In these pages, you will find a rich and varied selection of monologues from recent plays. Many are for younger performers (teens through thirties) but there are also some excellent pieces for women in their forties and fifties, and even a few for older performers. Many are comic (laughs), many are dramatic (generally, no laughs). Some are rather short, some are rather long. All represent the best in contemporary playwriting. Several of these pieces are by playwrights whose work may be familiar to you such as Don Nigro, Nilo Cruz, Lee Blessing, Theresa Rebeck, Paul Rudnick, Adam Bock, José Rivera and Stephen Belber; others are by exciting up-and-comers like Jim Knabel, Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, Quira Alegría Hudes, Caitlyn Montanye Parrish, Jenny Schwartz, Qui Nguyen, Kate Fodor, Young Jean Lee and Brett C. Leonard. All are representative of the best of contemporary writing for the stage. Most of the plays from which these monologues have been culled have been published and, hence, are readily available from the publisher/licensor or from theatrical book stores such as Drama Book Shop in New York. A few plays may not be published for a while, in which case contact the author or his agent for a copy of the entire text of the monologue that suits your fancy. Information on publishers/rights holders may be found in the Rights and Permissions section in the back of this anthology. Break a leg in that audition! Knock 'em dead in class! Lawrence Harbison Brooklyn, N.Y.
In these pages, you will find a rich and varied selection of monologues from recent plays. Many are for younger performers (teens through thirties) but there are also some excellent pieces for women in their forties and fifties, and even a few for older performers. Many are comic (laughs), many are dramatic (generally, no laughs). Some are rather short, some are rather long. All represent the best in contemporary playwriting. Several of these pieces are by playwrights whose work may be familiar to you such as Don Nigro, Nilo Cruz, Lee Blessing, Theresa Rebeck, Paul Rudnick, Adam Bock, José Rivera and Stephen Belber; others are by exciting up-and-comers like Jim Knabel, Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, Quira Alegría Hudes, Caitlyn Montanye Parrish, Jenny Schwartz, Qui Nguyen, Kate Fodor, Young Jean Lee and Brett C. Leonard. All are representative of the best of contemporary writing for the stage. Most of the plays from which these monologues have been culled have been published and, hence, are readily available from the publisher/licensor or from theatrical book stores such as Drama Book Shop in New York. A few plays may not be published for a while, in which case contact the author or his agent for a copy of the entire text of the monologue that suits your fancy. Information on publishers/rights holders may be found in the Rights and Permissions section in the back of this anthology. Break a leg in that audition! Knock 'em dead in class! Lawrence Harbison Brooklyn, N.Y.
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.
(Applause Acting Series). Culled from the finalists for the prestigious Steinberg/American Theatre Critics New American Play Award from the years 2008-2012, Scenes and Monologues from Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award Finalists, 2008-2012 presents some of the finest, sharpest, and most immediate scenes and monologues from contemporary American drama. The book is divided into male-female, male-male, female-female scenes as well as male and female monologues and multiple character scenes. Actors, teachers, students of drama, as well as theater lovers will be thrilled by entries from such recent hits as Time Stands Still , Superior Donuts , Detroit , Water by the Spoonful , and Dead Man's Cell Phone , as well as material from such lesser known-but soon to be widely celebrated plays as 9 Circles , Becky's New Car , Perfect Mendacity , Splinters , and On the Spectrum . All are superbly constructed dramas told with ferocity, passion, wit, and supreme insight. Collectively, these scripts by our most promising and creative playwrights including Sarah Ruhl, Tracy Letts, Lee Blessing, Rebecca Gilman, Donald Margulies, Naomi Iizuka, Bill Cain, Rinne Groff, Quaira Alegria Hudes, and Yussef El Guindi reflect a collective vision of today's America that is startling in its ability to reveal the pressing circumstances and realities, the diverse characters and conflicts, and the "forms and pressures" of our emerging millennial era.
