David Ives is the master of the short form play in our lifetime. No one in the short form is as widely produced or as well known even outside the world of theatre people. His published plays can be found in nearly every drama school library. His writing is light like a souffle, witty, warm and wise. And yes, he's a Yale MFA grad like Durang perhaps the other darker more emotionally raw short form genius who also holds a Pulitzer. But this post is about Ives. If Durang is deep, painful cathartic comedy, Ives is the light brilliant uplifting counterpoint. In any event, both write comedy, a thing perhaps too little celebrated in a life that is made infinitely better by the presence of laughter.
Alright then, the actual topic of this post, David Ives "The Green Hill." It' a short play about a man, Jake, who everyday imagines himself if only for a few minutes atop a green hill. The hill is a place where he is perfectly happy and at peace. He is obsessed with finding the actual green hill. He knows it is not just in his mind. He goes on a journey perhaps leaving the love of his life, Sandy, behind to chase down the hill. He discovers the hill is real when he finds a picture of it at a travel agency. He gets the name of the late photographer and asks the photographer's wife, where is this hill? She doesn't know! The photographer spent his life taking pictures of green hills and didn't label where any of them were located! However, there was a lot of everywhere he'd travelled. So our hero Jake sets out to go to every place this photographer went in search of the hill.
The peak of dramatic tension and the cathartic moment of realization by Jake that he no longer needs to find the hill. He is ready to go home. At that moment when his dream is lost, he discovers the hill. This is the best suited moment to derive a monologue. You will have to make some cuts to make it work, but the derived monologue works and gives you a sense of defeat and then elation to play. And the entire play is short, a ten minute play, so read the entire thing to understand where Jake is emotionally at this moment.
Start the monologue with the line "Hill 16,973. Every American I meet I ask for Sandy." Skip right to "I figure Sandy's long married .. " and after "as flat as a starched bedsheet" jump to "Suddenly I can't remember what the hill I'm looking for looks like ... " and after "I'm nowhere inside my head or out of it" jump to "It's time to go home" and then to "Help a guy out?" and continue with text as-is all the way until the final line you'll end on "I've never felt so free in my life."
Get the play The Green Hill by David Ives here. The monologue is derived from pages 198-200.
Alright then, the actual topic of this post, David Ives "The Green Hill." It' a short play about a man, Jake, who everyday imagines himself if only for a few minutes atop a green hill. The hill is a place where he is perfectly happy and at peace. He is obsessed with finding the actual green hill. He knows it is not just in his mind. He goes on a journey perhaps leaving the love of his life, Sandy, behind to chase down the hill. He discovers the hill is real when he finds a picture of it at a travel agency. He gets the name of the late photographer and asks the photographer's wife, where is this hill? She doesn't know! The photographer spent his life taking pictures of green hills and didn't label where any of them were located! However, there was a lot of everywhere he'd travelled. So our hero Jake sets out to go to every place this photographer went in search of the hill.
The peak of dramatic tension and the cathartic moment of realization by Jake that he no longer needs to find the hill. He is ready to go home. At that moment when his dream is lost, he discovers the hill. This is the best suited moment to derive a monologue. You will have to make some cuts to make it work, but the derived monologue works and gives you a sense of defeat and then elation to play. And the entire play is short, a ten minute play, so read the entire thing to understand where Jake is emotionally at this moment.
Start the monologue with the line "Hill 16,973. Every American I meet I ask for Sandy." Skip right to "I figure Sandy's long married .. " and after "as flat as a starched bedsheet" jump to "Suddenly I can't remember what the hill I'm looking for looks like ... " and after "I'm nowhere inside my head or out of it" jump to "It's time to go home" and then to "Help a guy out?" and continue with text as-is all the way until the final line you'll end on "I've never felt so free in my life."
Get the play The Green Hill by David Ives here. The monologue is derived from pages 198-200.
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