Monologue

All actors and acting teachers need The Ultimate Scene and Monologue Sourcebook, the invaluable guide to finding just the right piece for every audition. The unique format of the book is ideal for acting teachers who want their students to understand each monologue in context. This remarkable book describes the characters, action, and mood for more than 1,000 scenes in over 300 plays. Using these guidelines, the actor can quickly pinpoint the perfect monologue, then find the text in the Samuel French or Dramatist Play Service edition of the play. Newly revised and expanded, the book includes the author’s own assessment of each monologue.

This unique anthology provides a wealth of material for actors and acting students, and a wonderful overview of the best recent plays for anyone interested in theatre. The more than 150 monologues cover a diverse range of subjects, and offer a variety of dramatic styles and moods. Each monologue is introduced with a short description of the plot, setting, and character type by the leading plauwrights of our time. Featured dramatists include: Christopher Durang, Wendy Wasserstein, Lanford Wilson, Wallace Shawn, Tina Howe, Caryl Churchill, Athol Fugard, Beth Henley, Sam Shepard, David Henry Hwang, Harry Kondoleon, John Patrick Shanley, Larry Shue, Michael Weller, David Rabe, Marsha Norman, August Wilson, Albert Innaurato, Jules Feiffer, Harold Pinter, David Hare, Jose Rivera, Tom Stoppard, John Guare, David Mamet, Charles Fuller, William Matrosimone, Robert Patrick, Miguel Pinero

Through the deconstruction of these monologues, actors will learn to develop and maintain solo scenes that will communicate six important elements about their casting suitability. Developing the proper mindset and applying this deconstruction process will best prepare the actor for selecting an appropriate monologue from any source and delivering achievable performance goals.

"This first-of-its-kind anthology of comic and serious monologues is specially tailored for actors age 55 and older. Leading American playwrights have penned characters who are fresh and reflective of older adults in the modern world. A convenient source book of monologues ideally suited for auditions or acting classes. The book also contains suggestions and exercises to use when preparing for an audition, plus listings of previously published and produced classical, comic and serious monologues for mature actors and actresses." -- p. [4] of cover.

Drawing on conversations with hundreds of women about their genitalia, the author presents a collection of performance pieces from her one-woman show of the same name.

The dramatic monologue is traditionally associated with Victorian poets such as Robert Browning and Alfred Tennyson, and is generally considered to have disappeared with the onset of modernism in the twentieth century. Glennis Byron unravels its history and argues that, contrary to belief, the monologue remains popular to this day. This far-reaching and neatly structured volume: * explores the origins of the monologue and presents a history of definitions of the term * considers the monologue as a form of social critique * explores issues at play in our understanding of the genre, such as subjectivity, gender and politics * traces the development of the genre through to the present day. Taking as example the increasingly politicized nature of contemporary poetry, the author clearly and succinctly presents an account of the monologue's growing popularity over the past twenty years.

In 'Browning and the Dramatic Monologue', S. S. Curry provides a thoughtful analysis of Robert Browning's use of the dramatic monologue in his poetry, exploring how Browning uses this form to develop characters and plot. Curry points out that each monologue is delivered to a specific listener, who shapes and guides the protagonist's narrative. In the first part of the book, Curry delves into the history and elements of the dramatic monologue, while in the second part, he examines how to effectively render the monologue through oral performance. With insightful commentary and examples from Browning's works, this book is a valuable resource for scholars and lovers of poetry alike.