03 Jan Once you have memorized

FAS110 Living the Theatre

Module 2 Assignment

Monologue

For this module, you are the actor! You will choose one of the monologues below from Water by theSpoonful to memorize and perform. You will record this performance with your digital camera, cellphone, web cam, etc. and place that recording in the Assignment box no later than Sunday 11:59 PM

Video files tend to be large, so upload times to the Assignment box will vary depending on your Internetconnection speed. Before you submit your video, convert it to either a .wmv, .mov, or .mp4 file asthese file types will be most readily viewable by your instructor. There are many free video conversionsoftware packages available on the Internet. Just search for, select, and download the one you want touse and follow the instructions for converting videos. You may want to compress your video as well. Likeconversion software, there are many free compression software packages available on the Internet.

Haikumom’s Monologue, p. 417

Haikumom: Fountainhead, welcome to the dinner party. Granted, it’s a party we neverwanted to be invited to, but pull up a chair and pass the salt. Some people here may pourit in your wounds. Just like you, we’ve all crawled on the floor with a flashlight. We’vethrown out the brillo and bought some more. But guess what? You had three days. Forthree days straight, you didn’t try to kill yourself on an hourly basis. Please. Talk to yourwife about your addiction. You need every supporting resource. You are in for the fight ofyour life.

Chutes&Ladders Monologue, p. 426 (cut for continuity)

Chutes&Ladders: I have three grandsons. You know how I know that? Because I rang myson’s doorbell one day. Step 9, make amends. And his wife answered, and I don’t blameher for hating me. But I saw three little boys in that living room and one of those boys said,“Daddy, who’s that man at the door?” And my son said to my grandson, “I don’t know. Hemust be lost.” My son came outside, closed the door behind him, exchanged a few cordialwords and then asked me to go. I had five years sober until that day.

Chutes&Ladders Monologue, p. 428Chutes&Ladders: (On the phone) Yeah, it’s a 1995 Tercel. Midnight blue. It’s got a fewmiles. A hundred and twenty thousand. But like I said, I’ll give it to you for three hundredbelow Kelley Blue Book. Yup, automatic. Just got new brake pads. Cassette deck, mintcondition. I’ll even throw in a few tapes. Tina Turner and Lionel Richie. Oh, hold on, callwaiting.

(He presses mute. Sings to himself)

A tisket, a tasket.

A green and yellow basket.

I bought a basket for my mommy.

On the way I dropped it.

Was it red? No no no no!

Was it brown? No no no no!

(Back into the phone) Sorry about that. I got someone else interested. No, it’s alright. Ihave them on hold. You need to see this thing tonight if you’re serious. I put this listing upthirty minutes ago, my phone is ringing off the hook. 6:30? Hey, I didn’t mention. Littlelady has racing stripes.

Yaz’s monologue, p. 432

Yaz: You know where I was gonna be by thirty? Two kids. Equal-housework marriage.Tenure, no question. Waaaaaay tenured, like by the age of twenty-four. Carnegie Halldebuts Yazmin Ortiz’s “Oratorio for Electric Guitar and Children’s Choir.” I wrote a list on apiece of paper and dug a hole in Fairmont Park and put it in the ground and said, “When Iturn thirty, I’ll dig you up and croos it all off.” And I promise you I’ll never have thecourage to go to that spot with a shovel and face my list full of crumbs, decoys, andbandaids.

Assignment Guidelines:

Once you have memorized the monologue, you are ready to perform it. Since you will have read the play,you should have an understanding of who these people are. Remember to ask yourself “Who?” “Why?”and “How?” for overall meaning and “What?” “Why?” and “How?” for every action you perform. Will youuse an internal or external approach? Is there any subtext in your monologue?

You will be graded on the following criteria:

Projection/diction: Could your instructor hear and understand you? Were you speaking tooquickly or too slowly?

Emotional connection: Did you perform the piece or just recite it?

Familiarity: Did you maintain “eye contact” with the recording device? Did you stumble forwords? Were there unnecessarily long pauses?