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    2 Minutes & Under Volume 1: 70 Short Character Monologues for Actors
    2 Minutes & Under Volume 1: 70 Short Character Monologues for Actors
    2 Minutes & Under Volume 1: 70 Short Character Monologues for Actors
    Ebook138 pages1 hour

    2 Minutes & Under Volume 1: 70 Short Character Monologues for Actors

    By Glenn Alterman

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    About this ebook

    The monologues in this volume come from the following plays by Glenn Alterman: The Pain in the Poetry, Once in a Blue Moon, Goin' Round on Solid Rock Ground, The Dangers of Strangers, Nobody's Flood.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSmith and Kraus Inc
    Release dateSep 1, 1993
    ISBN9781937738341
    2 Minutes & Under Volume 1: 70 Short Character Monologues for Actors
    Author

    Glenn Alterman

    Glenn Alterman is a multi-award winning playwright, the author of 26 theater related books (including 10 books of original monologues), listed in both the Guiness Book of World Records and RecordSetter.com (Author of "Most Published Original Monologues")a screen writer, actor, and a highly respected monologue/audition acting coach ("Best Monologue Audition Coach"- Backstage and Theater Resource Magazine- Glennalterman.com). He was born in Brooklyn, New York. His books include: Street Talk, Original Monologues For Actors, An Actors Guide- Making It In New York (and the recently released, completely revised "Second Edition"). The Perfect Audition Monologue, Glenn Alterman's Secrets To Successful Cold Readings, Sixty Seconds To Shine--101 One Minute monologues, Creating Your Own Monologue (and the 2nd edition), Promoting Your Acting Career, Two Minutes and Under (Original Monologues for Actors, Volumes 1, 2, and 3), Street Talk (Original Character Monologues for Actors), Uptown (More Original Monologues For Actors), The Job Book: One Hundred Acting Jobs for Actors, The Job Book 2: One Hundred Day Jobs for Actors, What to Give Your Agent for Christmas, and Two Minute Monologues. Two Minutes and Under, Street Talk, and Uptown were the number one best-selling books of original monologues in 1998, 1999, and 2005 and, along with Creating Your Own Monologue, Promoting Your Acting Career, The Job Book, The Job Book 2, and Two Minutes and Under, were all "Featured Selections" in the Doubleday Book Club (Fireside Theater and Stage and Screen Division"). Most of his published works have gone on to multiple printings. As a playwright, Mr. Alterman is the recipient of the first Julio T. Nunez Artist's Grant, The Arts and Letters Award in Drama, and several international arts grants. He's won over 50 national and international playwriting awards. His play The Pain in the Poetry was published in 2009 The Best Ten Minute Plays For 2 or More Actors. "After" was selected to be in "2011- The Best 10-Minute Plays", and "Second Tiers", in "2012- The Best 10-Minute Plays". 13 of his plays have appeared in "Best Play" anthologies. Mr. Alterman's plays, Like Family and The Pecking Order, were optioned by Red Eye Films (with Alterman writing the screenplay). His play, Solace, was produced off-Broadway by the Circle East Theater Company (formerly Circle Rep Theater Company). Nobody's Flood won the Bloomington National Playwriting Competition, as well as being a finalist in the Key West Playwriting Competition. Coulda-Woulda-Shoulda won the Three Genres Playwriting Competition twice, two years in a row! The prize included publication of the play in the Prentice Hall textbook, used in college theater departments all over the country. To date, it has appeared in 3 separate edition of that text book. Mr. Alterman wrote the book for Heartstrings: The National Tour (commissioned by DIFFA, the Design Industries Foundation for Aids), a thirty-five city tour that starred Michelle Pfeiffer, Ron Silver, Susan Sarandon, Marlo Thomas, and Sandy Duncan. Other plays include Kiss Me When It's Over (commissioned by E. Weissman Productions), starring and directed by André De Shields; Tourists of the Mindfield (finalist in the L. Arnold Weissberger Playwriting Competition at New Dramatists); and Street Talk/Uptown (based on his monologue books), produced at the West Coast Ensemble. Goin' Round on Rock Solid Ground and Unfamiliar Faces were finalists at the Actors Theater of Louisville's playwriting competition. Spilt Milk received its premiere at the Beverly Hills Rep/Theater 40 in Los Angeles and was selected to participate in the Samuel French One-Act Festival. The Danger of Strangers won Honorable Mention in the Deep South Writers Conference Competition, was a finalist in the George R. Kernodle Contest, was selected to be in the Pittsburgh New Works Festival and has had over 35 productions, including at Circle Rep Lab, the West Bank Downstairs Theater Bar (starring James Gandolfini), the Emerging Artists Theater Company's one-act marathon, the Vital Theater Company in New York, and, most recently, with the Workshop Theater Company. There have been many productions of his original monologues play, "God In Bed", both in the United States and in Europe. Mr. Alterman's work has been performed at Primary Stages, Ensemble Studio Theater (EST), Circle in the Square Downtown, HERE, LaMaMa, The Workshop Theater Company, in the Turnip Festival, at the Duplex, Playwrights Horizons, at several theaters on Theater Row in New York, as well as at many theaters around the country. Mr. Alterman has been a guest artist and given master classes and seminars on "Monologues" and "The Business of Acting" at such diverse places as the Governor's School for the Arts in Norfolk, Virginia, the Edward Albee Theater Conference (Valdez, Alaska), Southampton College, Western Connecticut State College, Broadway Artists Alliance, The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), the Dramatists Guild, the Learning Annex, the Screen Actors Guild, the Seminar Center, in the Boston Public School System, and at many acting schools and colleges all over the country. He is a member of the Actors Studio Playwrights Unit and The Dramatists Guild. In 1993, Mr. Alterman created the Glenn Alterman Studios, where actors receive monologue/audition coaching, as well as career preparation. He was named "Best Monologue/Audition Coach in the Tri-State Area" by Theater Resources Magazine and as "The Best Private Acting Coach In New York", by the readers of Back Stage. He presently lives in New York City, where he's working on several plays, works on TV commercials, and coaches actors. He recently completed his latest book,tentatively titled, "Writing The Ten Minute Play (A book For Playwrights and Actors Wanting To Write Plays)", for Applause Books, and is about to start work on his 10th original monologue book (and 25th book) On the Web, he can be reached at www.glennalterman.com.

