Zen and the Art of the Monologue (A theatre arts book)

Jay Sankey -- stand-up comic, magician, and cartoonist -- is back with another book for performers. Building on the success of his Zen and the Art of Stand-up Comedy, Jay is moving further into the uncharted wilds of solo performance. Spalding Gray and Eric Bogosian have made the monologue a significant part of contemporary theater, and more and more one-person performances crop up every season. The monologue gives you incredible freedom -- as well as posing real dangers, especially, as Jay puts it, for 'the vain and inexperienced'. Stand-up comedy is funny, cathartic, and usually over in minutes. A monologue is reflective and can run an hour or more. Comedy entertains; the monologue explores.

With his trademark blend of calm, sound advice and unexpected, anarchic humor, Jay Sankey guides you through the experience of performing your monologue. His question-and-answer format allows him to cover the issues central not only to the full-length monologue, but also to explain how his techniques and ideas can help you perform a short monologue (like Hamlet's 'To be or not to be' speech) within a play or, taken out of context, as an audition piece.

What Sankey has to say about the monologue will give you the nerve to sit on a chair by yourself for an hour and talk about anything at all. And, as Jay says, if you're lucky there will be other people in the room.