The L Magazine review commented: "Vogels play is twisted, smart (drive: metaphors for control, anyone?) Research Playwrights, Librettists, Composers and Lyricists, See more monologues from Instant downloads of all 1715 LitChart PDFs Opened Tuesday, April 19, 2022. This is being done for a class called improvisation as an acting techn. She knows whats going on but blames it on Lil Bit for being sly.. The small talk fades away. This is the performance of a monologue from Paula Vogel's play How I Learned to Drive. The work was directed by Kate Whoriskey and stars Norbert Leo Butz as Uncle Peck and Elizabeth Reaser as Li'l Bit. Lil Bit categorically doesnt want to be defined by her appearance, wanting to use her mind in life rather than her body. The next vignette begins with the off-stage voice saying, Were You Prepared?. The waiter looks on disapprovingly, but Peck pays him off with a big tip. How i learned to drive is a memory play that deals with issues of victimization, sexual abuse, incest, and alcoholism. Flash forward to 1969, towards the end of the relationship. To placate her, Peck tells Lil Bit that he loves her. Closed Sunday, June 12, 2022. This offers the reverse perspective of the above, as the mother blames the grandmother for not being a better role model/confidante. Because of the function of the law in relation to sex and society, Peck senses that one day could make all the difference between officially transgressive sexual behavior and a legitimate relationship. Start: _(Stirring. Increasingly desperate, Peck asks that she lie down with him on the bed and that they just hold one another. Lil Bit, half wanting to run, half wanting to get it over with, half wanting to be held by him, agrees to his suggestion. I think thats a lovely idea. Peck here plays the role of a sexual authority. [7], The play was produced at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. in 1999, directed by Molly Smith. She cries out this isnt happening before making a swift exit. She is also firmly entrenched in her gender role. This, though, could well be based on years of coercive behavior on his part. In this scene, Peck makes no attempt to elicit Lil Bits permission for his actions and shows him unable to control his sexual desire. It took him seven years to drink himself to death, she says, losing his job, wife, and driving license along the way. Aunt Mary takes the stage to defend her husband's actions to the audience. The relationship is inherently unequal and unstable, with Lil Bit feeling nothing of the loyalty and commitment to Peck that he imagines. It is all told using Pecks words and shows how he uses language and logic to make his intentions and actions seem perfectly natural and acceptable. HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE Written by PaulaVogel Directed by Mark Brokaw Starring Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse; with Michael Showalter, Johanna Day and Kerry O'Malley as Male, Female and Teenage Greek Chorus-- Opened at the Vineyard Theatre 3/16/97-4/13/97 Reopened 4/18/97 at Century Center, 111 E.15th St (239-6200) This is in no way intended by Vogel to blame her for what happens, but instead to highlight the complicated mix of seemingly contradictory emotions involved in the relationship. Peck associates control with men. Every day brings another gift and note from Peck, which seem to be counting down to her eighteenth birthday (when it becomes legal for them to have sex). With Mary-Louise Parker, David Morse, Johanna Day, Alyssa May Gold, Chris Myers. HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE is the story of a woman who learns the rules of the road and life from behind the . This is contradicted by the same character later advocating for Lil Bit to be told more about the facts of life. The teenage chorus/grandmothers account of sex with Lil Bits grandfather paints sex as something animalistic and primal, not allowing for a consideration of tenderness or love. A good place to start can be a monologue that's serio-comedic, combining comedy with pathos and tragedy. Sign up today to unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. On Christmas Day 1964, 13-year-old Li'l Bit helps Uncle Peck wash the dishes. Peck, in a frantic rush, pulls a ring out of his pocket and proposes to Lil Bit. Peck is, on the surface of it, a good man. The script then returns to the present. "[10] This critically acclaimed production was directed by Terry Schreiber and received 10 New York Innovative Theatre (NYIT) Award nominations. This monologue, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor youth in the.! Lil Bit is a year older and asks whether sex hurts. The runtime is approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes, with no intermission. New York, NY, Shakespeare in the Woods 2023 Season He promises not to show them to anyone and that he loves her. Ok. Little Mary Jane is walking through the woods, when all of a sudden this man who was hiding behind a tree jumps out, rips open Mary Janes blouse, and plunges his hands on her breasts. The next scene presents the beginning of Lil Bit and Pecks relationship. Arguably Lil Bits anger subsides here not because she is glad of Pecks amorous feelings, but because they closely map on to her longing for a father figure. Synopsis: A mother gives her daughter essential tips on how to drink when on a date. Lil Bits words are exactly the same as the ones she says in the hotel room, drawing a link between the start and the end of the relationship. The mother fell pregnant at an early age and had a bad relationship with the Lil Bits father. It took my uncle seven years to drink himself to death. How I Learned to Drive - Acting Edition (Acting Edition for Theater Productions) [Paula Vogel, Vogel, Paula] on Amazon.com. Join the StageAgent community Vogel received the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the work. PDF. The play premiered on March 16, 1997, Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre. Sweet recollections of driving with her beloved uncle intermingle with lessons about the darker sides of life. Here is how to cut text in script to get the monologue: Start on top of page 217: Oh Mama, look at meCut everything from That in the yellow paper to the line wheres my birthday girl. Continue Emilys monologue with I cant. