by Kristen Dabrowski
Kristen Dabrowski's new collection of original monologues for teenagers is zippy and funny, though somewhat more helpful to girls.
In her brief introduction, Dabrowski writes that as a professional actor, she can empathize with young performers who are having difficulty finding monologues. After all, she says, most plays are written for adults. "A monologue should be immediate, active, and fun," she advises. "You shouldn't mind having to say it over and over when you're practicing, auditioning, or performing it." Since each of the monologues in the book is no longer than a minute or so, her advice is well-taken. She also provides tips on choosing a monologue that's right for you — trusting your instincts, making it active, deciding what you want and who you're talking to, and so forth. She encourages young actors to make strong decisions, writing, "Commit to your choices, don't hold back!"
And Dabrowski does offer a wealth of funny, honest, and opinionated material for teenage girls in the book's first half, on topics ranging from tongue piercing and SAT scores to babysitting, regional accents, and the dreaded bad yearbook photo. Unfortunately, while her voice seems very real in the female monologues, the pieces written for boys are a bit forced, with many of them covering such stereotypical topics as weightlifting and sports. Not that these aren't boy-centric concerns, but where is the teenage boy who loves comic books? Or helps his grandfather? Or wants to start a band? It's not a complete wash — several male monologues tackle untraditional topics (the one titled "Nice" is actually a funny response to one of the female monologues) — but Dabrowski could have applied a little more imagination to helping her Y-chromosomed readers.
Overall, teenage actors would do well to check out this book for comic monologues. Girls may just have an easier time finding one.
Smith and Kraus, 2008, paperback, 128 pages, $11.95.