Hello Beautiful People,
Brandon Monokian is an actor, writer, director and the perfect addition to our Movers & Shakers Q&A Series!
MM: First things first, did you always know that you wanted a career in theater?
BM: Growing up my parents would play cassette tapes of Les Misérables and Phantom of the Opera for me over and over. When I was five or six, I finally got to see Les Mis on Broadway (starring a young Lacey Chabert as Little Cosette), and I knew from that moment on. It’s always been the goal, but the reason for the goal has changed. In the beginning it was much more “I want to be on stage and have attention and be a Disney star” and now it’s about trying to create work that is meaningful and builds community.
MM: Can you explain to our readers a little bit more your project, Peter Pan is Dead?BM: Peter Pan is Dead is a play/ graphic novel I wrote about douchebags, revenge and love in the year two thousand and something. We started performances for Philly Fringe at the beginning of September and it was simultaneously released as a graphic novel with art by Sara Sciabbarrasi (currently available online at peterpanisdead.storenvy.com). Sara created incredible black and white illustrations that feel both old and new at the same time, and transport you in to the story. The live show is a really fast paced, crazed, demonic roller coaster. It’s violent, raw and hopefully a bit beautiful too.
MM: What do you hope audience members walk away with after seeing Peter Pan is Dead?BM: The first time I ever heard it read out loud, I had four actresses do an informal reading in my apartment over some wine. Afterwards they had an hour long conversation about different women’s issues, which wasn’t what I was expecting, but I was so moved that it had that sort of reaction. I actually didn’t know what to expect, because at the time I didn’t have a goal in mind for what I was trying to accomplish with it. I selfishly wrote it for me as a form of therapy to get myself over being attracted to douchebags or people who just don’t want to grow up. Writing it was cathartic, so I hope at the very least people can have their own catharsis when watching it live or reading the graphic novel.
MM: Just for fun, if you were stranded on a desert island, what movies would you want to have available to you?
BM: Spirited Away, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work and I Know What You Did Last Summer.
MM: Just for fun, what books would you want permanently on your bookshelf?
BM: “If You Have to Cry Go Outside” by Kelly Cutrone and “Letters to a Young Artist” by Anna Deavere Smith
MM: Just for fun, if you had to describe yourself in a hashtag, what would it be?
BM: #NeverFull
MM: In today’s economy, arts programs in schools are being cut. What reasons would you give a politician for preserving the arts?
BM: The arts are a fantastic vehicle for education. School can be so boring the way it’s structured, to the point where you don’t learn anything at all. I think the arts have the power to completely reinvent the way we learn and reach people who don’t learn well the standard way they teach you in school. I did a program for three years with the Princeton Public Library called Page to Stage where we presented staged readings of plays adapted from literature, and I think that that sort of program really has grounds to expand to a fantastic, visceral educational experience (mini documentary about Page to Stage here: http://vimeo.com/57147953)
MM: What advice would you give to aspiring actors and writers?
BM: If you want to make it into your career, you have to know about both business and creating. People go in thinking they are going be these fun and free artists and end up getting their artistic spirit crushed by the business aspect. Really, it’s just as simple as arming yourself with a basic knowledge of business, which gives you the freedom to think and exist creatively and protect your spirit. It’s empowering to know both because then you can create your own work, and your fate as an artist won’t rest on someone else hiring you (although it’s great when that happens too!). My best advice would be to read the two books I want permanently stocked on my shelf (“If You Have to Cry Go Outside” by Kelly Cutrone and “Letters to a Young Artist” by Anna Deavere Smith) and start from there. Also, be nice.
MM: What’s next for Brandon Monokian?
BM: I’ve just been hired to direct one of my favorite plays Dog Sees God, and will also be performing in a touring company doing educational shows for kids. That and doing a major expansion of a product line I created called Cork & Wood (http://corkandwood.storenvy.com/). A 7 day work week for months at a time, but that’s what coffee is for!
MM: Who is/was your greatest teacher?
BM: I’ve had a ton of amazing teachers both in class and in life. The best teacher of all I feel is failure. Failure not only teaches you about what went wrong and what could go better, but how you react to failure teaches you about yourself. If you can stand the thought of getting rejected or failing 100 plus times a year, this is the career for you! The triumphs then become that much sweeter.
Thanks, Brandon!
Live, Love, Learn,