Titles are so important. The title of your play acts as a frame, encouraging the audience to discover connections they might otherwise miss.
In the weeks leading up to each month's Some1Speaking presentation, I meet privately with each playwright to confirm my suspicions as to what lies at the heart of their monologue.
Next our Resident Director, Suzanne Bachner, meets with the artists for one exploratory rehearsal. In this way Hear Me Out Monologues has constructed a pipeline aimed at bringing new character studies to life and in so doing, introducing writers to new audiences by placing the objectives of the writers front and center in everything we do.
This month, something interesting happened.
Of the 5 monologues being presented tonight, 2 have completely changed titles just in the past week as each author came to recognize that the title they'd originally chosen was in some way failing to properly frame the piece they'd written.
The frame suggests ways of interpreting the work of art. So in this way, the title whispers in my ear as the house lights go down. Here are 3 examples:
Three Days of Rain = What is the significance of three days of rain? How does the meaning of this phrase shift and expand and deepen as the play progresses?
Parasite = The title causes me to question each character's value and whether I'm to regard them as the parasite. Given a less provocative title and the film would surely have landed quite differently.
I won't reveal here which two pieces were recently re-framed by their Some1Speaking authors with a title change.
It'll be more fun (and eye-opening) for you to hear from the authors themselves. So bring that question to our post-show discussion by venturing a guess. Most will be surprised to learn which pieces shifted titles and to serve what purpose.
Some1Speaking begins promptly at 6PM. Grab your tix here.
Tonight's Lineup:
Patience
written by Kevin Scott Chess, performed by Star Stone
The Last Reading of Charlotte Cushman
written & performed by Carolyn Gage
Rehearsal for the Talk We May Never Have
written & performed by Jill Bess
Thirty-two?
written & performed by Holli Harms
Safekeeping
written by Andrea Fleck Clardy, performed by Kippy Goldfarb
