Audition Monologues for Young Women

When I was in school, I wanted so badly to perform in the school plays.  Loved theater, the chance to escape the harsh realities of home life, to be somebody else, embody the possibilities.   Imagine.   I auditioned for many plays, only to be told there were/are no Asians in Dogpatch, Alice in Wonderland, and so on....

Naturally I was so discouraged.  And often humiliated, for even trying out.  One theater director told me I could be a flower pot.  Just stand there and look exotic.   No thanks.

I have written many things, but  I always push myself to write rich, complex characters.  Meaty roles.  Essential roles.  Roles that break stereotypes.  Roles for youth.   Some of my plays, you will notice when you buy them, the characters do not have a last name.  That is on purpose.   So that the roles lend themselves to open casting.  I know firsthand what it's like to be excluded.

Today I'm happy to report that my monologue PRETTY FOR AN ASIAN GIRL is available in AUDITION MONOLOGUES FOR YOUNG WOMEN #2, edited by Gerald Lee Ratliff, published my Meriwether Publishing.

Front cover:

Back cover:

Shine on, my friends!  Shine on!

Strutting and Fretting

No one goes into writing to strike it rich.

You go to Wall Street for that.  Believe me, I tried.

But no one goes into writing to become homeless either.

Ellen Lewis, my friend and fellow playwright, recently wrote about how impossible it is to create art that matters, live brave, and make ends meet.  The more "awards" you win, the less people want to hire you.  

Prospective Employers keep telling me, Lucy, you're way overqualified!

Yes, I have an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago.  I've worked for NYC Mayor David Dinkins.  Traded bonds on Wall Street.   Met Nelson Mandela, Bill, Hillary, Gloria.   Won awards for playwriting. 

Prospective Employers fear I won't stay.  

Of course I'll stay.  Like everyone else, I need to pay bills.  Make ends meet.  

You should be writing.

Everyone keeps saying they admire me for pushing boundaries, being brave, making them laugh, opening their minds, going where they are afraid to go, giving voice to the less visible, taking risks, triumphing over adversity.  It's a wonderful list.  Really.  

I sure wish Everyone would buy my plays, write me five star reviews and help fill the seats.  

Ellen is moving back home to Oregon, to her family's 17 acre farm.  That's not an option for me.  I wish!  I'm not afraid of hard work.  Plus, the photos she posted look like paradise regained.  Vineyards.  Barn.  Gardens.  Fields of grain. I have no safety net, no inheritance, no parents who love me.   My father beat us to a pulp, and my mother abandoned us long ago.  Luckily, with some help from Mother Nature, I can grow some of my own vegetables.  

As difficult as it is, some talented young actors reminded me yesterday why I keep on keeping on.  I wish you could've been there, at Samuel French yesterday.  They took our breaths away.   They were brave, reading our monologues aloud and in public.  Taking risks.

Here's Sharon cracking us up with my monologue PRETTY FOR AN ASIAN GIRL.

Mark telling us not to fence him in....in MY SUPERPOWER, an Asian American boy named Stan Lee.

Here's the rest of our talented cast.

Donnajeanne Goheen manages many talented Young Performers and some of them came to show their support.  

Big shout out to today's youth, Samuel French, Steve Fife.  I bet any of these young actors could do a fine job in my new play TEEN MOGUL written for any ethnicity, and published this month by YOUTHplays.  Maybe someday one of them will hire me, for a paying job.

Samuel French Book Party for One on One: Playing with a Purpose

Samuel French is throwing a book party for One on One:  Playing with a Purpose
Monologues for Kids 7-15, Applause Books

July 18, Thursday, 3-5 PM, Sunset Blvd and Stanley in Hollywood.

I have two monologues in this collection, one for a male and one for a female:  MY SUPERPOWER and PRETTY FOR AN ASIAN GIRL

Back cover.  You'll see I'm in good company :-).

Front cover