←Recommendations of ERSTWHILE [A MONOLOGUE]

As someone who frequently pesters Steven G. Martin for another BENNY V.-sized full-length play, here Martin delivers a masterpiece in miniature, crafting an exquisite monologue that delves into Garrett's processes and leaves we the audience wholly touched, and also worried about his future. Theater teachers, share this with your students so that they can see what monologues can DO.

Steve Martin pens with great craftsmanship a drama about Garret who suffers from his erstwhile self. Past does not belong totally to past, past shapes, to a certain extent, our present lives and this is the case here. His erstwhile self becomes his internal demon. Haunting and introspective! Amazing work.

Oh my goodness, this monologue. Garrett has worked so hard to turn his life around, but you can tell he still struggles internally and some days are tougher battles than others. The most amazing thing about this monologue is how you pick up on it without Garrett saying anything overtly. This kind of writing is an actor's dream.

You know this guy and you love him (and sometimes you've lived with him). Steve Martin presents us with a character who hasn't always made the best decisions but has a heart of gold. And he's not afraid to try to connect. Heartfelt monologue. I don't know where Garrett's travels take him next, but I'll be rooting for him.

Sometimes, the most helpful people are just doing their best holding the darkness at bay. Garrett is the nicest guy you may ever meet. And not in a saccharine way. He is a sincerely generous dude doing his genuine best to help others help others. Yet something is off. Not some horror-thriller evil secret – a simple yet powerful private human struggle. The world Martin immerses us in is unfamiliar to many though it exists everywhere, and it was a joy to visit. One can't help but wish everyone in it well. Especially Garrett.

A dynamic monologue about personal growth and empathy. Emphasizes the notion that, while each of us has regrets/secrets from our past, it is who we are in the present - what we show and do for the people around us on a daily basis- that truly defines us.

I was fully immersed in the world of this monologue - everything I needed to call this world to life in the theatre of the mind was in the details, right down to the soul of the speaker. It feels so earnest and authentic, giving me the sense that I know this person, and leaving me with a melancholy ache as I worry and wonder about what he'll do when he walks out the doors of this soup kitchen for the final time. It takes incredible craft to imbue a piece with that level of sheer humanity. Bravo!

ERSTWHILE, a beautifully paced monologue by Steve Martin, is a volunteer in a community dinner organized by a local church. This is his last day, and as he trains a new volunteer, he is asked questions that reveal the depths of his humanity and self-awareness. He is healing whatever He has done in the past by helping the community. We learn how it feels to him and how his workmates feel about him at the church. Without a single pat on the back, we know about his current success as a person. Beautiful.

03.18.26 - A slow burn of a monologue that reveals more and more layers of Garrett as he instructs a new volunteer (and the audience) about taking care of those needing a helping hand. I loved Steve Martin's take on what it means to truly atone for past misdeeds, and how it isn't about just returning to the same level you were at before but about becoming much better than that. Truly two steps forward for every one step back. In that way we all benefit. Inspiring and humanizing at the same time.

This playwright always has the best pacing to reveal his character's inner state, taking his time to reveal spirit. Every monologue he writes is a gem of construction and voice and should be on your reading list if you're a newbie to monologue writing.