APR
13

Anne of Green Gables and The Selfish Giant

Today’s classic monologues will allow students to be their most boisterous, brash, and rambunctious selves.

Almost all of us know the story of Anne of Green Gables.  And in this monologue from the classic adaptation by Jody Johnston Davidson, we find Anne regaling a guest with a most revolting story of carelessness and neglect, and the ensuing, unyielding guilty conscience that finally leads Anne to do the right thing — and not a moment too soon.  It’s classic Anne, at her worst, and at her best.

In Michelle Van Loon’s adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s classic, The Selfish Giant, literal blowhard North Wind talks up a storm trying to convince Frost, Hail, and Snow just how powerfully destructive he can be.  But is North Wind the real deal, or is he really just blowing hot air instead of a cool breeze?

Besides capturing the bravado of these candid characters, students can also work on “reacting” to other “onstage” characters — even when nobody else is actually there.  By practicing the technique alone, young actors will be better equipped when they do return to the stage to focus on not just speaking, but also listening and reacting to fellow actors.  After all, a monologue might be a solo performance, but it’s often the other actors who add the finishing touches for fully developed character.

As a reminder, 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/Selfish_Giant-North_Wind.pdf

Female:  https://www.PioneerDrama.com/Newsletter/Teaching_Resources/Anne_of_Green_Gables-Anne.pdf