The phrase “representation is important” has become ubiquitous, so commonplace that it’s easy to lose sight of its meaning. On Twitter, or “X,” the phrase is used memetically to accompany pictures of cute, lazy animals, representing a user’s mental state or level of comfort. What does a joke about the importance of reputation obscure? In a cultural landscape dominated by straight and white perspectives, reading something that reflects your own experience is crucial. Monologues by LGBTQIA+ Writers for LGBTQIA+ Actors is evidence of the adage’s truth.
Compiled by University of Iowa alumnus Alyssa Cokinis, the book of 60 monologues serves as an extension of Cokinis’ some scripts literary magazine project and — more importantly — a vital resource for actors looking to perform monologues written by and for authentic voices spanning the widths of the spectrums of gender and sexuality.
More than a smattering of isolated reflections on queer life, the pieces speak to the variety of the experiences of LGBTQIA+ people in a heteronormative society. As the foreword notes, LGBTQIA+ people are not a monolith, and the collection’s content reflects that. The lion’s share of the pieces in the anthology explicitly portray central components of LGBTQIA+ life, like relationships, as in the very funny “Flight Announcement” by Thomas J. Misuraca, or coming out in “Like Me For Me” by Cassidy Guimares. Cokinis gives the floor to often-obscured asexual and aromantic voices such as Sophie Katz, whose monologues “Aspec” and “Nothing and Everything” bookend the collection.
Yet others are very simply just pieces about LGBTQIA+ peoples’ everyday lives. David Blitzman’s “My Son” is a heartfelt tribute by a father to his autistic son, while “Dill’s Monologue” from That Thing in the Bathroom by Cal Walker comically depicts a young trans person’s appeal to their passive boss to take action against a supernatural entity in their workplace’s bathroom.
The collection’s explorations of LGBTQIA+ history and speculative fiction are strong suits. In the case of the former, Glenn Alterman’s “Bart” is a tender, poetic exploration of shifting relationships in the AIDS epidemic. The turns toward sci-fi and fantasy by A’liya Spinner and Aly Kantor are fascinating.
Monologues by LGBTQIA+ Writers for LGBTQIA+ Actors is a fantastic resource for young actors auditioning for shows at academic institutions, or for performers of any age auditioning in professional and semi-professional settings. These monologues create an opportunity for actors to present their strengths while also expressing how they identify. While not all the pieces are the most groundbreaking dramatic writing, there is still kudos to be given to these artists for composing pithy monologues that speak to their own experiences as LGBTQIA+ writers.
In an arts landscape that is continually re-evaluating how it can best speak to the breadth of human experiences, something as simple as providing actors with monologues that represent them is vital. Representation is important, after all, and Monologues by LGBTQIA+ Writers for LGBTQIA+ Actors is a vessel for expanding theatrical representation.
This article was originally published in Little Village’s November 2023 issue.