One on One: The Best Womens Monologues for the 21st Century (The Applause Acting Series) [Paperback]

Joyce Henry (Editor), Rebecca Dunn Jaroff (Editor), Bob Shuman (Editor)

Book Description

Series: The Applause Acting Series | Publication Date: October 1, 2007

Three editors, each associated with theatre, collaborated on this book of monologues for actresses. What they discovered, besides bravura pieces for auditions, acting classes, and study, was the pulse of the millennial theatrical scene. A follow-up to the popular previous edition from the 1990s, One on One: The Best Women's Monologues for the 21st Century includes the work of over 70 playwrights, spotlighting the best of Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional, and experimental writings since 2000. A special introduction also explains how to choose, practice, and perform a speech for auditions. Comic or serious - or both - the monologues are written for young, old, and multicultural players by famous names and up-and-coming talent. Anna Deavere Smith records abuse in "real" relationships (House Arrest); August Wilson relates trials of those who survived coming to America - and those who did not (Gem of the Ocean); and William Gibson recreates the dark, fledgling days of Israel (Golda's Balcony). Additional works include Are You Ready? by David Auburn, Bad Dates by Theresa Rebeck, The Committee by Brian Dykstra, and many others.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Joyce Henry is professor emeritus of Theatre & Communications at Ursinus College, Philadelphia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Applause Books (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557837007
• ISBN-13: 978-1557837004
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #162,604 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Compiled by English teachers, not actors..., July 22, 2009

By 

Aj Allegra "A.J. Allegra" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One on One: The Best Womens Monologues for the 21st Century (The Applause Acting Series) (Paperback)

To take nothing away from the value of what they do, but these authors, by their description do not seem like the best collection of individuals to assemble a comprehensive monologue collection for actors. Between the three of them, one is a Theatre/Communications PhD with a specialty in shakespeare, one is an assistant English professor, and one is an editor and playwright. The problem here is that none of these people have likely ever been in the professional actor's position of searching for effective monologues. As such, the monologues in this book come from compelling stories, but severely lack much of the criteria for an effective live monologue:
-a clear need
-active, present voice (not a re-told story)
-an arc or change

The majority of the monologues in this book fall into the undesirable categories of stories, phone conversations (?? ive never seen a compilation with so many completely un-actable phone conversations. YOU CANNOT BRING THIS INTO AN AUDITION!), and one-directional rants. I've read many books under the Applause Books heading, but this is honestly one of the weakest. A poor, poor collection of mostly unusable monologues.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wealth of Exceptional Women's Monologues, December 7, 2007

By 

Keith Strunk "River Union Stage" (Frenchtown, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One on One: The Best Womens Monologues for the 21st Century (The Applause Acting Series) (Paperback)

As a director of a professional theater, I can tell you that the right monologue is vital for a great audition. Finding the perfect monologue is a hard task for any actor and it's even harder for female actors. This wonderful resource provides a wealth of women's monologues for both the professional and educational theater. After providing solid advice for choosing the right monologue, Henry, Jaroff, and Shuman offer a robust choice of monologues from a wide range of playwrights and styles. Thoughtful, complex, and beautifully theatrical, these monologues provide plenty of choices for the perfect monologue. A must have for any actor's library!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Monologues on fire!, November 19, 2007

By 

Liz (Westchester, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One on One: The Best Womens Monologues for the 21st Century (The Applause Acting Series) (Paperback)

Really funny monologues (Holly Hughes's, Christopher Durang's, Peter Petralia's, and Laurel Haines's); serious (William Gibson's, Neil LaBute's, and August Wilson's); and some just plain dangerous (Anna Deavere Smith's and Lydia Lunch's). The work is from 2000 and after--the playwrights are diverse, including Theresa Rebeck, Murray Schisgal, and Nilo Cruz. About seventy good parts to choose from--nice pieces by Maria Irene Fornes, Crystal Field, Young Jean Lee, David Simpatico, and Anne Elliott--way too many to count. Meryl Streep, eat your heart out!