sBuy this book It is a clever mix of fresh and wildly inventive monologues. The casting call will never be the same. Producers rejoice Laughter and joy return to the audition. - Jeff SharpFilm Producer, Boys Don't CrysFinally Original monologues thatsare actually original. These gals know how to write sharp, witty material. The laughter and tears are all in the right places. - Charles BuschPlaywright/ActorsMake them remember you. That's your goal at every audition. Make them remember you, get the callback, get the part. The right audition material is the first step.sFun. Bold. Brassy. Monologues for Show-Offs will get you noticed. sBesides having plenty of attitude, these showpieces alsosssssss are brand new. You won't rehash someone else's audition with these 74 original pieces to choose from. sssssss include performance notes. Daley and Halston offer their expertise in making your audition pop.sssssss offer plenty of material for both sexes.sssssss provide audition pieces of every length so you'll find just what you need in these pages.sssssss include smart advice on auditioning from industry insiders.sDon't just make a good impression, make a lasting one. Show Off Use Monologues for Show-Offs at your next audition and give the director something to remember - YOU
This year Smith and Kraus has decided to combine its annual best monologues and best scenes anthologies. The scenes included in this book are either for two men or for one man and one woman. The latter are scenes in which the male role is predominant.Here you will find a rich and varied selection of monologues and scenes from plays that were produced and/or published in the 2008-2009 theatrical season. Most are for younger performers (teens through thirties), but there are also some excellent pieces for men in their forties and fifties, and even a few for older performers. Some are comic (laughs), some are dramatic (generally, no laughs). Some are rather short, some are rather long. All represent the best in contemporary playwriting.Several of the monologues are by playwrights whose work may be familiar to you, such as Don Nigro, A. R. Gurney, Sam Bobrick, Terrence McNally, Adam Rapp, Steven Dietz, Itamar Moses, Stephen Belber, Keith Reddin, Naomi Iizuka, Michael Weller, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Richard Vetere, Bruce Graham, Jacquelyn Reingold, Sam Shepard, and Nicky Silver; others are by exciting up-and-comers like Octavio Solis, Lydia Stryk, Michael Vukadinovich, Liz Flahive, John Kolvenbach, Sylvia Reed, Barton Bishop, Padraic Lillis, Michael Golamco, and Lucy Thurber.The scenes are by master playwrights, such as Itamar Moses, Noah Haidle, Aguirre-Sacasa, and Silver, and by exciting new writers, such as Saviana Stanescu, E. M. Lewis, Jonathan Rand, Kolvenbach, Golamco, Larry Kunofsky, and Susan Bernfield. About the AuthorFor over thirty years Lawrence Harbison was in charge of new play acquisition for Samuel French, Inc., during which time his work on behalf of playwrights resulted in the first publication of such subsequent luminaries as Jane Martin, Don Nigro, Tina Howe, Theresa Rebeck, Jose Rivera, William Mastrosimone, Charles Fuller, and Ken Ludwig, among many others; and the acquisition of musicals such as Smoke of the Mountain, A...My Name Is Alice, Little Shop of Horrors and Three Guys Naked from the Waist Down. He is a now a free-lance editor, primarily for Smith and Kraus, Inc., for whom he edits annual anthologies of best plays by new playwrights and women playwrights, best ten-minute plays and best monologues and scenes for men and for women. For many years he wrote a weekly column on his adventures in the theater for two Manhattan Newspapers, the Chelsea Clinton News and The Westsider. His new column, On the Aisle with Larry, is a weekly feature at the Smith and Kraus website. He works with individual playwrights to help them develop their plays (visit Lawrence's website for details). He has also served as literary manager or literary consultant for several theatres, such as Urban Stages and American Jewish Theatre. He is a member of the NYC press corps and is an Outer Critics Circle member. He has served many times over the years as a judge and commentator for various national play contests and lectures regularly at colleges and universities. He holds a B.A. from Kenyon College and an M.A. from the University of Michigan. He is currently working on a book, Masters of the Contemporary American Drama.
(Applause Acting Series). Lawrence Harbison has selected 100 terrific monologues for women from contemporary plays, all by characters between the ages of 18 and 35 perfect for auditions or class. There are comic monologues (laughs) and dramatic monologues (no laughs). Most have a compelling present-tense action for actors to perform. A few are story monologues and they're great stories. Actors will find pieces by star playwrights such as Don Nigro, Itamar Moses, Adam Bock, and Jane Martin; by exciting up-and-comers such as Nicole Pandolfo, Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, Crystal Skillman, Greg Kalleres, and Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig; and information on getting the complete text of each play. This is a must-have resource in the arsenal of every aspiring actor hoping to knock 'em dead with her contemporary piece after bowling over teachers and casting directors alike with a classical excerpt.
"Darkly hilarious...an unexpected bundle of joy." -O, The Oprah Magazine Alice Cohen was happy for the first time in years. After a difficult divorce, she had a new love in her life, she was raising a beloved adopted daughter, and her career was blossoming. Then she started experiencing mysterious symptoms. After months of tests, x-rays, and inconclusive diagnoses, Alice underwent a CAT scan that revealed the truth: she was six months pregnant. At age forty-four, with no prenatal care and no insurance coverage for a high-risk pregnancy, Alice was besieged by opinions from doctors and friends about what was ethical, what was loving, what was right. With the intimacy of a diary and the suspense of a thriller, What I Thought I Knew is a ruefully funny, wickedly candid tale; a story of hope and renewal that turns all of the "knowns" upside down.
From the New York Times bestselling author Catherynne Valente comes a ferocious riff on the women in superhero comics. The Refrigerator Monologues is a collection of linked stories from the points of view of the wives and girlfriends of superheroes, female heroes, and anyone who’s ever been “refrigerated”: comic book women who are killed, raped, brainwashed, driven mad, disabled, or had their powers taken so that a male superhero’s storyline will progress. In an entirely new and original superhero universe, Valente subversively explores these ideas and themes in the superhero genre, treating them with the same love, gravity, and humor as her fairy tales. After all, superheroes are our new fairy tales and these six women have their own stories to share.
