Prison Monologues by Daniel Guyton

One-Act, 4F. A collection of monologues about women in prison. Includes HATE MALE, JANUARY'S ALIBI, SAY HI TO AGNES FOR ME, and THE SINS OF REBETHANY CHASTAIN. (see below for details on each)

Winner of Three Acting Awards (Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and All-Star Award) from the Georgia Theatre Conference Community Theatre Competition, 2020
Nominated for two BroadwayWorld Awards (Scariest Play and Play We Would Watch On Loop If We Could), 2020

"PRISON MONOLOGUES, PART I by Daniel Guyton, produced by Liberal Eye Productions is a series of solo performances drawn on emotional power, subtle explorations of message, and dark, evocative imagery that made this exhibition truly one of the powerhouses of this year's Fringe. All of these narratives are powerfully delivered and bring something very interesting to the table... Keep an eye out for future offerings of this piece." (Daniel Lamb, Edge Media Network, 2015)

"Is there a better format for “Monologue” plays than Zoom streaming? Based on last night’s stream of Daniel Guyton’s PRISON MONOLOGUES, PART I, I would opine a definitive “No.” A combination of brilliant writing, from-the-gut performance, and beautifully minimalistic (laptop) camera work made this collection a wrenchingly beautiful experience. Meet four women, all (perhaps) convicted killers, each in a blandly institutional setting talking directly to us. (“We” are interviewers, interrogators, visitors, or fellow prisoners.) They really have nothing in common, other than the fact they are in prison. Each has a story to tell, and these stories are the background and soul of this play... These are all damaged women, all having suffered unimaginable abuse at the hands of men and family, all reacting with violence, which, to be honest, is really all they know, all they have in their “coping toolbox.” Their criminal acts can be seen as the consequences of this abuse, this damage... Each actress “owns” her space, treating the camera like a character, making every move significant, every gesture a story-enhancing embellishment. And, more to the point, the small laptop cameras that zoom these stories to us are able to capture every nuance, every thought as it strikes, even the few moments of self-revelatory clarity. Mr. Guyton’s writing is incredibly assured and effective. So many lines are laugh out loud funny and horrifying at the same time... These characters spring from the page, fully formed, fully human, fully frightening in their innocent fall into guilt... Congratulations on a beautiful event and an enthralling descent into the terrifying wellspring of the female soul." (Bradley Rudy, Atlanta Theatre Buzz, 2020)

"Dan's piece demonstrated his remarkable skill on all levels -- it was bawdy, clever, touching, surprising and wonderfully spirited." (Hank Kimmel, Working Title Playwright, 2015)

"WOW My first attendance at an online theater performance... it was wonderful. Nuanced writing that avoids the cliches, powerful acting, and good production values! Applause applause!" (Liz Bigler, Vimeo Review, 2020)

"If you thought Vagina Monologues were intense, you ain't seen s--t" (Josh Vining, Onstage Atlanta, 2015)

"Fantastic! Great writing and acting, and it [was] incredibly very powerful on this [Zoom] medium." (Fred Galyean, Merely Players Presents, 2020)

"This was a spectacular show. Four wonderful monologues... Parents, teach your children well to keep them out of prison!" (David Fisher, Working Title Playwrights, 2015)

"The show was great... Your entire cast was fantastic." (Laura King, Lionheart Theatre, 2015)

"Amazing job! All those ladies crushed it!" (Diana Brown, Atlanta Fringe Festival, 2015)

"Fantastic, the writing and the acting." (Mary Marshall, Working Title Playwrights, 2015)

"What an Amazing show! Real Life stories told in an extremely in your face fashion. Gut wrenching Performances! You gotta check this out!" (Jason Louder, Atlanta Fringe Festival, 2015)

"So impressed!!! Fandamtastic. Powerful words, powerful performances. Hate Male… wow… you oughta be on the big screen. Really, all of you give Orange is the New Black a run for their money." (Julia Kneeland, Merely Players Presents, 2020)

"Enjoyed this festival. Amazing Monologues. Great performances." (Ouida Collins, Atlanta Fringe Festival, 2015)

