It’s easy to make safe, boring acting choices on a last minute monologue. You haven’t had time to really live with the character or let your imagination simmer on this piece. A quick way to ensure you are making bold choices, within the context of the piece, is to write down the answer to the following three questions:
- Why is the character saying these words? Why is it important to speak these words to the other character in the scene right now, at this moment in the play? Write the answer as if you were the character. The answer will often start, “I want…” This will help you understand what is at stake for your character in this monologue.
If your monologue is not addressed to another person, the character is still talking to someone – God, herself, the audience. Make a choice and reinforce that by including in your answer “…from/by/to [person I’m talking to].”
For example, “I want to be seen, heard, and understood by The Universe, and I’ll know that happens when just one person looks at me and smiles,” or “I want Bobby to finally get over Samantha and see how much better I am for him.” - What is the big idea expressed by the character in this monologue. If you chunked and noted your monologue, as in last week’s suggestion [link], then you can review your notes in the margin and see very quickly what the big idea is. This will help you understand the character’s emotional arc.
To continue the above examples, the big idea might be “I feel alone, and I’m tired of feeling alone,” or “I want to be Bobby’s girlfriend.” - How is the other character reacting to each line? Imagine what the other character is doing as your character is speaking. If there is no one else in the scene, how does each line change what your character thinks about the situation? It can be helpful to do this exercise with a playful volunteer, but your imagination will do just fine if one is not on hand. This will help you create levels in your monologue, so that it is not flat and one-note.
Consider, for example, if your character is trying to stop another character from leaving, how would you react if the other person turned to the door? Put their hand on the doorknob? Had one foot out the door?
By writing your answers down, you will be able to literally see the journey your character takes in this monologue. Now, you don’t have to try to hold all of that and also the lines in your head, it is part of your memory with your other senses, too.