Writing for Solo Performance

Writing for Solo Performance is a course designed for actors who want to write and act in their own work. We will learn how to take the personal story and shape it into a monologue for the stage. We will examine the many forms of personal monologue, autobiographical narrative, and fictional narrative, as well as character-driven, topical, and reality-based monologues and the poetic series. In addition, we will explore staging and new trends such as audience participation and the incorporation of new media. Emphasis will be placed on students finding and developing their unique styles and voices, with the goal of creating fully realized solo shows. We will survey and study the field of solo performance from John Leguizamo to Anna Deveare Smith, Spalding Grey, Guillermo Gomez Pena, and Lisa Kron.