"Stark simplicity... Writing conveyed the personal ties of the inmates beautifully and performances were excellent." (Official Judge's Critique, Atlanta Fringe Festival, 2015)

"Congratulations to all! Terrific show, and a hugely talented cast." (Lee Raines, Working Title Playwrights, 2015)

"This was so incredibly wonderful!... A masterpiece script!... OMG, everyone was SO good!" (Phyllis Giller, Merely Players Presents, 2020)

"The writing is on point and so realistic and the ladies' attention to each word and characterization wowed me. THANK YOU!!!" (Mia Kristin Smith, Merely Players Presents, 2020)

"One of the 20 offerings in this year’s Atlanta Fringe Festival is Daniel Guyton’s PRISON MONOLOGUES, PART I. Four monologues are performed, featuring four different actresses. All are written and directed by the talented Mr. Guyton. The set, such as it is, is a platform in the corner of the Highland Inn basement ballroom, backed by white sheer curtains from floor to ceiling. Light and sound effects are minimal. Two set pieces, a chair and a table, are used to suggest different prison cells and an interrogation room. It all works very well... Mr. Guyton the director has done Mr. Guyton the playwright proud. I can only wonder (and no doubt marvel) at what Part II of these monologues might offer." (Playgoer, TheaterReview.com, 2015)

Produced at Atlanta Fringe Festival in Atlanta, GA, 2015
Produced at Classic City Fringe Festival in Athens, GA, 2015
Produced as a Zoom play by Merely Players Presents in Chamblee, GA, 2020
Produced at Atlanta Fringe Festival in Atlanta, GA, 2021

Review of PRISON MONOLOGUES on Zoom by Bradley Rudy of Atlanta Theatre Buzz (2020)

Article about PRISON MONOLOGUES at Classic City Fringe Festival by Zach Hansen of Red & Black (2015)

Article about PRISON MONOLOGUES at Classic City Fringe Festival by Wayne Ford of Athens Banner-Herald (2015)

Article about PRISON MONOLOGUES at Classic City Fringe Festival by Madeline Bates of Flagpole Magazine (2015)

Review of PRISON MONOLOGUES at Atlanta Fringe Festival by Playgoer of TheaterReview.com (2015)

1F, One-Act (10 min). A prison inmate shares her zany story about how she got arrested, in this one woman monologue.

Kate Guyton won Best Supporting Actor from the Georgia Theatre Conference Community Theatre Competition, 2020
Excerpt published in Best Women's Stage Monologues of 2014 by Smith & Kraus, 2014
Excerpt published in Best Contemporary Monologues for Women 18-35 by Applause Books, 2014

"First up is THE SINS OF REBETHANY CHASTAIN. In this beautifully blocked monologue, Kate Guyton tells the story of what sent Rebethany to prison. Ms. Guyton has a white trash twang, and the tale she tells is a comic set of grievances centering around a bicycle and jealousy of a girl in her class. Yes, there’s a crime involved, but it’s a convoluted path in the telling. It’s beautifully rendered, by playwright, director, and actress alike." (Playgoer, TheaterReview.com, 2015)

"Last is Daniel Guyton’s THE SINS OF REBETHANY CHASTAIN. Reprising her role in this monologue from last year’s Atlanta Fringe Festival is the fantastic Kate Guyton, in a tour-de-force performance of a white-trashy young woman whose actions represent the "sins" of the title. It’s brash and profane and energetic and given lively direction by the playwright, ending the night on a high note of hilarity." (Playgoer, TheaterReview.com, 2015)

"In THE SINS OF REBETHANY CHASTAIN, Kate Guyton gives a starkly funny portrait of a too-young-for-adult-prison woman (the playwright describes her as 19, which means she was 17 when she committed her crime). Approaching (but never falling into) the trap pf “Southern Trailer Trash” cliché, Rebethany is an unschooled, unsophisticated naïf... Ms. Guyton (who previously proved to be an outstanding monologist with Thus Spoke the Mockingbird) perfectly captures Rebethany’s naivety and “what else could I do?” simplicity, showing the character to be a natural storyteller and blithely spewing her many spoonerisms and “close-but-no-cigar” vocabulary." (Bradley Rudy, Atlanta Theatre Buzz, 2020)

