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Optimist With Doubts
Title: Titlating
Joined: Dec 17 2007
Posts: 5042
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I am in an acting class and I need to do a monologue from a comedic play, and I thought I would ask my learned sydlexians for suggestions. For the love of God no Shakespeare
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SoldierHawk
Moderator
Title: Warrior-Poet
Joined: Jan 15 2009
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 6085
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Optimist With Doubts wrote: |
For the love of God no Shakespeare |
And you cal yourself an actor. Fuck off.
/elitism
Okay seriously now. If you're looking for modern, you cannot get any better (or funnier, imho, than "Beyond Therapy" by Christopher Durang. You might have to do a bit of work to turn some of the best parts (which are conversations) into monologues, but it will be well worth it, trust me. Hilarious stuff.
Another great one is "Santaland Diaries" by David Sedaris. Its a one-person play, so all you have to do is pick a piece of it that's an appropriate length and that you like. I've done several monologues from it for auditions and such, and usually have great success--its a brilliant piece, but not his most widely known, and so the chances of someone else doing it too are pretty small. And even then, the chances of you both picking the same part are even smaller.
If you don't like either of those choices, anything by Durang or Sedaris will work, really. If you're looking for something a little more highbrow, maybe check out Beckett? Waiting for Godot (or No Exit by Sartre) both have awesome monologues. They aren't laugh out loud kind of comedy, more the dark, ironic kind, but if that's what you're looking for, you couldn't do better.
My personal vote: Santaland Diaries. Almost impossible to go wrong with it, and you'll love reading it too.
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William Shakespeare wrote: |
Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. |
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Optimist With Doubts
Title: Titlating
Joined: Dec 17 2007
Posts: 5042
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Acting 1, aka intro acting. My teacher effectively said not to do Shakespeare because we will suck at it. And I can only choose a published play no novels or essays. I am considering Godot but someone did it for dramatic monologues. I am considering The Creation of the World and Other Business by Arthur miller.
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SoldierHawk
Moderator
Title: Warrior-Poet
Joined: Jan 15 2009
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 6085
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Oh, but Santaland Diaries IS a published play; its not an essay. (None of the ones I mentioned are essays actually; all plays.)
Nothing wrong with picking the same play someone did for dramatic monologues. Obviously you're going to pick a different scene so I say if Godot is what you want to do, go for it.
(For the record, I hope it was obvious I was totally kidding about the Shakespeare joke btw. I would never, ever really insult someone for not wanting to do it.)
Regardless, let us know how the scene goes, and break a leg!
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William Shakespeare wrote: |
Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. |
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Knyte
2010 SLF Tag Champ*
Title: Curator Of The VGM
Joined: Nov 01 2006
Location: Here I am.
Posts: 6749
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Dr. Jeebus
Moderator
Title: SLF Harbinger of Death
Joined: Sep 03 2005
Location: Wakefield, MA
Posts: 5228
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Berserk007
Title: Freelance Skull Grinder
Joined: Aug 21 2009
Posts: 293
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For my confession they burned me with fire and found I was for endurance made. - The Arabian Nights |
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Optimist With Doubts
Title: Titlating
Joined: Dec 17 2007
Posts: 5042
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All wonderful suggestions, even the ones that weren't from plays.
I chose Barefoot in the park after strolling through the stacks.
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Doddsino
Joined: Oct 01 2009
Posts: 5316
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As far as the monologue...does it HAVE to be from a play? Because I did a Steve Martin monolgue from SNL around Christmas time...I got an easy A in that class.
If you could even call it a class...a bunch of fuckers always wanted to do improv...because that's OH SO funny.
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Optimist With Doubts
Title: Titlating
Joined: Dec 17 2007
Posts: 5042
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If you do improve right it can be funny, and yes published plays only.
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Doddsino
Joined: Oct 01 2009
Posts: 5316
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I'm not saying improv can't be funny. BUT most of these people don't know HOW to do it at all, and it's not always meant to be funny anyways. We'd end up doing these stupid fucking skits that this brainfuck idiot would come up with, and only because our teacher had no control over the class, was it allowed. So we'd do these skits "according" to him which would usually consist of several people shouting over one another in order to try to be funny. Not trying to sound cocky or anything, but I try to be a professional, not to upstage anyone or do anything lude unless it's asked for. Every class I have ever taken for acting/drama has consisted with at least 25% of the class trying to be "funny" and having it fall flat more times than not and only entertaining themselves. Somewhere circulating is a tape of me and several other people attempting to do a courtroom scene, and if I could locate it, I'd let you see what I mean, absolutely unprofessional behavior on their behalf.
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ODS
Title: Pretty Sweet Guy
Joined: Oct 21 2009
Posts: 139
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Haha that would be funny if you did a play over this site. We need our own play.
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jerknut
Joined: Sep 18 2009
Posts: 132
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Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead is awesomely hilarious.
My all-time favorite play (in a short list that basically includes these 2) is Endgame, by Beckett. Its awesome, bleak, funny, insane. Its also relatively short.
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MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm |
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