MONOLOGUE ASSIGNMENT SHEETS

Sample Monologue        Sample Monologue with verbs and indicators        Sample Responses        Verb Chart         Sample  Working Chart  Blank Working Chart

CREATING THE CHARACTER ASSIGNMENT

 

back to monologues

THE MONOLOGUE ASSIGNMENT

Directions:

  1. Choose two contrasting (different) monologues that will best show your depth of talent.
  2. Go through each monologue and pick points that illustrate transitions and verb tactics
  3. Write the VERBS (I am not looking for emotions…those come from the verbs)
  4. Write questions that will help motivate your lines. Those questions will be answered by the lines in the monologue.
  5. Fill out character chart. USE VERBS
  6. Turn in the following things for each monologue

                    a—Your monologue with verbs

b—Your monologue with numbers illustrating where questions/statements would be

c—The questions/statements the "scene partner" would say

d—Character Chart

 

DRAW THE LINE--a monologue sample

Look. I can't keep living like that. Going like that. I don't know how you do it. Up at the crack of dawn and just go, go, go ... leave the office at midnight, rush home and fall into the bed-collapse into the bed ... it feels like I've just closed my eyes, just shut them, when-(Makes an alarm sound)-all of a sudden, the alarm goes off and it's time to start allover again! (Beat.) I went to see my Dentist day before yesterday, you know, to have my teeth cleaned. Thanks. Well, I said, to him, I said, Dr. Parker, I have this problem ... my gums are bleeding a lot. And he looked at them and he said, well, you take care of them. They look perfectly healthy to me. And he said, are you under a lot of stress? And I said, no. And he said, are you eating well? And I said, yeah, sure. And he said the human body is an amazing machine. If you don't take care of it, it tries to talk to you, to tell you something. So he looked at my gums again and he finally said for me to go on home. But I went back to work. (Beat.) Around midnight, I left work and stopped by McDonald's to get a Quarter Pounder on the way home. Like, my evening ritual. They know me so well now they have it on the counter by the time I get my money out. So there I was at 2 a.m. choking down this cold, crappy food which has become the staple of my life ... I'm eating over the bathroom sink, washing the makeup off from under my eyes and it's gotten where I have to put it on so thick just so I can hide all the circles ... and I just started to cry. I'm, like, my life is my job and I hate my job and I hate my life! I cried for hours. I finally went to bed around dawn and unplugged my phone. I slept for 15 hours straight. And when I finally woke up, I called in. And quit. (Beat.) You just get to a point where you've got to draw the line somewhere. I wanted my life back.

 

DRAW THE LINE—monologue with verbs

1)Look. I can't keep living like that. Going like that. 2) I don't know how you do it. Up at the crack of Grabbing    Attention                     defying circumstances     confused                     define differences

dawn and just go, go, go ... 3) leave the office at midnight, rush home and fall into the bed-collapse

into the bed ... 4)it feels like I've just closed my eyes, just shut them, when-(Makes an alarm
explaining

sound)-all of a sudden, the alarm goes off and it's time to start allover again! (Beat.) 5)I went to see
startle

my Dentist day before yesterday, you know, to have my teeth cleaned. 6)Thanks. 7)Well, I said, to
clarify                                                                                                 accept compliment

him, I said, Dr. Parker, I have this problem ... my gums are bleeding a lot. And he looked at them
continuing story

and he said, well, you take care of them. They look perfectly healthy to me. And he said, are you
irony

under a lot of stress? And I said, no. And he said, are you eating well? And I said, yeah, sure.

And he said the human body is an amazing machine. If you don't take care of it, it tries to talk to

you, to tell you something. 8)So he looked at my gums again and he finally said for me to go on home. 9) But I went back to work. 10.) Around midnight, I left work and stopped by McDonald's
confide illustrate

to get a Quarter Pounder on the way home. 11) Like, my evening ritual. 12)They know me so well now
                                                                                            persist

they have it on the counter by the time I get my money out. 13)So there I was at 2 a.m. choking
                                                                                                                    depict

down this cold, crappy food which has become the staple of my life ... 14)I'm eating over the bathroom sink, washing the makeup off from under my eyes and it's gotten where I have to put it on so thick just so I can hide all the circles ... and I just started to cry. 15)I'm, like, my life is my job
                        self-comprehend

and I hate my job and I hate my life! 16)I cried for hours. 17)I finally went to bed around dawn and discouraged

unplugged my phone. I slept for 15 hours straight. And when I finally woke up, I called in. And
                                restored                                                                 surprised

quit. (Beat.)18) You just get to a point where you've got to draw the line somewhere. 19) I wanted my
                        resolve                                                                                                     confirm

life back.

Response motivators

1—You okay? What’s going on with you?

2—What are you talking about?

3—It’s no big deal

4—Oh, come on, quit whining

5-- Is it really that bad?

6—Your teeth look really good.

7—So, what did the dentist say?

8—I’ve heard that.

9—That’s good advice if you’re so stressed out.

10—Did you stay long?

11—McDonald’s? Yuck.

12—You go there a lot?

13—So, you got your food…then what?

14—Damn, that sucks

15—You cried?

16—Did you cry long?

17—What did you do?

18—You did WHAT?

19—Wow!