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      Book preview

      2 Minutes & Under Volume 1 - Glenn Alterman

      2

      Minutes and Under

      GLENN ALTERMAN is the author of Street Talk and Uptown, both featured selections for Doubleday’s Fireside Theater Book Club. His monologue plays include: Kiss Me When It’s Over, which starred Andre de Shields (La Mama); Tourists of the Mindfield, a semi–finalist in the L. Arnold Weissberger Playwriting Competition at New Dramatists in New York; Dirty Prayers, commissioned by Sydelle Marshall Productions; and God in Bed, which premiered at the West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theater Bar in New York. The first production of Street Talk/Uptown (monologues from the books), premiered at the West Coast Ensemble in Hollywood, California. Another production of Street Talk/Uptown is planned for The Fountainhead Theater in Los Angeles. Heartstrings – The National Tour, commissioned by the Design Industries Foundation For AIDS, received a 30 city tour with a cast of 35 including Michelle Pfeiffer, Ron Silver, Christopher Reeve, Susan Sarandon, Marlo Thomas, and Sandy Duncan. His first dialogue play, Goin’ Round on Rock Solid Ground, was a finalist at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, and received workshop productions at the Circle Rep Lab and The West Bank Café Downstairs Theater Bar. His first full length play, Nobody’s Flood, recently won the 1993 Bloomington Playwrights Project Contest and will be produced this fall. His play Toxic Redemption was part of Primary Stages Planet Earth festival and his play Once In A Blue Moon recently received a workshop production in the Circle Rep Lab. Mr. Alterman is currently working on a full length play and several one acts.

      2

      Minutes and Under

      Original Character Monologues for Actors
      Glenn Alterman

      For Gloria Slofkiss.

      Published by Smith and Kraus, Inc.

      Hanover, New Hampshire

      smithandkraus.com

      Copyright © 1993 by Smith and Kraus, Inc.

      All rights reserved

      COVER AND TEXT DESIGN BY JULIA HILL GIGNOUX

      Manufactured in the United States of America

      First Edition: October 1993

      6 5 4 3 2 1

      CAUTION: Professionals and amateurs are hereby warned that the plays represented in this book are subject to a royalty. They are fully protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America, and of all countries covered by the International Copyright Union (including the Dominion of Canada and the rest of the British Commonwealth), and of all countries covered by the Pan-American Copyright Convention and the Universal Copyright Convention, and of all countries with which the United States has reciprocal copyright relations. All rights, including professional, amateur, motion picture, recitation, lecturing, public reading, radio broadcasting, television, video or sound taping, all other forms of mechanical or electronic reproductions such as information storage and retrieval systems and photocopying, and the rights of translation into foreign languages, are strictly reserved. Inquiries concerning all rights should be addressed to Glenn Alterman, 400 West 43rd Street, Suite #7G, New York, NY 10036.

      Alterman, Glenn, 1946–

      2 minutes and under: character monologues for actors / Glenn Alterman. ––1st ed.

      p. cm.

      ISBN-10 1-880399-49-0 / ISBN-13 978-1-880399-49-1: $11.95

      1. Monologues. 2. Acting. [1. Monologues. 2. Acting-Auditions.]

      I. Title. II. Title: Two minutes and under.

      PN2080.A44 1993

      812’.54––dc20

      93-30434

      CIP

      AC

      Acknowledgments

      The playwright wishes

      to thank the following:

      Circle Rep Lab,

      Polaris North,

      American Renaissance Theater,

      The West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theater

      (Rand Foerster, Steve Olson, Patricia Miller),

      Jo Twiss, Larry Fleischman,

      Alice King, Michael Pardy,

      Herbert Rubens, Seth Gordon,

      Dustye Winniford, Jane Moore,

      Nelson Avidon, Bob Ari,

      Charlotte Colavin, Carol Halstead,

      Marilyn Chris, Lee Wallach,

      Anita Keal, Peter Jacobson,

      Terry Schreiber, Troy Rubtesh,

      Hugh Karakker, Daniel Dassin, Viv Bell,

      – and the many other

      actors and directors

      who gave their

      time,

      energy,

      and creativity.

