Monopolizing Monologue: Master Storyteller Mike Daisey Turns Accepted History on Its Head, September 20

Chestertown, MD, September 5, 2006 — Washington College's Rose O'Neill Literary House and Sophie Kerr Committee present master storyteller Mike Daisey performing Monopoly!, an original monologue, directed by Jean-Michele Gregory, Wednesday, September 20, 2006, at 7 p.m., in the College's Norman James Theatre. In the spellbinding tradition of Spalding Gray, Daisey elevates the art of the monologue to distinctive new heights.

The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

A special master class on the art of the monologue with Daisey and Gregory will be held Thursday, September 21, at 4 p.m., at the Rose O'Neill Literary House. To reserve a space, e-mail Joshua Wolf Shenk, Director of the O'Neill Literary House, at jshenk2@washcoll.edu.

Monopoly! weaves together the secret history of the board game, the electricity war between eccentric inventors Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison, the Microsoft antitrust scandal, and the descent of Wal-Mart into Daisey's pea-sized hometown—all the while subverting our accepted version of history. Working with no script and no props—except a desk and a glass of water—Daisey achieves a rare blend of biting social criticism, searching history, and raucous fun.

Praised as "one of the finest solo performers of his generation" by The New York Times, Daisey has toured the nation and the world presenting his monologues, including 21 Dog Years, Great Men of Genius, The Ugly American, Monopoly!, Invincible Summer, I Miss the Cold War, Wasting Your Breath, and Stories From the Atlantic Night Café. He has been a guest on The Late Show with David Letterman, and his work has been heard on BBC, NPR, and the National Lampoon Radio Hour. He is the author of 21 Dog Years: A Cubedweller's Tale (Free Press) and is currently working on his second book, Happiness is Overrated.

Since 1998, Jean-Michele Gregory has served as a constant collaborator, dramaturg, and co-conspirator on Daisey's many monologues. Her work has appeared in The New York Sun and Barnard Magazine, and she is currently writing a memoir.