Monologue Analysis Pt. 1: “Scoring”

Today on the Alchemist we’re going to begin Part One of my three part series on Monologues. All three of these parts will cover different exercises and techniques that can help actors work their monologues in new ways. All of the ways I’m going to detail can be mixed and matched, use them whenever you’re starting your monologues to give yourself a good foundation to play with.

To start off with I want you to visit another of my earlier posts that details a very handy tool for monologue work called a VOTE SHEET. VOTE stands for Victory, Obstacle, Tactics & Expectations. I won’t go through all of the details because I already did that and why waste the time, right? But I urge you to visit the link above, read the article and download the sheet because that alone can give an excellent foundation for your monologue.

The first point I want to cover in Part One is:

Scoring for Breath: When going through your monologue, disregard the grammar and punctuation the first time through. In fact, it’s helpful most of the time to rewrite the entire monologue as one long sentence. Once you’ve done that, you’re left with a blank canvas to work with. The next step is to say the monologue out loud without imposing any sort of reading to it. As you’re reading, only pause when you feel you need to take a breath. As you read it and breathe I want you to mark your own, new punctuation on the monologue accordingly. Once that’s done, go back and read it with more emotion, read it the way you’re going to perform it and re-punctuate again only when you feel you need to breathe. How do the three different versions you have now compare? Can you combine them in any way?

Scoring for Beats: The second method is going to begin the same way. Type out your monologue in one continuous sentence with no punctuation. This time when you read it I want you to put lines separating every beat change. A beat changes when the subject or the tone of the monologue changes. A beat change is usually a good place to pause and get your bearings. Many times you’re going to find that the scoring for beats and the scoring for breath are going to be very similar. Once you’ve separated every beat, go back and name each beat. Ask yourself, “What am I doing in this beat?” and entitle it with your answer. If you’re asking for and drink, your title should be “Asking for a Drink.” This way you separate your monologue into thoughts, rather than sentences.

These two methods of scoring will help you to pace your monologues; they’ll also help you learn to take your time while performing them. I want you to remember, as I go through these methods and those to follow in parts Two and Three, that these are only tools for analysis, not performance. You should never play your analysis. I give you these so that you may have a way of adding texture and depth to your monologue work.

Before we end this Part of Monologue Analysis, I want to discuss the stakes that an actor places on any given scene and how that can affect your monologue.

Raising the Stakes - We’ve all heard of “raising the stakes” on stage and we know that it means making the scene worth more if you fail to achieve your victory. But why is that so important? Well, it’s important because it boils down to the true essence of drama, which is conflict. Without conflict, there is nothing to fight for, nothing to gain, nothing to lose and nothing for an audience to care about. Very often if a scene just doesn’t feel as if it’s “working” the problem is in how much importance it holds for you as an actor. The question is how much do you care about getting what you want? If the answer isn’t something along the lines of: “It’s the most important victory of my life!” Then you might want to re-think that choice and raise the stacks. I’ve said it before and will do so many more times to come: If you don’t care about your victory, neither will the audience.

Look for Part Two of the Monologue Analysis series: “Technicality,” on September 24^th. Until then, remember to Sin Boldly!

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