SOLO PERFORMANCE

DRAMATURGICAL ANALYSIS

The monologue I performed was written by Kitty and entitled “Perennial & Vicissitude”. The title alludes to the subject of the piece, which is the different outlooks on life described by the words “Perennial” and “Vicissitude”. The piece is about self reflection, and the monologue focuses on a character that is looking inside and examining their relationship with life and its challenges. One of the themes of the monologue is change, and learning to accept change. The character accepts “vicissitude”, she is willing to “be perennial” when faced with vicissitude. Namely, she “likes the idea of enduring in her existence” more specifically when she faces “a change in fortune that is typically unwelcome”. The setting in which this monologue occurs is not inherent in the words, although when Kitty, myself and Andy worked together on the piece, we found that it seemed fitting for the character to be reflecting among others, sharing the “pearls of wisdom” she has come to know about. The piece itself does contain any inherent spectacle, although in my performance of the piece I did include specific, powerful actions while drawing with chalk on the floor, and performing the whole piece from a sitting position on a wheely chair.

After performing a beat analysis, I think the central line of action is when the character says “I believe all change is welcome eventually. Even if the change is unwelcome, after enduring the change, it becomes welcome”. This really embodies the nature of the piece, and is a discovery in that the character fully forms the idea that even unwelcome change can become something good.

Props - Chalk: The character expresses her feelings and ideas through the use of drawing on the ground with chalk.
Season - Spring: I think the character would choose spring as her favourite season because spring is about renewal, it is a time of rebirth, of new beginnings and of emerging from harsh conditions even stronger.
Plant - Perennial flower: As the character expresses, I think her favourite plant would be a perennial flower as she draws a lot of inspiration from the nature of a perennial flower.
Hobby - Travel: Although this category was not on the list, I feel that my character would be someone that loves travelling. She is someone that embraces change, and seems to have a love of learning, and I think she is someone that would really enjoy exploring new places and meeting new people.
Piece of Jewellery - Pearl: I think her favourite piece of jewellery would be anything with pearls on it, as they are both gentle and timeless. Pearls aren’t exactly at the height of fashion, nor are they really ever out of fashion. They are classic, and timeless, and will be around for a seemingly infinite amount of time.
Emotion - Passion: I think my character is someone who is very passionate about what they care about and what they love. Whatever it is she feels about something, it is a strong feeling.