Best Monologues from Best American Short Plays

Best Monologues from Best American Short Plays, Volume One is a must for actors of all ages - beginners as well as seasoned veterans - and belongs in the libraries of all theater teachers looking for new and exciting material for their students. The monologues in this volume are excerpted from the outstanding series Best American Short Plays, an archive of works from many of the best playwrights active today, presenting taut, engaging single-character pieces that range from zany comedy to poignant tales of love and loss. Each monologue includes a short introduction and a reference identifying where to locate the entire play, should anyone choose to pursue production beyond the monologue. Long or short, serious or not, this collection is must-have material for anyone interested in acting. The monologues also succeed as excellent companions for the casual reader.

Included in this volume are monologues by Liliana Almendarez, James Armstrong, Billy Aronson, Clay McLeod Chapman, Migdalla Cruz, Laura Shaine Cunningham, Eileen Fischer, Jill Elaine Hughes, Julia Jarcho, Zilvinas Jonusas, Adam Kraar, David Kranes, Neil LaBute, Daniel Frederick Levin, Bruce Levy, Carey Lovelace, Carol K. Mack, Dano Madden, Peter Maloney, Joe Maruzzo, Mark Medoff, Susan Miller, Julie Rae (Pratt) Mollenkamp, Rick Pulos, Ronald Ribman, Murray Schisgal, Pamela Sneed, and co-writers Polly Frost and Ray Sawhill.

William W. Demastes (Baton Rogue, LA) is Alumni Professor of English at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. He has published widely on modern theater and drama, including Comedy Matters, Spalding Gray’s America, Staging Consciousness, Theatre of Chaos, and the forthcoming Cambridge Introduction to Tom Stoppard.