DECONSTRUCTION: Monologues/Scenes
by Eric Hunicutt of The Reckoning at ImprovOlympic

Remember that a scenic deconstruction works pretty much the same way- the key is to be sure that the initial scene is full of detail and information and grounded to provide enough to work with for the remainder of the piece.

Monologues:  A few things to remember:  Plant Your Feet.  Push the energy that you have OUT, use it to fuel your monologue.  Point Of View.  Tell us WHY we are hearing this monologue - there is a reason and your POV is what makes it interesting- plus it becomes an integral part of the deconstruction form.  Personal.  The monologue is delivered by YOU.  Not a character, not stand-up-comedian version of yourself, but as honestly YOU as possible.  (This is kinda weird b/c we all like being someone else onstage so much more than ourselves, but go with it.)  Know when you are done.  Don't summarize at the end, definitely NEVER apologize for having given the monologue. The monologue you give is PRECISELY the one you MEANT TO GIVE and the one that's right for the piece, no doubts.

Ok, now to use our monologues.

For the purposes of the workshop, we talked about breaking the monologue down in three ways:

1.  THEMES
2.  THE MONOLOGIST
3.  DETAILS

1. THEMES

What is the monologue about?  The themes are the overarching concepts, truths, assumptions, ideas of the monologue.  Think of it just like high school English class- it's that basic. These themes are there to give you a place to start determining what the piece can be "about"- what you can use other than just the literal suggestion or details in the monologue - we'll do that later.  These themes will be the sparks for your first sets of scenes. 

2. THE PERFORMER/MONOLOGIST

This is the weird one, I think.  You are now picking up on how the person delivering the monologue is acting- gestures, idiosyncrasies, habits, inflection, speech patterns, etc.  This is a great way to create characters and also to add another layer to the themes.  (For example, if there's someone who delivers a passionate monologue about the war in Iraq but their body language makes it seem like they could care less, that's important and useful- their body contradicts their words and this can be exploited...)  I think this requires allowing oneself to be really unafraid to try strong choices and trust that they'll pay off.  It can feel weird to force a character on oneself but it is a great tool to use.  Take a lot of freedom with this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. DETAILS

This is the one we are most used to playing with and the details are the stuff that most sticks in our heads- Names. Places. Objects. Nouns. "Mistakes" (mispronunciations, mixed metaphors, improper use of words, etc.- these aren't mistakes, they are great offers and can be spun into gold!) Anything unused anywhere else is fair game.  The details provide the fodder for the run that may occur in the last third of the piece- they don't have to relate to anything else prior and can just be tossed out there to be played with for awhile.  Go crazy.

So those are the three points of focus we used.  Obviously, there's some overlap between them- themes will bleed in and out of everything, characters can occur throughout.  Instead of being weighed down by the form, really allow it to just act as a follow-spotlight for the information in the monologue: at different points in the piece you are shining the light on different kinds of info.  and playing with that for awhile, then moving on to some other stuff, then weaving in and out.  I think this keeps us out of our heads a little better than trying to see it all at once.

OVERALL NOTES:

Some stuff to keep in mind that makes this form more manageable, I think:

* Good, Solid, Patient scene work at the top.  Lay the foundation, or as I recently heard it described: "Set the table before you sit down to eat."  Really give yourself and the piece something to stand on- that being invested characters and scenes that are about something rather than funny lines said in a vacuum.  This makes the rest of everything way easier.  How to do that?  Basics: trust what you have at the top of each scene.  Play what's there, don't worry about inventing funny shit, it doesn't work.  Listen to the monologues and listen to your scene partner(s).  Keep it simple (this means a 7 person scene might not be the best bet right after the monologue or to start the piece- that's infinitely more complicated than a solid 2 person scene!) and make strong choices from the beginning.

*Have fun with it.  Don't feel bogged down by the form- it's there to help you and you should never feel married to it by any means.  Find the room for play within its walls and if it ain't working for you then mess with it.

*Save the run for later.  It's pretty hard to run halfway through and then slow back down to patient scenes.  Realize when you are more than halfway through the piece that the run is coming- look for that energetic scene to provide the bridge and have a blast.  If you have been patient in the beginning, you'll have a ton of stuff to play with in the run- bring back that character you liked and mess with her/him, use that detail from the monologue that made you laugh, do your best Lunchables bit that you thought of because you heard that word earlier in the piece, whatever - now is the time, but lay the foundation first! 

Give the Deconstruction some time- play around with it, see what works.  The best thing I get from it is that it changes the way I look at information- not as literal "suggestions" but more as associations and as a spark for themes, character, etc.- this is what will make your work easier and that's the whole point.  When it's easy and fun it's GOOD.
 
Thanks for your time & energy - Drop me a line if you plan on coming back to DSIF or if you are ever up in Chicago. 

Peace,
Eric Hunicutt
ehunicutt@hotmail.com
http://implosionimprov.com/.