When I started The Monologue Collective, I myself had just finished performing my play DEAD SKIN that I wrote at seventeen. I actually wrote the play while trying to find my own HSC monologue. The notable thing I kept getting told about my work was how it ‘resonated’ with people, I think that’s because it was from an authentic perspective; written at seventeen about being a queer seventeen year old.
So in the middle of lockdown last year, I put out a call-out (home made on canva FYI) to collect monologues written by teenagers for other teenagers to use for their HSC Drama monologue assessment. The call out response was immense and I realised teenagers needed a program like this, it then became a funded thing and we ended up with what we have today…
The Monologue Collective: a youth arts theatre initiative where teenage writers develop a 6-8 minute monologue for teenagers to perform in the HSC individual performance.
We have our first fully staged performance at Kings Cross Theatre in October this year, before (hopefully!) going around NSW. So I thought I’d talk to some of our teenage writers to give some insight into how important it is to have teenage voices heard.
So Parker (aged 18) what was the first day of The Monologue Collective like?
PARKER: It was a day I felt things were finally starting; like the theatre world was actually opening up to me, and maybe I really had a chance within it. I wanted to be totally and wholly wrapped up in it all, and finally, I was in this wonderful writing space that felt like that. There is pure joy when a bunch of like minded creatives get together and blurt out all this pent up energy, sequestered by our schools or inaccessibility; it was our little, homey, explosion.
Those of us under 18 at the time had to wear these silly fluro wristbands, like the ones you get at Luna Park. It was humbling, really. Even though we had these painful reminders of our age wrapped on our wrists, screaming “amataur”, “not ready yet”, “too young” – we knew we were ready! Regardless of any wrist band or restricted access, we knew this was our time and our place, and, in my humble opinion, we’ve done a damn fine job of owning it.
And Niranjanan, do you think you would have had your voice heard without The Monologue Collective? (Would you have been involved in the arts?
NIRANJANAN: Without this opportunity, it would have been difficult to have my voice heard, in a sort of immediate, rewarding and showcased sense. The great thing about monologue collective is that it was accessible and welcoming, there were no specific requirements, restrictions, or qualifications which otherwise completely deters you from pursuing theatre. There’s that typical cycle… you need experience, but how do you get that experience, if every experience requires prior experience? I felt welcomed and supported and inspired. I was taught, mentored and in the development of my piece. There was no pressure on performance but just kindly critical and considered feedback on the work. I felt like everyone really believed in me and in turn, I started believing in myself.
I went from no theatre experience and now, I am producing and performing in my own play at Melbourne Fringe, which would not have been possible without the Monologue Collective. Not only did Monologue Collective allow for my voice to be heard. I realised that it should be heard, I realised that I wanted to – I so earnestly want to speak my ideas, share them with world, and change the world with them.
So thank you, sincerely, Monologue Collective.
Finally, Claudia (aged 19) why do you think it’s important programs like The Monologue Collective exist for teenagers?
CLAUDIA: It is so important not just for teenagers to be able to see their own stories told, truthfully, but for teenagers to get to tell their stories. A group that is so often struggling with working out who they are and feeling isolated and lost needs stories and characters they can connect to, to tell them they are so completely normal to feel so not normal, and they are not alone in feeling alone.
A teenager writing about their experience may be less polished than a more experienced writer, but isn’t that also way more accurate to the experience of being a teenager? When is that ever tidy? My hope is that the Monologue Collective allows us to display the genuine struggles as well as the ridiculousness, the awkwardness, and the great joy of being an actual teenager.
And I think the permission and encouragement for teenagers to tell our stories, to write and have that valued and shared as something worth listening to – it is incredibly empowering, and will no doubt encourage more and more young people to write, and write about what matters to them, what rings true to their life. A lot of us started the program enjoying writing but not classifying ourselves as ‘writers’, feeling like we hadn’t earned it or that was for professionals. The Monologue Collective gave us the platform, the skills and the confidence to say what we wanted to say and finally call ourselves writers.
The Monologue Collective will be performing @ KXT Theatre from October 18th – 21st.
You can book tickets and find out more information about the show here:
https://events.humanitix.com/the-monologue-collective
You can follow The Monologue Collective Journey here:
www.instagram.com/themonologuecollectivewww.facebook.com/themonologuecollective