"Black Sheep Theatre included this piece in our Halloween event this year. It was brilliant!" (Deborah Smola, Black Sheep Theatre Ensemble, 2013)

"OMG! ROMANCE [IS DEAD] and REBETHANY are some fine pieces of dark comedy! Thank you for your twisted mind! Haha! I say that with the utmost respect and love." (Diane Mashia, Black Sheep Theatre Ensemble, 2013)

"A big bonus was to see the performance of Kate Guyton, who admirably brought to life the first of the four monologues." (Hank Kimmel, Working Title Playwright, 2015)

"This was a spectacular show. Four wonderful monologues... Kate (Guyton) surprised me as a real comedic talent." (David Fisher, Working Title Playwrights, 2015)

"The show was great. Kate Guyton is fierce and fabulous!" (Laura King, Lionheart Theatre, 2015)

"THE SINS OF REBETHANY CHASTAIN provides a different tone than any seen yet in this collection, as we see Rebethany tell the hilariously tragic story of how a few small events can change one’s world entirely. This is written with a bit of southern trashy charm and filled with a wild warmth of description, character, and event. Rebethany is incredibly likable despite her flaws, and reading this monologue made me want to see it on stage immediately." (Michael Weems, Next Stage Press, 2015)

"I just performed part of this monologue for my theatre class. It was my first comedic monologue ever and I got lots of good feedback. This writer's material is amazing!" (Khaya Osborne, YouTube actress, 2016)

Produced at Emerging Artist Theatre's One Woman Standing Festival in Manhattan, 2013
Produced by Mostly Harmless Productions in Albany, NY, 2013
Published by Next Stage Press as part of Hilarious Nightmares in 2013
Produced by the Black Sheep Theatre Coalition in Rochester, NY, 2013
Produced at Atlanta Fringe Festival in Atlanta, GA, 2015
Produced at Classic City Fringe Festival in Athens, GA, 2015
Produced by Onion Man Productions in Atlanta, GA, 2016
Produced as a Zoom play by Merely Players Presents in Chamblee, GA, 2020
Produced at Atlanta Fringe Festival in Atlanta, GA, 2021

Article on Community Voices Project doing an excerpt of THE SINS OF REBETHANY CHASTAIN by Broadway World News Desk (2020)

Video of Treasure Lunan performing excerpt from THE SINS OF REBETHANY CHASTAIN (2020)

Review of PRISON MONOLOGUES on Zoom by Bradley Rudy of Atlanta Theatre Buzz (2020)

Review of THE SINS OF REBETHANY CHASTAIN by Playgoer of TheaterReview.com (2016)

Review of PRISON MONOLOGUES at Atlanta Fringe Festival by Playgoer of TheaterReview.com (2015)

Review of Best Contemporary Monologues for Women 18-35 by Whitney M Woodcock of Portland Book Review (2015)

1F, One-Act (10 Min). An angry punk grrl who hates men is arrested for murder. She tells us why she did it.

Jade Fernandez won Best Actor from the Georgia Theatre Conference Community Theatre Competition, 2020
Semi-Finalist in Women in the Age of Trump Festival, 2017
Excerpt published in Best Women's Stage Monologues of 2015 by Smith & Kraus, 2015

"HATE MALE is the story of a white trash woman (AC Smallwood), but this monologue is not comic. It starts with a vitriolic, foul-mouthed diatribe against an unseen guard on the other side of invisible bars. The woman has suffered sexual abuse, and her behavior and language alternate between sweet come-ons and hateful insults. The innocent-faced Ms. Smallwood, with a bruise around her right eye, nails the character." (Playgoer, TheaterReview.com, 2015)

"AC Smallwood, in HATE MALE, a monologue, plays the role of a very angry young woman who was sexually abused wherein she attempts to seduce a prison guard. Hers is the most evocative tale. Smallwood is captivating and a bit terrifying in her portrayal of this damaged character. Keep an eye out for future offerings of this piece." (Daniel Lamb, Edge Media Network, 2015)

