Precocious Children in Plays

June 26, 2009 10:57 PM

I'm looking for plays about precocious children.

I need a monologue for an audition--the role is a very smart, very pressured, comical 12 year old. I thought the hive mind might have some ideas...I'm looking for something energetic, maybe something with that sense of being burdened that a lot of very precocious kids seem to have. Preferably female. Thoughts?

posted by stray to Media & Arts (16 answers total)

When I was a kid, I tried out for this play: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleemosynary_(play)
posted by sugarfish at 11:07 PM on June 26, 2009

Arcadia
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 11:09 PM on June 26, 2009

huh...that was supposed to be linked: Arcadia
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 11:10 PM on June 26, 2009

12-year-old super-pressured smart girl? Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre to the rescue!
posted by Asparagirl at 11:19 PM on June 26, 2009

Although, if you want 'precocious' in a bad way, there's always Rhoda Penmark.
posted by Asparagirl at 11:21 PM on June 26, 2009

Response by poster: heheheh...Asparagirl, you've found me out. :P Guess who i'm auditioning for...? Which makes sugarfish's suggestion rather on the nose!
posted by stray at 11:21 PM on June 26, 2009

Paul Zindel's "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds" is about a precocious girl who's obsessed with winning the school science fair, and the obstacles put in her way by her crazy mother. The humor is dark, but it's there...
posted by OolooKitty at 12:08 AM on June 27, 2009

Pippi Longstocking! Kind of gives it away when the character profile for the play lists her as "a red-haired, magically strong, self-reliant, inventive and irreverent girl."
posted by jeanmari at 1:17 AM on June 27, 2009

More about Pippi and her role as a "Swedish rebel" :)
posted by jeanmari at 1:24 AM on June 27, 2009

Nick in A Thousand Clowns?
posted by orthogonality at 1:32 AM on June 27, 2009

Might be a bit light for what you're looking for but Daisy Meredith in'Daisy Pulls it off' is the quintessential plucky, spirited British school girl and has lots of fun monologues. It's a spoof of Girl's Own adventures, but you could interpret her speeches with precocious pathos.
posted by freya_lamb at 5:09 AM on June 27, 2009

Really Rosie
posted by dchrssyr at 8:25 AM on June 27, 2009

Response by poster: Awesome awesome awesome. Going to the library right now to pick these up. Thanks you clever folk!
posted by stray at 9:54 AM on June 27, 2009

If you haven't found what you need yet, you might try:

What I Did Last Summer by A.R. Gurney
posted by philotes at 12:15 PM on June 27, 2009

Oh my god, you must read I, Claudia by Kristen Thomson. It's about a 12 year old kid's reaction to her parents' divorce and father's remarriage. It's the best portrayal of an adolescent I've ever read.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 4:05 PM on June 27, 2009

Response by poster: Great stuff in here, guys. I ended up using Eleemosynary--I expected that loads of people would've used pieces from it, given that it's partially about a girl competing in spelling bees, and the show I auditioned for was about...spelling bees. But apparently I was the only one they'd seen so far. And the audition went well, given that I came down with a touch of laryngitis the day before.
I will definitely be checking out all the other suggestions as well! Thanks! Gotta love plays!
posted by stray at 8:17 PM on June 30, 2009