Acting: Lesson 2 - Charting the Monologue
LESSON PLAN
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(click to expand)
CHARTING THE MONOLOGUE
OBJECTIVE: To analyze a character in a monologue from an active, external perspective.
DESCRIPTION: Students analyze a monologue as a standalone story with its own structure, using the rest of the play as previous action, then dissect the monologue on a chart and choose actionable verbs and adverbs for performance, culminating in the first of three showings.
TIME NEEDED
Choosing a Monologue & Introductory Questions: 75-90 minutes
Charting the Monologue: 90 minutes
First Showing: 45 minutes (depending on class size)
MATERIALS
Journal and pencil
Chromebook (or other portable computer) or blank notebook paper & ruler
Whiteboard with dry erase markers (or large paper on an easel)
Assorted scripts of full-length plays
Handout: Character Questionnaire
Handout: Working for Your Own Satisfaction (2 sides)
Class copies of The Monologue Audition, Karen Kohlhaas (Introduction/Preface & Ch. 1-2)
Class copies of Actions: The Actors’ Thesaurus, Marina Caldarone and Maggie Lloyd-Williams
INSTRUCTION
Entry Prompt (5 minutes): In their journals, students answer this prompt, “When you audition for a play or musical, what is in your control? What is not in your control? List at least five (5) items in each of the following categories: before the audition; preparation; the audition; after the audition; long-term.”
Discussion (5-7 minutes): Students form a circle, sit in a comfortable position, and share their answers to the entry prompt. Teacher or a student volunteer draws two columns on the board/easel: “In Your Control” and “Out of Your Control”. Once discussion is finished, hand out the sheet “Working for Your Own Satisfaction,” giving the students 60 seconds to read it over, then ask what they notice. Observations they should make include just how much is in their control, especially when it comes to the “Preparation” column (it’s all in their control) and which stage is most out of their control (the audition itself). Is there anything they would add and/or subtract?
Activity: Choosing a Monologue (45 minutes)
Transition: “The monologue you choose can make all the difference in your getting cast or someone else getting the job. This unit isn’t about just choosing the right monologue for you, but a deeper analysis that will allow for more specific choices and actions.”
Inform students they will choose their own monologue to analyze and perform
The monologue is from a full-length play, not a one-act nor from a book of monologues.
The monologue tells a complete story (beginning, middle, climax, end).
The monologue is conceivably in your playing range; for teenage actors, there are some exceptions that can be made for character age.
The monologue should not require complicated props; usually for an audition, it’s unusual to bring any props with you.
Minimum length: 90 seconds
Maximum length: 2 minutes
Direct students to the assorted scripts, to the classroom library, or the school library.
Check-in with students during this reading/selection process and assist when needed.
Wrap up (5 minutes)
Exit Slip: Students identify their monologue, the play it comes from, and why they chose it. Students attach a scan of the monologue or type it out with proper heading.
Homework: Students read the rest of their chosen play for the next section.
Note: Teacher may need to help students narrow down their selections based on their range.
Activity: Character Questionnaire (30-45 minutes)
By now, students should have read the play that their monologue comes from.
Read pages 3-7 of chapter 1 of the Kohlhaas text, stopping at the “Structure” section (that comes in the next activity).
Handout the character questionnaire; students will answer the following questions:
Monologue Title (Character Name, Play, Act/Scene)
Who is the character addressing?
Where does this monologue appear in the play?
What has happened up to this point in the play (including the scene the monologue is in)?
Why is this character speaking the monologue now?
What does my character want the other character(s) to do as a result of hearing this monologue?
What are the stakes? What will happen if my character doesn’t get what they want?
Does the character succeed or fail?
What is the Story of this monologue? Summarize what happens during the monologue in your own words.
If students finish early, they should start reading their monologue aloud and begin their memorization process.
Activity: Charting the Monologue (90 minutes)
Students create a spreadsheet with four columns (more added in future lessons) using a Chromebook or other personal computer; otherwise a blank sheet of notebook paper and a ruler will be sufficient.
Column 1: Section
Read pages 7-13 of Chapter 1 of the Kohlhaas text starting at the “Structure” section.
Decide (but do not write yet) which line(s) are the Beginning, then Middle, Climax, and End
Column 2: Chunk
Read pages 15-17 of Chapter 2 of the Kohlhaas text.
To divide their monologue into specific chunks, decide which line(s) are single thoughts or points your character is making.
In the second column, start by writing the chunk(s) comprising the beginning sections, with horizontal lines between each chunk. Use the example chart on page 16.
