A man is left on hold by his high-flying boyfriend. An influencer’s live-stream glitches into troubling memories. Someone sits on the edge of their bed, haunted by the end of a relationship.
Our Monday Monologues series brings you new work from the most exciting UK and Irish writers, including Travis Alabanza, Natasha Brown, Shaun Dunne, Sophie Ellerby and Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu.
Written and recorded during the lockdown, the monologues will be released fortnightly from 18 May and will be available to watch for the next 12 months.
With no box office income it’s a difficult time for theatre. If you enjoy these films and would like to support our work now and into the future, you can do so here. Any donation, big or small, will play a part in ensuring we can continue to support our artists, staff and community.
Skype d8 by Travis Alabanza
It is hard to focus on what you are saying because I am imagining what my image looks like – as big on your side of the screen, as it is tiny on mine.
Dating is tricky at the best of times but what happens when you can only see each other online? Travis Alabanza’s Skype d8 is a hilariously honest look at the pitfalls of dating in isolation, starring Ibinabo Jack, who recently appeared as Leah in The High Table at the Bush.
Travis Alabanza is a performer, artist and theatre maker. Their recent show Burgerz won the Edinburgh Fringe Total Theatre award and toured both nationally and internationally including Traverse, Southbank Centre, HAU Berlin and Sao Paulo.
Patrick Gibson in Beds by Shaun Dunne
From that first night I think we both regretted it.
Laying there stiff and quiet.
On a bed like a rock.
They should be hard. Relationships. Beds. Hard is good for you. Isn’t it? Patrick Gibson (Sweat in the West End) performs Shaun Dunne’s bittersweet reflection on the end of a relationship.
Shaun Dunne is a Dublin based theatre and film artist that makes work about the here and now. Recent work includes Restoration and Rapids at Project Arts Centre.
Maymuna Abdi in Clarissa by Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu
I woke up in the most psychedelically wallpapered home I had seen since I went to my Gran’s yard when I was 10. I said, “Heaven is clapped man.”
Takeshi provides vibes upon vibes in her infamous Instagram live stream, but memories of a fight gone wrong and an unearthly chance encounter keep surfacing in Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu’s Clarissa, starring Maymuna Abdi.
Maymuna Abdi is part of the Almeida Young Company and alumni of the National Youth Theatre.
British-Ghanaian theatre-maker Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu’s work aims to stretch the imagination of his audiences with his unique brand of storytelling. Previous ‘Offie’-nominated work includes creating Sweet Like Chocolate Boy (Jack Studio & London Tour) and directing Little Baby Jesus by Arinzé Kene (Orange Tree Theatre).
Anjana Vasan in Contradictions by Natasha Brown
I keep telling myself I’m not in love with you and I’m not so don’t worry. It’s just I don’t skip over all the love songs that come up on my shuffle anymore…
Okay, the mornings do seem brighter. Phone calls with family members aren’t such a chore. And, yes even food tastes better right now. But Natasha Brown’s protagonist, played by Anjana Vasan (A Doll’s House, An Adventure) is definitely, definitely not in love.
London theatre-maker Natasha Brown’s work centres on themes of identity and belonging. Her previous work includes I Am [Not] Kanye West (Bunker Theatre).
Stefan Adegbola in Anything for Cash by Sophie Ellerby
You see him more than I do! On your television. Stood behind a little podium. Looking all smart and sexy and serious in his suit.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder? Not when your lover is busy keeping the country calm in a time of crisis. In Sophie Ellerby’s monologue, Stefan Adegbola (Bush Theatre’s The High Table) plays a man left on hold by his high-flying boyfriend, wondering when his personal life got so political.
Sophie’s previous productions include Lit (HighTide Festival and Nottingham Playhouse) and Three (Arcola).
