APR
8

The Last Leaf and Pride and Prejudice

Today’s monologues present two very different dramatic perspectives.

In Thomas Hischak’s adaptation of The Last Leaf, we find Sue consoling and trying to protect her dying friend Johnsy, who is convinced she will perish when the last leaf falls from an ivy vine outside her window.  “Oh, I’ve never heard such nonsense!”  Sue playfully chides, trying her best to remain upbeat and optimistic in the face of uncertainty.

In the monologue from Rebecca Gellott’s wonderful adaptation of the classic Pride and Prejudice, we find Darcy proposing to Miss Elizabeth Bennet.  In doing so, Darcy seems to be trying to reassure himself as much as he is reassuring Miss Bennet.  Coming off as both obtuse and condescending, he fails to do a very convincing job of it, despite his own self-confidence.

There’s no better time than the present for students to examine self-awareness through theatre.  After all, it’s only by being conscious of our own selves and our own behaviors that we can begin to see ourselves the way others do.  Whether you are a source of strength or completely clueless can be determined not just by the words you use, but by how you use them.

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/Pride_and_Prejudice-Darcy.pdf

Female:  https://www.PioneerDrama.com/Newsletter/Teaching_Resources/Last_Leaf-Sue.pdf