Posted on
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Make em Laugh! - How to Write a Successful Comedy Monologue
“Make em laugh, make em laugh. Don’t you know everyone wants to laugh.” The immortal words of Donald O’Connor continue to ring true today. Everyone wants to laugh. But writing a comedy monologue that will both bring the laughs and showcase the actor who is auditioning is not always easy. The author must walk a fine line. Too many jokes or funny situations and the audience may lose focus on the actor and their skills. Not enough comedy and the audience will simply feel embarrassed. So how do you write a monologue that will “make em laugh”, leave a lasting impression on the audience, and showcase the actor’s skills to the utmost?
I. Choosing a Topic
Writing a monologue for a child is a twofold process. First of all you must find a topic a young child feels comfortable with. Children who are very young, ages 5-7, do not want anything complicated. They like themes and topics that they recognize. Girls enjoy fairy tales, Disney Princesses and “girly” topics . Boys like to use their body a little more and enjoy posing and a little movement in their monologue. They have less specific topic areas that appeal to them and as long as you can incorporate their inherent energy, you can usually find a topic they enjoy.
Generic areas can also be used as long as you find a “hook” a child is comfortable with. I like to use things that can be an acting problem, such as giggling, and incorporate it into the monologue thereby giving the child an outlet . One of my most successful monologues for young children is a monologue called “How to Stop the Giggles”. Since most young children giggle when they are acting, this gives them a venue to channel their nervous energy and giggle while they are performing.
The second aspect to writing a monologue for a young child is choosing a topic their parents like. Parents of young children feel very strongly about what topics they are comfortable having their children perform so before choosing a topic and beginning to write, make sure it is not offensive or religious in any way and always, always showcases the child performing.
Older children ages 7-12 will have a much stronger input into the topic of the monologue. If they don’t like the monologue the first time they hear it, start over. A 7-12 year old child loves to perform and will bring boundless enthusiasm to their performance but they have to love the topic. At this age, however, you have a much wider range of topics to choose from. Children in this age category will do a monologue about almost anything as long as they love the topic.
Choosing a topic for your comedy monologue for a tween or teenager is a much more difficult proposition. Teenage girls hate, with a fiery passion, to do anything that they think might remotely embarrass them. Any incorporation of physical movement in a comedy monologue for a teenager, must be inherent to the theme and not make them look bad. Boys, on the other hand, will throw themselves into anything and almost any topic will work as long as it’s funny.
II. Finding a hook
Your goal in writing a comedy monologue is to showcase your actor. You want them to land the role, win the competition, and make enough of an impact so that the Director/Judge will remember them. The first step is to find a hook. My hook is usually a one word description of who my actor is portraying. A Princess Tomboy. A Ditzy Goldilocks, A Teenage Spy, A 7 year old Pet Detective. The key is juxtaposing two unlikely things. Usually Goldilocks is sweet but add in a little ditziness and attitude and suddenly you have a character the judge wants to see. Most Princess’ are sweet and brave but add in a spunky attitude and a princess who thinks elves are drama queens and living happily ever after is for the birds and you have a Princess the judges want to see. A good hook will have the audience already in the mood to laugh.
III. Using your levels
After your find a good hook, weave your story. The second step to writing a successful comedy monologue is to use your levels. As a Director I have sat through countless boring auditions where the actor barely moves and stays at one voice level throughout the entire monologue. I don’t expect the actor or actress to fling themselves all around the stage but I do like to see a little movement during a monologue. Movement can be hilarious. In one of my monologues entitled “Fairy Tale Tomboy” at one point the Princess flings herself across the stage as she portrays an “overly dramatic” elf. In “Pet Detective” the actor drops to his knees and brings his hands up into little paws as he imitates the voice of the lost Gerbil. Don’t be afraid to incorporate a little movement. It can have huge comedy payoffs.
It is also important to include voice levels into your comedy monologue. A good monologue will give the actor an opportunity to demonstrate their vocal range and yet stay within a comedy format. Sometimes I do that by using accents. In my monologue “Package Delivery” I have the UPS worker imitate both a snobby rich person and an Igor like servant. Not only does this give the actor a chance to show how versatile they are, it also is very funny when done right.
Very young children will not be able to show a lot of voice levels. The best way to demonstrate their range is to use emotions. Young actors love to show fear or anger in a comedy monologue. I used the technique of having a young boy imitate his Mother yelling in fear at a cockroach in my monologue “Skitter” to give him a chance to show his vocal range.
Children in the 7-12 range will, once again, be open to almost anything. This is the age where young actors and actresses are fully open to throwing themselves whole-heartedly into a part and if they have the technique, the sky is the limit. Have them explain, dramatize, re-enact, yell, drop, anything that works within the context of the monologue. They will knock your socks off.
But entering into the tween/teen years you will once again run up against the “embarrassment squick”. Teenage girls do not like too much movement and they have a small range of acceptable vocal levels in a monologue. The easiest approach to writing a comedy monologue for a teenage girl is to choose a character that is either a diva or clueless and then place them in a situation where they have to explain their actions. This opens up a broad range of comical moments and most girls will love every moment. Teenage boys, however, are game for anything. The broader the comedy the better. You can throw everything at them and if they have the technique, you can have the audience rolling on the floor.
IV. Perform the Monologue
The fourth step in writing a successful comedy monologue is to take the finished product and perform it. I’ve often found that something that seemed funny on paper fell flat during an actual performance. Performing the monologue will help you key into the flow and movement of the story and give you the chance to edit any problem areas. I usually act out the monologue myself after I write it. If it seems okay to me, I then bring it before a class of children age 7-12. This is the fearless age and they are game for anything. I schedule the performance as a group monologue. An actual performance by a child will show any flaws or problem areas in the monologue.
V. Simmer and Edit
The final step in preparing a successful comedy monologue is to take the finished monologue and walk away. Stop thinking about it. Stop tweaking it. Leave it alone and let it simmer overnight. You will find that a fresh look in the morning will open your eyes to areas that need to be edited and tightened up. Ideas that you clung to as hysterical and wonderful now look a little lame and unnecessary. A good comedy monologue will always benefit from ruthless editing. Use what works and even though you may love the idea, discard lines or movements that are too much and over the top. Your monologue will be sharper and the comedic moments will stand out.
Writing a successful comedy monologue isn’t easy. But as Donald says, “Now you could study Shakespeare and be quite elite, And you can charm the critics and have nothin' to eat, Just slip on a banana peel, The world's at your feet. Make 'em laugh, Make 'em laugh, Make 'em laugh.”
Thanks to Gerrie Benzing for contributing this tutorial to IComedyTV.com.
Meet Gerrie Benzing
In addition to teaching at the Robin Dawn Academy, Gerrie produces stage shows at the Cultural Park Theatre in Cape Coral, Florida, where she helped originate and develop the Cultural Park Theatre Summer Camp Program. She has written over 60 children’s plays and several award-winning monologues. Her own children, collectively, have performed in over 55 professional shows including theatre, television, commercials, Nickelodeon, and independent movies. As an actress she has appeared in numerous productions, winning several awards.
http://www.monologues4kids.com
in: How to Write Kids Monologue