Acting Solo: The Art of One-Man Shows

by Jordan R. Young

A cast of an actor's dream - or an actor's nightmare? An exploration of the one-person show, from its disreputable origins in 18th century England to Ruth Draper's monologues and the development of such popular shows as Julie Harris' The Belle of Amherst, John Gielgud's Ages of Man, Hal Holbrook's Mark Twain Tonight! and Spalding Gray's outlandish Swimming to Cambodia. Includes introduction by Julie Harris, interviews with actress Pat Carroll and playwright William Luce, rare photos, appendix of shows, bibliography, index.

Genres: Theatre

214 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Eddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first thing you need to know about this book is that it's not a guide on how to act on stage alone (or solo, as the title suggests, and as I thought upon buying the book). It is actually a collection of stories of people who put on all sorts of solo performances. Being involved in a solo show myself, these stories were informative and somewhat educational and being an actor in general, they were highly entertaining. I'd recommend it, although I think they should have named it differently.

[Bob May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jordan R. Young makes a point of saying his book is not a “how-to” and then promptly tells “how-to” by way of describing his own process as well as those of the pioneering artists and their co-creators who created the genre. From Charles Dickens to Hal Holbrook to Julie Harris to Spaulding Gray, ACTING SOLO was a definitive survey of one-actor shows when the first edition appeared in 1989, and has since been expanded upon in a 2021 Kindle update including stand-up comedy and other newer forms and examples of mono-theater. But the First Edition was what I was looking for and it has helped me start on my own autobiographical monologue script. Thanks, Jordan.