"The woman in HATE MALE drips from the mouth with Komodo-dragon-venom. Her hate for the other sex is relentless. But the more you listen, you start caring, and you stop judging. The monologue is vulgar and profane, but at the same time poetic and kind of existential. Another great portrait of a tortured soul. A great challenge for a female actor." (Asher Wyndham, New Play Exchange, 2015)

"In HATE MALE, Jade Fernandez is an angry woman, sporting bruises from too many fights, alternatively seducing and challenging us with her disdain for men in general... A brutal post-murder act to prevent him from “seeing Jesus” is nicely echoed in a startle-scare ending that made me jump right out of my skin, or at least my comfy office chair... Ms. Fernandez, who spends most of her monologue angry and railing at us, cannot hide the pain and disappointment that seem permanently etched on her face." (Bradley Rudy, Atlanta Theatre Buzz, 2020)

"I came across your HATE MALE monologue and absolutely became both entranced and sick to my stomach by your writing (a compliment!). I would really love the honour of performing the piece for my auditions... I admire the portrayal of women in this piece, so raw, dynamic and layered, I look forward to checking out some more of your work!" (Aimee Smith, actress, 2024)

"Congratulations to Katlin Leslie... for [her] terrific performance last night, and to Daniel Guyton for writing yet another powerful and provocative piece." (L Marcus Williams, A Fly on the Fourth Wall Productions, 2013)

"A very special thanks to Daniel Guyton for writing [a] fantastic piece. Working on HATE MALE was fun, enlightening and definitely a challenge." (Katlin Leslie, A Fly on the Fourth Wall Productions, 2013)

"I love your Gretchen monologue from HATE MALE... I thought this one really call[ed] out to me." (Diana Pantoja, Actress, 2013)

"I'm performing this monologue... It's deep. It's really unique. I like it." (Emily Poncini, actress, 2014)

"The script's amazing and raw." (Katelyn Foley, actress, 2015)

"I have chosen the Gretchen monologue to perform as my final piece... I totally just fell in love with it! Just superb." (Courtney Jessica Furnell, actress, 2014)

Staged Reading at Emerging Artist Theatre's One Woman Standing Festival in Manhattan, NY, 2013
Produced by Mostly Harmless Productions in Schenectady, NY, 2014
Produced by Play Club West in Hollywood, CA, 2015
Produced at Atlanta Fringe Festival in Atlanta, GA, 2015
Produced at Classic City Fringe Festival in Athens, GA, 2015
Produced by the Director's Cut Theatre Company in London, UK, 2017
Produced by Merely Players Presents in Chamblee, GA, 2020
Produced at Atlanta Fringe Festival in Atlanta, GA, 2021
Produced at Vancouver Film School in Vancouver, Canada, 2024

Featured Monologue on Unknown Playwrights (2020)

Review of PRISON MONOLOGUES on Zoom by Bradley Rudy of Atlanta Theatre Buzz (2020)

Article on HATE MALE on NYCPlaywrights.com (2017)

1F. One-Act (10 min), January is a poor woman, accused of murdering the father of her child. In this interrogation sequence, she explains what really happened.

Excerpt published in Best Women's Stage Monologues of 2016 by Smith & Kraus, 2016

"JANUARY'S ALIBI is spoken to police interrogators who are questioning a woman (Tanya Freeman) in the shooting death of her child’s father. There’s a lot of foul language in this play... but it’s repeatedly followed by "excuse my French," with some questioning of how crude the French must be to come up with all these cuss words. There are a lot of comic elements in the writing, but the tone isn’t fully comic. This woman seems unusually enthusiastic about her young son, Allegro Junior (although his father has an entirely different first name). Since four-year-old Allegro was at least a witness of the murder, the tone wavers a bit between comedy and seriousness... The blocking and acting are first-rate." (Playgoer, TheaterReview.com, 2015)