      The following monologues are from

      plays by Glenn Alterman

      Sheridan & Pamela from The Pain In The Poetry

      Carlie from Once In A Blue Moon

      Mort & Harry from Goin’ Round On Rock Solid Ground

      Herb (called Man in the play) from The Dangers Of Strangers

      Dave & Vernice from Nobody’s Flood

      Other Books by Glenn Alterman

      Glenn Alterman’s Secrets to Successful Cold Readings

      The Perfect Audition Monologue

      2 Minutes and Under Volume 2: More Character Monologues

      2 Minutes and Under Volume 3: Even More Character Monologues

      60 Seconds to Shine Volume 3: 101 Original One-Minute Monologues

      Street Talk: Character Monologues for Actors

      Uptown: Character Monologues for Actors

      Table of Contents

      MEN

      Scott (serio-comic) 20’s-40’s, an apologetic husband after a fight

      Simon (serio-comic) any age, a man who’s just experienced something horrible on a subway

      Perry (serio-comic) late teens-30’s, a sprite in Dreamland

      Beau (dramatic) 30’s-50’s, a flood victim

      Crying Johnny’s Dad (serio-comic) 20’s-40’s, a father who has an erotic encounter on a carnival ride

      Mr. Reynolds (dramatic) 30’s-50’s, a business man who has a life and death experience on an elevator

      The Bee-Bop King (serio-comic) any age, a mentally ill man

      Carlie (dramatic) 30’s-40’s, a lonely, gay man

      Rodney (comic) 30’s-50’s, a colorful womanizing drunk

      Zeke (dramatic) any age, a man recalling a dream about his father’s funeral

      Herbie (2) (serio-comic) 20’s-40’s, a murder suspect

      Mr. Al (comic) 30’s-60’s, a pick-pocket trainer to young boys

      Ronald Silverman (comic) 30’s-50’s, a neurotic business man

      Roy (comic) 40’s-50’s, a father talking to his son

      Sheridan (comic) 30’s-40’s, a secretive playwright

      Mort (2) (serio-comic) 30’s-40’s, a Brooklyn born wheeler dealer

      Marcus (serio-comic) 30’s-50’s, a deranged Vietnam vet

      Jethro (serio-comic) 20’s-40’s, a small time bank robber

      Dave Rosenstein (3) (serio-comic) 50’s-60’s, a loving husband

      Leon (comic) 20’s-40’s, a man who’s just found love and religion

      Mickey (dramatic) 20’s-40’s, an AIDs victim

      Fred (comedic) 30’s-50’s, a farmer who won the lottery

      Wally (comic) 30’s-50’s, a crazed racist

      Harry (2) (serio-comic) 30’s-40’s, a wheeler dealer

      Rod (comic) 20’s-50’s, a man who meets the devil

      Vincent (comic) 30’s-50’s, a deceptive health club member

      Norm (serio-comic) 20’s-40’s, a shy business man in a bar

      Nick (dramatic) 30’s-50’s, a small time gangster

      Brian (dramatic) 40’s-50’s, a homosexual in a bar

      Stanley (serio-comic) any age, a sensitive son

      WOMEN

      Joyce (comic) 30’s-40’s, a controlling business woman

      Maureen (dramatic) 30’s-50’s, an agoraphobic

      Alison (comedy) 30’s-50’s, a mother who’s about to get married

      Mary Ellen (dramatic) 40’s-50’s, a woman who’s just been laid off

      Gwen (dramatic) any age, the fed up wife of an alcoholic

      Kami (dramatic) 20’s-40’s, a mysterious woman

      Rita (serio-comic) 30’s-50’s, a cynical, but hopeful movie extra

      Janine (dramatic) 40’s, a woman recalling an almost rape

      Mary Elizabeth (serio-comic) 30’s-60’s, a missionary

      Evelyn (dramatic) 20’s-40’s, a woman who recently lost a baby

      Josephine (serio-comic) 30’s-50’s, an angry bankruptcy victim

      Janice (comic) late teens-20’s, a jewelry store owner’s daughter

      Esther (comic) 30’s-50’s, an enraged wife

      Susannah (serio-comic) 20’s-40’s, a movie star fan

      Sylvia (serio-comic) 40’s-60’s, a wealthy Park Avenue lady

      Louise (dramatic) 30’s-60’s, a frustrated wife

      Meredith (dramatic) 40’s-50’s, a woman who had an abortion

      Josie (dramatic) any age, a woman recalling an almost kidnapping

      Jean (comic) any age, an actress a with two minute monologue audition

      Ivy (dramatic) 20’s-40’s, a woman terrified of intimacy

      Janet

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