monolog (noun)
- a form of dramatic entertainment, eg a comedic solo, performed by a single speaker
- a prolonged talk or discourse by a single speaker
- any composition, eg a poem, in which a single person speaks alone
Chickenshed presents two moving and dramatic solo plays which together combine to deliver a hugely powerful and emotional theatrical experience. Alan Bennett’s Her Big Chance is a dramatic monologue conceived as part of his Talking Heads series for television, originally broadcast in 1988. Talking Heads has also enjoyed success on the stage, and on the radio.
Her Big Chance tells the funny story of Lesley, an aspiring actress who is offered what she believes to be her big break as the adventurous Travis in a new film for the West German market. Hearing her story, we start to glimpse her naivety, and realise that this isn’t perhaps the shortcut to the big time she expected it to be!
Also presented is This is Me by Diane Samuels (writer of Kindertransport, performed as a sold-out run at Chickenshed back in 2016). A newly commissioned autobiographical dramatic piece where Samuels explores the form of the monolog by inviting the audience to be a part of her story. This Is Me will be performed by either Belinda McGuirk or Lucy Mae Beacock, depending upon which performance you attend.