WORKING CHART

SCENE TITLE: ______DRAW THE LINE_______________________
ACTOR: _____SARAH BERNHARDT____

What do you want: USE VERB!!!
Understanding : I want my friend to understand why I am changing my life
Sympathetic feelings: I want sympathetic reactions for my situation and a life: I want to take control of my situation

What is in your way
social acceptance: External: People don’t accept failures who quit their jobs
                        Internal: My own feelings of failure
Scorn: External     My perfect friend who does everything right
        Internal         I feel ashamed by my own weakness

What do you do to get what you want
Rationalize: Justify my actions with overstating them trying to use humor
Regroup: Sleep, re-think my situation, make a decision

What are the "stakes"
My livliehood If I quit my job I won’t have any money, I will lose my house and car and have to live with my parents
Social Respect: Grown-ups don’t quit, they perserver

Past Life
School Life:     High School, College just worked to get high GPA, didn’t learn to time manage for relaxation and personal life
Last Week:     Working working working working working
Last night:     Freaked out, fell apart, collapsed in a heap

Long Range:
relief         I want relief from the pain of the crummy life I am leading

Short Range:
to decide        I must decide what to do with the rest of my life
rest             I want to be able to rest, to sleep peacefully and get a life that I will enjoy

What part does the environment play and how is it used for character? I was raised to be "perfect," to do what I was told without making my own decisions about my happiness. My job is miserable and so am I.

RELATIONSHIP CHART

YOUR CHARACTER OTHER CHARACTERS TEXT EVIDENCE EMOTIONAL BASE IDEAL VERBS
Susanne My Friend I don’t know how you do it Friendship, love Admiration, respect
My Dentist I went to see my dentist day before yesterday Professional Professional respect
McDonald’s guy I left work and stopped by McDonalds Needy, bored Support, expectation
The Bathroom Mirror Eating over the bathroom sink shame, anxiety, fear blame, accuse, exhaust

VERBS (not all of them, just some of them…for God’s sake, people, get a dictionary!)
A B C D E F G H I J K L M
Absolve Backbite Cajole Damn Ease Fabricate Fall Haggle Implore Jab Kibbitz Lash Madden
Accommodate Badger Calm Dare Eject Figure out Galvanize Halt Impose Jest Kid Lectrure Manipulate
Accost Baffle Captivate Dazzle Electrify Finagle Give Hammer Impress Jolt   Level with Meddle
Acquaint Ban Capture Debate Embarrass Flatter Glorify Harangue Incite Jostle   Libel Mediate
Admonish Banish Castrate Defeat Emphasize Flirt Goad Harass Incriminate Justify   Liberate Menace
Affront Battle Censor Defend Enchant Foil Gossip Harm Inflame     Lure Minimize
Aid Beg Challenge Defy Encourage Fool Grill Hasten Influence     Lust after Misdirect
Alarm Belabor Charge Delay Enlighten Forbid Guide Help Infuriate       Mislead
Amuse Belittle Charm Delight Enthuse Force   Hinder Ingratiate       Mistify
Annihilate Beseech Chase Demand Entice Forestall   Hint Insist       Moralize
Antagonize Besmirch Chastise Demoralize Entrap Forgive   Hound Instruct       Muster
Appear Betray Checkmate Discipline Evict Free   Hustle Inspire        
Argue Bolster Coerce Dissuade Excite Frighten     Insult        
Arouse Boost Command Dominate Exclude       Interrogate        
Astonish Bribe Compel Drive Exploit       Intimidate        
Avenge Brighten Complain Dupe Expose       Investigate        
Awaken   Confide   Eye       Irk        
                         

 

N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Nag Object Pardon Quibble Rap Scare Tantalize Unburden Validate Wallop N/a Yield Zap
Nail Obstruct Partronize Quit Ratify Scoff Taunt Undercut Vanquish Warn      
Needle Offend Penetrate   Rattle Scorch Testify Unify Victimize Whitewash      
Neglect Opress Perform   Rebut Seduce Thank Unmask Vindicate Welsh      
Negotiate Order Persist   Reckon Settle Threaten Unnerve Vouch Whore      
Nourish Ostracize Persuade   Recommend Sever Thwart Unsettle   Win      
Nudge Outshine Petition   Recruit Shatter Tickle Unveil   Worship      
Nurse Outwit Petrify   Rectify Slash Tire Uplift   Wound      
Nurture Overcome Pierce   Reject Smear Tolerate            

Some extra words (cos I’m feeling nice):

C O P R S T
Confront Overpower Pinpoint Reprimand Smother Toughen
Conquer Overrule Plan Repudiate Solicit Tout
Conspire Overthrow Plead Resolve Soothe Transport
Contest Overwhelm Please Restrain Spar Traumatize
Contradict   Pledge Rid of Stalk Trounce
Convince   Plot Rip Startle Tweak
Correct   Poke Romanticize Stifle Tyrannize
Counsel   Police Rouse Sting  
    Pounce   Stipulate  
    Preach   Stop  
    Preempt   Strengthen  
    Preside   Stun  
    Probe   Subdue  
    Prohibit   Suggest  
    Protect   Support  
    Provoke   Suppress  
    Pry   Surprise  
    Pursue   Suspect  

OPEN WORKING CHART

SCENE TITLE: _________________________________________________

ACTOR: _______________________ __________________

What do you want: USE VERB!!!

______________:  _______________________________________________________________________________

______________:________________________________________________________________________________

What is in your way

______________: External__________________________________________________________________________

                                    Internal__________________________________________________________________________

______________: External__________________________________________________________________________

                                    Internal__________________________________________________________________________

What do you do to get what you want

______________: ________________________________________________________________________________

______________: ________________________________________________________________________________

What are the "stakes"

______________:  ________________________________________________________________________________

______________: ________________________________________________________________________________

Past Life

______________: ________________________________________________________________________________

______________: _______________________________________________________________________________

Long Range:

______________: ________________________________________________________________________________

______________: ________________________________________________________________________________

Short Range:

______________: ________________________________________________________________________________

______________: ________________________________________________________________________________

What part does the environment play and how is it used for character?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

RELATIONSHIP CHART

CHARACTER OTHER CHARACTER TEXT EVIDENCE EMOTIONAL BASE IDEAL VERBS