"In JANUARY'S ALIBI, Tanya Freeman is an ex-addict, [and ex-partner] to a concert pianist. She was good enough for [sex] but not good enough to meet his upper class family, and because of her stint in rehab, when the inevitable divorce came, custody of their son Allegro went to Daddy, a man with demons of his own, and cruelty to spare. When Daddy is shot dead, January insists the trigger was pulled by four-year old Allegro. And she just might not be lying... Ms. Freeman is angry and bold and self-deprecating and so assured of her innocence (?), that her actual guilt remains nebulous and debatable." (Bradley Rudy, Atlanta Theatre Buzz, 2020)

"French vegetarian Episcopalians, it turns out, still get police attention when they turn up full of bullets." (Bob Smith, Working Title Playwrights, 2015)

"Daniel Guyton, one of my favorite playwrights and director, I can't thank you enough for choosing me to give January a voice. She's f---ing funny to me (excuse my French)." (Tanya Freeman, Atlanta Fringe Festival, 2015)

"A gripping monologue about a woman accused of a heinous crime - the murder of her boy's father. I was intrigued to find out what happened the night of the murder - specifically, who fired the fatal shot - but I was also interested in learning more about this woman - her life, her personality - through her digressions. When she talks about meat and vegetables, it's illuminating." (Asher Wyndham, New Play Exchange, 2015)

Produced at Atlanta Fringe Festival in Atlanta, GA, 2015
Produced at Classic City Fringe Festival in Athens, GA, 2015
Produced by Merely Players Presents in Chamblee, GA, 2020
Produced at Atlanta Fringe Festival in Atlanta, GA, 2021

Review of PRISON MONOLOGUES on Zoom by Bradley Rudy of Atlanta Theatre Buzz (2020)

1F. One-Act (10 min), Jess is an older woman in an all-female penitentiary, here helping a younger prisoner learn the ropes.

Peg Thon won the All-Star Award from the Georgia Theatre Conference Community Theatre Competition, 2020
Excerpt published in Best Women's Stage Monologues of 2016 by Smith & Kraus, 2016

"The last play is SAY HI TO AGNES FOR ME, starring Peg Thon as a prison-hardened woman speaking to what appears to be a new cell-mate. The overall menacing tone is relieved by a variety of anecdotes, but by only a couple of comic elements. This is a bleak, wonderfully acted piece that truly captures the psyche of a woman marked by her criminal past, but also twisted by her time in confinement. It’s powerful stuff." (Playgoer, TheaterReview.com, 2015)

"Jess, a prisoner going on 40 years in confinement, is a complex character. You might not identify with her, but she definitely deserves our understanding and our empathy. Yes, she has her vices, but she also has her virtues. She has the positive and negative traits that actors want in the greatest characters. She has a tragic past, but she's found some happiness in the present - and that shows us her strength. She has a rare fortitude - she will survive in her cell city until she dies. Better listen to her, learn the ropes, get close to her." (Asher Wyndham, New Play Exchange, 2015)

"Finally, in SAY HI TO AGNES FOR ME, Peg Thon is a lifer, a woman arrested after a series of Manson-esque cruelties 50 or so years ago, expecting to end her life behind bars. Funny and profane, she comes across as the 'older wise woman showing the ropes' to a young new prisoner, but it doesn’t take long for us to realize she is an apex predator, asserting her authority, and making us tremble for our future... Ms. Thon goes so far under the skin of her nameless character that her gradual revelations are all surprisingly expected and natural." (Bradley Rudy, Atlanta Theatre Buzz, 2020)

"This was a spectacular show... Peg Thon nearly scared the pee-pee out of me. Parents, teach your children well to keep them out of prison!" (David Fisher, Working Title Playwrights, 2015)

"Riveting, Peg! I was just enthralled from beginning to end. Boy, are you good! You rock!" (Barbara Bruce, Atlanta Fringe Festival, 2015)

Produced at Atlanta Fringe Festival in Atlanta, GA, 2015
Produced at Classic City Fringe Festival in Athens, GA, 2015
Produced by Merely Players Presents in Chamblee, GA, 2020
Produced at Atlanta Fringe Festival in Atlanta, GA, 2021

Review of PRISON MONOLOGUES on Zoom by Bradley Rudy of Atlanta Theatre Buzz (2020)

Daniel Guyton