Some of the speeches in the Laramie Project didn’t have the heart that the Vagina Monologues did because the speakers had to maintain continuity with the story and had to direct their feelings toward an interviewer. This makes me think that whenever possible, a monologue should be about the most emotionally important thing to that character. The Vagina Monologues and the Laramie Project naturally create that connection through a strong emotional bond with their subject matter.
The monologues in the reading all gave me the “oh, that’s why” feeling once I finished them. The beauty of a monologue is the internal story arc that is opened, explored, and closed almost immediately. When a speaker is talking it becomes a game to figure out what they are talking about. All of a sudden and without warning the speaker reveals fact after fact, breathing life and explanation into an enigma Before I have had the time to decide how I feel about the character, the monologue is over and I am left feeling like a part of me has been removed. Most of the monologues I read followed that pattern or a similar one.
I don’t like Neil Simon plays because the characters seem contrived. Their words are so perfect and balanced that they rub me the wrong way. I didn’t connect to Sonnets for an Old Century as much as I did the other readings for the same reason. People don’t often repeat the beginning of a phrase and vary the end over and over again. It sounds nice, but ultimately means almost nothing. Stories aren’t usually linear in someone head, so when the linearity was pristine it made me gag a little. People are imperfect. They stumble over words or say things out of order. Confusion is a reality. I like to struggle because it makes me feel like I have a real connection with a character. If the meaning, story line, and metaphors are packaged up with an instruction manual, chances are I'm not going to enjoy it.
I like monologues because of the self-exploration. In the audience I am a spy looking into someone’s life. They are pouring personal secrets onto the stage and I am lapping them up one after another. I am on a stakeout in their bedroom and I am privy to all of their imperfections, insecurities, and self blame. I am saying nothing about myself to reciprocate. Hearing something truthful and deeply, personally emotional is my goal as a listener, and I feel cheated when the speaker uses this time as a soapbox to show how smart and passionate they are. A good rule of thumb for me is that if the character wouldn't dare say their monologue in polite company or on a first date, it is probably a decent monologue. Safety and security must be shed to make way for heart.
WILLIAMS OUT
I really liked what you said about a monologue needing to be from the heart. I completely agree. Monologues are not believable I don't think with out realistic human emotion. I felt the same way about the Sonnets as you did. Something about them seemed to rehearsed and recited even just by a single read through. I also agree that the best monologues do not come out of polite "first date type situations" but i think that monologues can be very polite and very powerful, but they are much harder to make into a good monologue.
ReplyDeleteYou've done a great job nailing down what you mean here. At first I was feeling like "having heart" was a little vague, a little obvious, and true of all plays. But not so! You've done a good job being really clear here about what works for you and what doesn't. Interestingly, almost everyone in class liked Laramie best for exactly the reason it didn't quite work for you: plot. You argue -- and it's a great argument -- that monologues are better when they're self-contained. When they have to connect to others and tell a whole story and describe plot, that takes away from the monologue form (and then it might just as well be a traditional, dialogue-y play). Smart point and good lesson for your own writing.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of telling secrets -- the less acceptable and well articulated the better -- is also a good, practical approach. How to do this on stage? How to revise and revise writing until it seems unpolished and rehearse until it seems unrehearsed? How to write out of order? How to tell while pretending and sounding like you don't want to? These are all good things to want from a play and hard things to get out of it. If you can underline the moments where you see this sort of thing occurring as you read, you'll have a model to go back to next week when you write.
Rollie,
ReplyDeleteI think you are completely right about the heart idea. monologues are only fun when you are being let in on something; privileged knowledge that no one else gets to hear. I actually think that is part of the purpose of a monologue, isn't it? It's a sort of confessional. A monologue is a very isolating thing. You are not interacting with anyone else, all focus is on you; it freaking better be personal!
I did, however, really enjoy Sonnets from an Old Century, but i think it was the gothic romanticism in it that got to me. After reading what you said, I am kind of re-evaluating my stance on it. I think I was won over by the poetic nature, and not in any way by its realism as a monologue or confession.
And you also made a good point about voyeurism. That's why we are all here. Audience's are essentially the most socially-acceptable way of being a creep, so we should embrace it!
annie