APR
6

Scheherazade and Whispers

Today’s monologues offer some serious dramatic lessons in subtlety and nuance.  With so many young actors still developing their stage voice, they are only now learning to convey moods like somber reflection, or austere guidance and authoritative tones.  Here, we have a bit of each.

In Whispers, by Kendra Thomas, we find Kate in her favorite pecan grove, reflecting on the death of her dad — an Iraq War casualty — as she also reacts and responds to the whispered memories of other military brats like her who have also lost parents in combat.  It’s a gripping monologue complete with intense vulnerability and a somber character arc.

The Grand Vizier from Susan Pargman’s Scheherazade delivers a subtle but strong message in his monologue, addressed to his eldest daughter (the title character), who plans to marry a cruel king with hopes of changing him.  Rather than lecture or chide his daring daughter, the Grand Vizier instead offers a parable with a frank message:  don’t overestimate the unfettered cruelty of a bitter king, lest you become his next victim.

Teachers and students, be sure to check out both FREE E-VIEWS of these plays (below).  Both are full or rich characters and compelling drama.

Here are our updated guidelines for Monologue Mania!  if you or any of your students wish to record and share their performance.  We’d love to see them!

• Perform the memorized Pioneer monologue either with or without costumes and/or props.
• Email your video to monologues@pioneerdrama.com or choose your favorite social media platform (Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook) to post your video using the hashtags #pioneerdrama and #monologuemania so we’re sure to see it. 
• Uploading the video and tagging it with #pioneerdrama gives Pioneer Drama Service explicit permission to share the entire video on our own social media platforms. 
• The video must start with the following:
• The performer’s first name
• The full name of the play
• The full name of the playwright(s)
• “Published by Pioneer Drama Service”
• A short introduction to set the scene.  For many plays, this can be done in just one or two lines.
• Do NOT include your full name or any school name or location since we want to protect everyone’s privacy.

Here are today’s monologues:

Male:  https://www.PioneerDrama.com/Newsletter/Teaching_Resources/Scheherazade-Grand_Vizier.pdf

Female:  https://www.PioneerDrama.com/Newsletter/Teaching_Resources/Whispers-Kate.pdf