POST-SHOW ACTIVITIES


HOW DOES A PLAYWRIGHT WRITE A MONOLOGUE IN RESPONSE TO ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY?


During On the Twentieth Century, you followed a group of characters on a comedic cross-country adventure. Think about how the show ends, choose your favorite character, and create a monologue (a speech for one speaker) in which you imagine them one year later.


WRITE


Use these prompts to write your own monologue. • Who am I? (choose one: LILY, OSCAR, LETITIA, BRUCE) • How did the train trip change me, and what did I learn about myself during this voyage? • What happened when I got off the train? • What am I doing a year later, and how do I feel about that? • Which of the other characters am I still in touch with? What do I think of them?


ACTIVATE REFLECT


Perform your monologues for each other in your classroom. Try to create the character as you imagine him/her.


Why did you choose this character? What do you like about him or her? What other characters or people does he/she remind you of?


HOW DOES A LYRICIST WRITE A SONG THAT PARODIES CELEBRITY CULTURE?


In On the Twentieth Century , Oscar Jaffee, a major producer, and Lily Garland, the star he made famous, have a farcical “love-hate” relationship. They sing:


LILY.


Save your breath Don’t even try


Back again with you? I’d rather die!


OSCAR.


Perhaps it’s just as well I’ve seen you on the screen On stage you wove a spell


With each new play it deepened… But now your art is gone


It’s coarsened and it’s cheapened! REFLECT WRITE ACTIVATE


What modern celebrities remind you of Lily and Oscar? Where do we see the idea of frenemies in today’s culture? Why would a magazine or a television show promote this type of story?


Using the lyrics above as a template, write a song in which two modern celebrities argue. Make the argument a parody: exaggerate the characters and celebrity culture style.


Working with a partner, read your lyrics out loud to a small group without revealing who the characters are. Have the group guess which celebrities you wrote about.


ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY UPSTAGE GUIDE 21


FOR EDUCATORS


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