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monologue
Drama
1 Character

Joe's Ballet Monologue

from Lakeboat

Written by David Mamet

Lakeboat

Joe, a rough-around-the-edges sailor, reveals a deeply personal and unexpected childhood dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer. He reflects on the purity of that desire and the physical discipline required, contrasting it with the hollow self-importance of the wealthy passengers on the boat.

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JOE: I wanted to be a dancer. Not tap, I mean a real ballet dancer. I know they're all fags, but I didn't think about it. I didn't not think about it. That is, I didn't say, "I want to be a dancer but I do not want to be a fag." It just wasn't important. I saw myself arriving at the theater late doi

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CharactersJoe
Duration2 min
Age Range35-45
GenderMale
GenreDrama
PeriodContemporary
Formatmonologue
SourceLakeboat
Tonevulnerable
AccentChicago / Great Lakes
Suitable Fordrama school audition, agent showcase, self tape, general practice
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