A Question of Genius: Monologist Mike Daisey gives a first-hand account of the creation of his newest work, Great Men of Genius. Feature on TheaterMania.com:
This is a monster, and though I have been working in this form for a decade, this is like tackling four monologues at once. If pacing and endurance isn't reckoned with, both mine and the audience's, the whole endeavor can fall to pieces.
I'm doing this because I want to stretch the boundaries of the solo form, to reach beyond where the lines are traditionally drawn. I want to make monologues that challenge assumptions about what solo performance is capable of and break the bottle open. I'm doing it because it is grandiose and extravagant, like the men whose megalomania and insanity I'm exploring night after night. I'm doing it because, in that ineffable moment when I conceived this show, I knew it had to be this way. I had to follow this shape and let it grow like a mad flower.
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