Writing for Vaudeville by Brett Page
page 75 of 630 (11%)
page 75 of 630 (11%)
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III. HOW TO BEGIN TO WRITE As a monologue is a collection of carefully selected and smoothly blended points or gags, with a suitable introduction to the routine [1]--each point and gag being a complete, separate entity, and the introduction being as truly distinct--the monologue writer, unlike the playlet writer, may begin to write anywhere. He may even write the last point or gag used in the routine before he writes the first. Or he may write the twelfth point before he writes either the first one or the last one. But usually, he writes his introduction first. [1] _Routine_--the entire monologue; but more often used to suggest its arrangement and construction. A monologue with its gags and points arranged in a certain order is one routine; a different routine is used when the gags or points are arranged in a different order. Thus _routine_ means _arrangement_. The word is also used to describe the arrangement of other stage offerings--for instance, a dance: the same steps arranged in a different order make a new "dance routine." 1. The Introduction A monologue introduction may be just one line with a point or a gag that will raise a snicker, or it may be a long introduction that stamps the character as a "character," and causes amusement because it introduces the entire monologue theme in a bright way. An example of the short introduction is: |
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