Library Liaison: Contact Marianne Hebert: hebertm@potsdam.edu for help with specific topics or types of resources.
What is in this guide:
Blackeyed by
Winner Emerging Artist Award (Literature) from the 2015 Cleveland Arts Prize (May 2015) Blackeyed is a collection of plays and monologues. The topics covered in the book include housing and foreclosure, suicide, assault, mental health, the Black male experience, and more. The book intersects with critical race theory because the majority of this work positions race at the center of the experiences of the fictional or fictionalized characters. Embedded in these chapters are the interweaving of personal and ancestral stories, news reports, informal conversations, observations, interviews, and online research expressed in language unapologetically Black, critical, reflexive, and proud. Blackeyed can be used as a class text in theatre, education, creative writing, communication, women's studies, sociology, and African American studies undergraduate and graduate courses. It can also be used by theatre practitioners, including actors and directors, working in community, regional and national theatre settings. Individuals including qualitative researchers interested in exploring more affective possibilities or arts-based researchers can also read this collection as an example of methodological exemplar. Finally, anyone interested in the Black experience as well as the specific topics covered in this book can read this collection of plays as one might read a collection of short stories. "Weems' resonant poetic voice shines through the characters in bursts of dialect and nuance. Human conflict, racial undertones and the struggle for civil and human rights reverberate. If one were to attempt to connect with a glimpse of the lives of African Americans in this country absent from classroom history books and the limited cinematic mainstream depictions, Blackeyed is perfect starting point. In all of its admitted "messiness", it provides context, perspective, form and substance. Through it all, the spirit of cultural authenticity is woven through the fabric of these narratives, perhaps unbeknownst to its author, connecting the DNA of the ancestors who planted the seeds of exposition in a griot long before her awareness of their existence. In the Now, they are undoubtedly marveling at the flower that blooms much to the delight of those exposed to its hauntingly tragic beauty." -- Vince Robinson "Dr. Mary Weems exhibits her best writing through monologic and poetic forms in this intriguing collection of short dramatic works about African American experiences. Multiple voices showcase their characters' struggles, humor, and triumphs through realistic and expressionistic modes. You don't just "read" her dialogue; you hear it on the page. Weems' writing styles are fluid, haunting, angry, poignant, and arresting. This is exciting theatrical work by one of qualitative inquiry's most notable and important voices." - Johnny Salda a, Professor Emeritus, Arizona State University, Author of Ethnotheatre: Research from Page to Stage "Mary Weems exemplifies literary arts-based inquiry practice in her new collection of plays, monologues and poems on the Black experience. She mines memory, history and auto/ethnography to craft pieces that are equal parts affective and effective. Affective in terms of their emotional impact and as acts of deep empathy. Effective in the ongoing struggle for social justice, equality and freedom. Weems shows us what risk-taking looks like in creative analytic practice: herwork embodies what Jonathan Lear calls "radical hope" as she insistson an ethical and caring stance in the face of cultural devastation. Read and learn." - Monica Prendergast, University of Victoria, CoEditor, Poetic Inquiry: Vibrant Voices in the Social Sciences "In this rare and precious work, Mary Weems takes the reader into the lives of myriad human, abstract and material others, who capture our attention and imagination, pulling us into their personal-political worlds. We feel their
Audition Speeches for Women by
This revised edition contains several new speeches, many of which are taken from plays written and produced during the last five years. There are speeches for a variety of accents and ages to suit all audition requirements. An introductory section contains invaluable comments from directors, casting directors, actors and teachers. Among those contributing are Sir Peter Hall, National Theatre Director and founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company; Robert Palmer, voice teacher at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art; casting director Doreen Jones; Tim Reynolds, Principal of the Academy Drama School; stage and film dialect coach Penny Dyer; and Barry Grantham, director and exponent of Commedia dell'Arte.
100 Monologues by
100 (monologues) collects all of Eric Bogosian's monologues, originally performed as part of his six off-Broadway solo shows, including Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll; Pounding Nails in the Floor with my Forehead; Wake Up and Smell the Coffee; Drinking in America; Funhouse; Men Inside and selections from his play Talk Radio. For these solo shows, first performed between 1980 and 2000, Bogosian was awarded three Obie awards and a Drama Desk award-earning him living icon status in the downtown theater scene.
