Grey Matter Rationale

RATIONALE

I chose my monologue Grey Matter because I feel that I am able to relate to this character; she is confused, worried, funny, excitable, angry, attention seeking, impressionable and lonely. The monologue goes on to show that anyone, be it a poet, a truck driver, a doctor, etc, can have doubts about their chosen path in life; How does one ever know that what they are doing is right? Who should they listen to for advice? Should they or shouldn't they take that advice? How many ups and downs does it take until you're comfortable and happy with your choice? All these questions come up in my monologue, but are somewhat hidden with humor and melodrama. These questions, and the way the character deals with and answers the questions, are universal; everyone watching the performance is able to relate to this character, as she confronts these questions, which usually take a lifetime to answer, in just seven short minutes.

The use of books with the labels I AM A POET, KEANU REEVES and I LOVE ME represents pivotal moments in the performance. When "Kim" picks up the I AM A POET book, she is so sure of herself; she is defining what she is and dignifying her way of acting and how she appears. But when it drops, she is doubtful and anxiously tries to convince the audience, or her Ð''hallucinations', that she is to be taken seriously as a poet. When she picks up the KEANU REEVES book, she knows she needs help, and at the time of dropping it knows what kind of help to get. When she picks up the I LOVE ME book, it is a realization for her; this is what she has been searching for all her life, this will make her the poet she wants to be, but when she lets go if it, she realizes this way of thinking, this way of life, will separate her from the poets she has always admired and aspires to be like. The books represent, in essence, the choice between what she wants, and what everyone