Once the entire monologue has been divided into chunks, write the section names (Beginning, Middle, Climax, End) next to the first chunk of that section.
Note: The climax should be its own chunk.
Column 3: Description
Read pages 17-22 of Chapter 2 of the Kohlhaas text.
Students add actionable (or “seeable”) descriptions for each chunk using their copy of Actions. Use the examples of verbs and adverbs on pages 20-21 of the text.
Descriptions consist of a verb and adverb.
Column 4: Size & Speed
Read pages 22-27 of Chapter 2 of the Kohlhaas text.
Students choose big or small paired with slow or fast, using variety to make sure no chunk repeats the same size & speed twice in a row (e.g. “Big and Fast” or “Small and Slow”).
Note: An example of the author’s process and their chart can be seen throughout Chapter 2: Making Choices.
Activity: Partner Rehearsal & First Showing (1-2 class periods)
Students take turns rehearsing with a partner who will give them peer feedback.
Students will submit their chart to the teacher at the time of the first showing.
Write a numbered list on the board/easel, and students will sign up for the order in which they perform.
When each student enters the stage or performance space, set chairs or any needed set pieces.
Each monologue begins with a slate: “My name is [STUDENT NAME] and I will be performing [CHARACTER] from [PLAY].”
After the monologue, students will end with a “button,” meaning a short beat or pause before saying “thank you” and exiting the stage.
Wrap-up (5 minutes): Students will write a reflective journal entry on their first showing and the charting process: What was your experience in this activity? What was easy? What was challenging? What can you learn about a character through this chunking/charting process? How can you apply actionable verbs, sizes, and speeds to future work?
ASSESSMENTS
Formative:
Journal entry
Participation in class discussions
Exit Slip: Choosing a monologue
Character Questionnaire:
Are all questions answered thoroughly?
Is it evident that the student read and understood the entire play?
Is there attention to sentence structure, spelling, and grammar?
Summative:
Monologue Chart:
Chunks
Don’t overlap beginning, middle, and end
Are distinct units
Different lengths
Not too many or too few (7-10 chunks)
Climax is its own chunk
Descriptions
Are actionable verbs and adverbs
Suggest a vivid image for each chunk
Contain no plot
Each word used only once
Have variety
Comprise a complete story
Sizes & Speeds
Are not repeated twice in a row?
Have variety
First Showing of Monologue:
Is the student off-book?
Did they make good use of in-class rehearsal time ?
Is the performance an accurate representation of their chart?
Did the student begin and end the monologue appropriately (slate, button, etc)?
REFLECTION
This lesson comprised a significant part of my first quarter; I could sense that this was a “make or break” moment for this small acting class. Incredibly, I was able to guide my students through the directing portion of Karen Kohlhaas’ The Monologue Audition with moderate success: seven of the eight students actually performed a first showing. That is 87.5%, after all! I thought there could be more structure in the chart form, and perhaps move on to the second half of her text if students proved capable.
But two of those seven students turned in a below average chart and as I briefly mentioned in my explanation of the scope and sequence, not only were they on-book, they were so dependent on that script and mispronouncing basic words and names that I knew for certain these students had not read this aloud more than once, if at all. Scripts would be forgotten multiple times (and I would graciously reprint); visiting students were dismissed as my students were attempting to work on assignments for other classes. Several times, I found myself saying “Is this an acting class or a study hall?”
I couldn’t let them siphon time and focus away from the majority of the class who was actually putting in solid effort and discovering deeper, more “seeable” action for these monologues, as can be seen in the photos and video on this page. Across the board, surprisingly, students had difficulty choosing their monologue. Surely as seniors, they could be trusted to read a play on their own, but that was not the case. Clearly, going forward, this is a skill that would have to be emphasized. Perhaps this was yet another COVID casualty?
Regardless, while I leaned on Kohlhaas as the basis for this unit, the selection of the monologue itself was one of several areas that I adapted to this class. I sifted through my library (which had several plays from the list of monologues my cohort compiled). They ranged from contemporary playwrights like Tarell Alvin McCraney to August Wilson to Tracy Letts. Based on this lesson, my administration approved the purchase of class sets of The Monologue Audition and The Actors’ Thesaurus that proved so invaluable when I worked through Kohlhaas as well. Using the examples throughout the text and the checklists at the end of each chapter, I was able to adapt this great source material to multiple lessons, just one of which is reflected in this digital portfolio.
HANDOUT: Working for Your Own Satisfaction
EXAMPLES OF STUDENT WORK:
The video shows my directing of a student after her first showing (her monologue was Rose from Fences); the images show students working on their charts and one of the submitted charts.
