Improvised Monologues: A Closer Look
Written by Tommy Delp
Originating in ancient Greece, the birthplace of Western drama, monologues have been performed for thousands of years. Stemming from the Greek monos "single” and logos "speech”, a monologue is a spoken piece in which an individual expresses their thoughts out loud, either to another character or the audience itself.
Monologues can be found across the entire spectrum of the performing arts, from plays and films to poetry and stand-up comedy. While similar dramatic devices exist, such as the soliloquy and aside, they are merely contextual offshoots of the standard monologue.
What makes a monologue so powerful is the way in which it enables a speaker to directly address others, stripping away the barriers associated with more traditional dialogue. As an improviser, the monologue is a versatile tool that allows you to communicate big ideas to both the audience and your team in a clear and concise way.
The Monologue Deconstruction
Improvisers in all stages of play will come across the monologue. Some may use it as an exercise to practice physicality or stage presence, while others may see it as a stand-alone game that encourages complex character work. Mainly though, it is used as a generator for various long-form structures.
Common examples of monologue-based long forms include the Upright Citizens Brigade’s ASSSCAT and The Armando, which originated in Chicago under Armando Diaz. Both of these shows are examples of a monologue deconstruction.
This generic term clarifies the purpose of monologue as generator. According to the Improv Resource Center Wiki, as part of a monologue deconstruction, “Improvisors are challenged to expand minute pieces of information within the stories as opposed to recreating the events held within.”
Thus, improvisers deconstruct the monologue into its individual parts as fodder for their scenes, whether that be characters, locations, or core themes. Looking at the monologue through this lens, two roles can be identified, that of the monologist and that of the greater team of improvisers. First, let’s examine the monologist.
The Monologist
Just like many other generators, a monologue often starts with an audience suggestion.
Sometimes the monologist is the first member of the team who’s inspired by the suggestion. Other times, the monologist is a specially selected guest with a unique experience or background.
BJ Scanlon is a member of The Focus Theater’s management team and the coordinator of The Classy Show, a seasonal celebration of recent Focus grads.
“With a monologue, we’re looking at allowing the brain to free think and free associate. It’s taking a path through your experiences that is not predetermined,” he said.
The “improvised” part of an improvised monologue is important. A story that you’ve told before may feel succinct and get some good laughs, but too much polish also prevents additional details from seeping through.
Unexpected nuggets of wisdom can become the most truthful and vulnerable parts of a monologue. They’re the pieces that audience members and your fellow improvisers latch onto as they’re often the most memorable.
“We want to connect with you on stage,” Scanlon said. “There will likely be similarities between how you feel about something and how other people feel about the same thing.”
There is also a spontaneity that comes with saying something aloud for the first time, so instead of retelling a specific event from your life, consider leading with an emotion, opinion, or strong perspective.
If “banana” is your suggestion, avoid telling a story about bananas. Maybe you’re suspicious of people who own fruit trees, or maybe you’ve always wondered why bananas are sold in a bunch. From there, you can layer on additional context, explaining your thought process or providing secondary pieces of information.
“I always encourage people to… think more about the mundanity of things or allow themselves to explore their own subconscious in a way that surprises them,” Scanlon said.
A good monologue will also include a pivot or two, where the same line of thinking is applied to a different scenario.
If your crazy uncle blew off his fingers at the 4th of July potluck, what other hijinks did he get up to at Christmas or your college graduation? This type of pivot will give the rest of your team a new location to explore, but other ones may also introduce additional characters or central ideas.
While a monologue is often only a couple minutes long at most, don’t be afraid to go on a tangent or ramble. The more pivots you introduce, the more your team has to work with.
When you eventually sputter out, there are various ways to transition to scenes.
The monologist can edit themselves, simply walking off stage when they’ve gotten a big laugh or reached a natural conclusion. Someone on the sides could also look for those same cues, sweeping the monologist when the perfect moment comes.
Scenes, Scenes, Scenes
How do things change if you’re responding to a monologue rather than giving one?
“When I’m a player on the sides listening to a monologue, I try to listen as intensely as I can,” Scanlon said. “I then try to repeat three to five words the monologist said that struck me.”
Backline etiquette could be the focus of an entire article on its own, but in general, being a good scene partner even extends to how you behave while not in a scene.
When it comes to monologues, that means picking up on unique words and phrases rather than an entire storyline. Doing so will help your team extend the length of their set and the amount of inspiration they get from a single monologue.
That being said, the audience has their own expectations, and if your team eventually ends up rehashing a particular event referenced in the monologue, that’s okay too.
“As you get further away from the monologue, you can come back to the more specific details of it… because it once again shows that you listened well,” Scanlon said.
Sometimes a show will contain multiple monologues if time permits. It’s good for a team to discuss the intricacies of their format in advance so that everyone will be on the same page.
Beyond Comedy
The improvised monologue is a useful tool for more than just improvisers. Everyone, from stage actors to business leaders and public speakers, could benefit from attempting the style of thinking that one requires.
“If you’re looking to gain more comfort going off the cuff and feeling natural while talking,” Scanlon said. “Improv and monologues can be a good way to build that experience.”
Stream-of-consciousness thinking breaks down the barriers of traditional thought structures, enabling you to think more about what you’re saying rather than how or why you’re saying it.
And when it comes to the media you consume, learning itself can be a creative act. From Shakespeare or Blade Runner, watch for monologues and the great power they grant their speakers.