Monologues from Classic Plays: 468 B.C. to 1960 A.D. (Monologue Audition Series) [Paperback]

Jocelyn A. Beard (Editor), David Esbjornson (Introduction)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1880399091 | ISBN-13: 978-1880399095 | Publication Date: December 30, 1992 | Edition: 1

This collection of classic works successfully blends ancient and modern material to offer actors the best representative monologues from 2300 years of theater. This volume contains 104 dramatic, comic and serio-comic excerpts for all ages from 74 classics by the world's foremost playwrights including Aeschylus, Sophocles, Christopher Marlow, Shakespeare, Victor Hugo, Chekhov, Oscar Wilde, Eugene O'Neill, Stephan Vincent Benet, Tennessee Williams, Samuel Beckett, and Harold Pinter.

Complete with an introduction to each monologue, Monologues from Classic Plays is sure to become an indispensable resource for actors.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This newest title in a series of monolog books for actors brings thespians an intelligently chosen wealth of classical world theater. Most ages of drama are covered in the volume's selections, which are culled from 74 representative plays. Each scene is set by a brief introduction and an age indicator of the male or female character. One of the best things about this collection is that, while the plays selected for inclusion are indeed classics, many are not stock titles. Even better, the particular sections are not the obvious monolog choices. For example, in the women's section, there are two monologs from Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth. One is Sabrina's play opener, a standard, but the other is a speech by the Fortune Teller in Act II, which is a less likely selection. These are challenging pieces for the advanced performer. For serious theater collections.
- Diane H. Albosta, Episcopal H.S. Lib., Alexandria, Va.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Playwright/Editor Jocelyn A. Beard, a veteran of NYU's film school and the Yale School of Drama, has edited almost forty monologue books for Smith and Kraus. Her Screenplay, Igor and the Lunatics, was made into a feature film and subsequently listed in Heavy Metal magazine as "One of the 10 Sleaziest Movies Ever Made!" Notwithstanding, Jocelyn lives in an old haunted house in the Hudson River Valley with her husband, Kevin Kitowski, their beautiful daughter, Blythe, and lots of dogs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Smith & Kraus Pub Inc; 1 edition (December 30, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880399091
• ISBN-13: 978-1880399095
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,419,601 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Decent variety, a LOT of omissions, and where's the funny?, March 30, 2002

By 

R. Wilhelm "Tuba Babe" (Seattle, Wa USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monologues from Classic Plays: 468 B.C. to 1960 A.D. (Monologue Audition Series) (Paperback)

I bought this book for a couple of main reasons: I wanted to get a copy of both monologues from "The Skin of Our Teeth" that it has, and it had some Shakespeare monologues. I'm a comedic actress, and so I thought monologues from "The Taming of the Shrew" and "Midsummer Night's Dream" would be a good choice for me. Unfortunately, the editor has picked some non-comedic monologues from each of these plays. The VAST majority of pieces in here are dramatic monologues. It's probably a great book if that's what you enjoy, and certainly I can use it to develop my skills, but there are VERY few pieces for women that show OFF my talents. There are more comedic monologues for men, (the insult speech from Cyrano is here) but there are still WAY more dramatic monologues.
This brings me to the "Skin of Our Teeth" monologues. Or specifically, the opening monologue. The editor has taken out a sizable portion of the speech, wherein the actress breaks character to rant about the play. It's one of the reasons I like this piece so much. It's gone. AND there's no mention that the monologue has been edited. It causes me to wonder what's missing from the monologues I don't know as well. To add insult to injury, the book lists the character's name as "Sabrina." Her name is "Sabina." It's a smallish detail, but it points to a general lack of care. Again, I can't help but wonder what other details are wrong. There's a great variety of speeches, but VERY little explanation of the circumstances surrounding the speech, and NO footnotes to help interpret the older (Elizabethan and earlier) plays. It's a good idea, but the execution is sorely lacking.