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." Lil Bits kiss shows her conflicted her feelings. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1715 titles we cover. Peck is not an unattractive man, on a purely aesthetic level, and Lil Bit undeniably feels a degree of physical attraction toward him. Li'l Bit returns to the present to explain what became of Peck after she left: He turned to alcohol after years of sobriety, leading to the loss of his job, his marriage, and his driver's license. THE STORY: A wildly funny, surprising and devastating tale of survival as seen through the lens of a troubling relationship between a young girl and an older man. She claims that he is a good man, and that it is all Li'l Bit's fault for leading him on. white lines on the road. New York, NY, Shakespeare in the Woods 2023 Season This is a hilarious monologue. She explains her family's penchant for handing out nicknames based on genitalia, which is why she was branded with the alias Li'l Bit for life. My working theory is that the Friedman has a fountain of youth stashed somewhere backstage; I dont have another explanation for Parkers agelessness. This scene breaks to show a typical family dinner in Lil Bits household. LilBit is hesitant because shes underage but eventually drinks until shes intoxicated. Many of the scenes, predictably, take place in cars, but Rachel Haucks understated scenic design doesnt have the upholstered car seats and steering wheel of, say, the Off Broadway road-trip dramedy Georgia Mertching Is Dead. Parker and Morse sit side by side facing the audience in retro dining chairs; through many scenes, including ones where theyre supposed to be kissing or touching, they remain seated and looking at the audience while their dialogue and gestures fill in the blanks. Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse have returned to Paula Vogel's 1997 Pulitzer-winning play about sexual abuse for its Broadway debut. [9], In 2006 the play was produced by the T. Schreiber Studio and Theater in New York City. The play opens with the present-day Lil Bit setting the scene. The Greek Chorus lists the letters and gifts that Peck sends her, with each note counting down how many days are left until her 18th birthday. But, just as Lil Bits grandmother held Lil Bits mother responsible for her own sexual behavior, so too does Lil Bits mother place the onus of responsibility on her own daughter (thereby not breaking the pattern that seems to be at play within the family). How I Learned to Drive,a play written by Paula Vogel, premiered Off-Broadway in 1997 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1998. [4] The Vineyard Theatre production, in association with Daryl Roth and Roy Gabay, moved to the Century Theatre in April 1997. Upgrade to PRO The adult Li'l Bit breaks the memory to explain that she went on to have a one-night stand with a high school senior while she was twenty-seven, experiencing the allure of young flesh that her uncle once felt. Now that shes old enough, says Lil Bit, she wishes she could ask him: who did it to you, Uncle Peck? In 1968, Peck andLilBit are out to dinner, and Peck encourages her to order a cocktail. Rebecca Gilman is an incredibly talented writer whose ideas challenge our assumptions and reveal the darker side of human nature. Monologues Monologues from shows associated with Paula Vogel Start: You begin to hope that the wait. Would I have met the same awed silence? Monologue starts with I got on the subway and it was and ends with like a beacon.. LIL BIT. In a hotel room, over champagne,PeckandLilBitcelebrate her eighteenth birthday. A typical family dinner in 1969 has Li'l Bit's family (played by the three Greek Chorus members) cracking jokes about how "well-endowed" she is. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. If you can make pent up frustration funny, then you have your finger on the pulse of this humorous monologue. The Flying Dutchman analogy displays Lil Bits intelligence and erudition, but also hints at her increasing wisdom and perspective as she reflects on what has happened. It addresses pedophilia, victim blaming, and misogyny, as well as the complexities of love and family. Both the characters have very different intentions in this scene, with Lil Bit wanting to end their relationship and Peck wanting to cement it. The female choruss mention of Uncle Peck is intentionally grotesque, underscoring the inappropriateness of his sexual attraction to his niece. Aunt Mary Character Analysis. The title of this scene as introduced by present-day Lil Bit is intentionally comic. At her most vulnerable she seems to fold into herself like a work of origami, hinging at the waist, tucking a bent knee beneath her, clutching her legs to her chest. -Graham S. 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