answer. (For example, what’s
going on here? What happened yesterday? What will happen tomorrow? Who else is in your
family? What secrets do you have? etc.) You can use the Character Profile to spark questions.
• From these pictures, choose one photo or portrait and create a profile of the subject.
• With the other pictures, you will make a collage of pictures that create the life of the character
you are creating.
• Be able to: describe your imagined characters and conversations in as much detail as you can
tease out of them. (these characters or the situation might be seeds for monologues.)
• Keep a notebook and WRITE DOWN YOUR DISCOVERIES about your character.
People I’ve known and loved, hated, feared, almost forgotten, never forgiven... Favorite classic
stories or myths... Questions and wonderings I think about...
Now remember to refer to these traits as you create your monologues, and as you work with your
reading/writing partners to rehearse and revise their monologues.
From your point of view, you can travel in many directions, so be creative. Some of you may
want to “become” someone in the photograph and have that character give a monologue about
his/her situation. Others may want to use the emotion or the situation as a springboard for the
character they already created to give a monologue. Maybe the photograph can be thought of as a
slice from your character’s memory and your monologue may be the character’s reflection back
on those events. But always remember you are speaking to someone and you have a great need
from them. The possibilities are great if you create the meaning and connection between your
character and the photograph.

TEACHING STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES: After you have identified or created a character
for your monologues, you will work with a writing partner to answer the Character Profile
Questions as if you were being interviewed. Answer as if YOU are the character.
Character Profile: Answer as your invented character!
Name:
Nickname:
Ancestry:
Current state of mind:
Occupation:
Appearance:
Hair style:
Height/weight:
Age:
Distinguishing characteristic:
Favorites:
Color:
Favorite movie:
Place:
Book or magazine:
Sport:
Music group:
Food:
About You: What’s your favorite expression?
What possession do you hold dearest?
What’s your greatest fear?
What’s your most embarrassing moment?
What irritates you the most in others?
What habit do others associate with you?
What is your greatest regret?
How is your top dresser drawer organized?
How many hours a day do you sleep...and when?

There are, of course, many other questions that fill out a character’s life: just like real life. Use these questions to
lead you into discovery of your character. Use your imagination to reveal your partner’s character choices.

ASSESSING THE LEARNING: At this point students should be able to show that they have
created a character and chosen a situation (or possible situations) for that character to give a
monologue on.