Actresses' Audition Speeches by
Finding good, interesting audition pieces is a demanding and difficult process for actresses. This revised edition of Actresses' Audition Speeches contains over 40 speeches and includes a wide selection of pieces taken from plays written or produced recently, such as Losing Louis, Whose Life is it Anyway? and His Dark Materials. There are speeches for a variety of accents and ages, taken from both classical and modern plays, to suit all audition requirements. There is also an introductory section containing advice from directors and casting directors on how to audition successfully.
The Panza Monologues by
The Panza Monologues is an original solo performance piece based on women's stories about their panzas--tú sabes--that roll of belly we all try to hide. Written, compiled, and collected by Virginia Grise and Irma Mayorga and fashioned into a tour-de-force solo performance, The Panza Monologues features the words of Chicanas speaking with humor and candor. Their stories boldly place the panza front and center as a symbol that reveals the lurking truths about women's thoughts, lives, loves, abuses, and living conditions. This second edition of The Panza Monologues presents the performance script in its entirety, as well as a rich supporting cast of dramaturgical and pedagogical materials. These include a narrative history of the play's development by the playwrights; critical materials that enhance and expand upon the script's themes and ideas (a short introduction to San Antonio, where the play was developed; playwright autogeographies; and a manifesto on women of color making theater); and a selection of pedagogical and creative ideas, including guidelines and advice for staging a production of the play and for teaching it in the classroom, community-making activities (screenings, hosting Panza Parties, community/group discussions), and creative writing activities connected to the play.
Diversity Collection E-books:
The Kilroys List, Vol. 2 by
'When I look at the list of women and nonbinary writers included in this volume, many of whom I have mentored or taught, it is a beautiful reminder that we are a community to be reckoned with, and that there is an abundance of vital narratives awaiting a larger audience. While there remains a great deal of work to be done to reach racial and gender equity in the theater, the powerful and provocative writing presented here is part of the inciting incident that will no doubt shake up the status quo.' Lynn Nottage, from her Foreword The Kilroys are a gang of playwrights and producers who came together in Los Angeles in 2013 to stop talking about gender parity in theatre and start taking action. In 2014, they released their first annual List: a vetted collection of plays written by women, trans, and nonbinary writers, nominated by hundreds of professional artistic directors, literary managers, professors, directors, and dramaturgs. This collection includes a monologue or scene from each play from the 2016 and 2017 editions of The List. 'This is a historic compilation of fervent, fierce, and formidable voices, who have been left on the margins for far too long, but who now, with the caliber of their writing, stake claim to what it means to be an American playwright, in this time and place.' Tanya Saracho 'Too often women and trans writers get overlooked and underproduced, and this anthology is just one way we're hoping to change this. These monologues show a fraction of the underrepresented and underserved voices in the American theater. Read these monologues, support these playwrights' careers and productions--and help make our homogeneous playing field look a little more like our America.' Zakiyyah Alexander
LGBTQ Comedic Monologues That Are Actually Funny by
(Applause Acting Series). The first and only book of its kind, this cutting-edge and incredibly hysterical monologue book is specifically for actors auditioning for LGBTQ roles. LGBTQ Comedic Monologues That Are Actually Funny features works by LGBT writers and comics (and their allies) who have written and/or performed for Comedy Central, Backstage magazine, NBC, the Huffington Post , the Onion , Second City, E!, and many more. This collection is the go-to source for the comedic monologue needs of actors seeking LGBT material, as well as a paean to LGBT characters and artists.
The 24 Hour Plays Viral Monologues by
Since 1995 The 24 Hour Plays have been responding to theatre in the moment. As the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic brought an end to live theatre in the USA and Europe, the company sprang to work to keep the arts alive. Bringing together some of America's most prolific writers for the stage and screen, this unique and contemporary book of monologues collates the responses in dramatic fashion, making for an anthology of work that is timely, moving, irreverent and at its best, transcendent. Featuring original monologues by writers such as David Lindsay-Abaire, Clare Barron, Hansol Jung, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Christoper Oscar Peña, Jesse Eisenberg and Monique Moses this is a rich collection that can be enjoyed by actors, writers and those looking for creative responses to the global COVID-19 crisis. With over 50 monologues from the first three weeks of the project, edited by Howard Sherman, this is an important collection that documents an unprecedented moment in history whilst also offering practical resource for actors and performers.
Playscripts - Requires setting up an account. Plays can be read online for free (up to 90% of the play, no printing)
