About the Play:

Blown Sideways Through Life has long been a favourite of acting teachers for Female Monologues.

Blown Sideways Through Life is a full-length comedy by Claudia Shear. This hilarious tour through the job jungle while waiting for her big break as an actress began as an autobiographical solo show and became a national phenomenon. Through day jobs lost and found (from nude model to waitress), wisdom gained and, above all, the joys of adventure and self-obsession, Blown Sideways… transcends the personal to achieve universal appeal.

Blown Sideways Through Life is an account of the numerous "McJobs" we have all held while struggling for success. Have you ever felt that you have no control over your life? That you're constantly buffeted by the demands of people who don't know you, don't care to know you, don't care about you, and probably wouldn't care even if they did know you? While it's easy to say you don't choose your job, your job chooses you, who exactly wants to feel like they're blowing through life without any choice? Meet Claudia Shear, a misfit from Brooklyn who grew up dreaming of adventure. Shear managed to get through high school without acquiring any marketable skills, unless hanging with the boys and reading books can be considered marketable skills, so she had to grab whatever she could find. Confrontational, angry, fed up by still fascinated by Life, Claudia Shear has created a wonderful roller coaster ride through every one of the sixty-four jobs she held and lost before inventing steady work for herself in the theatre. Dubbed "The Ultimate Working Girl" by Newsweek, she worked as (among other things) a pastry chef, a nude model, a waitress (a lot), a brunch chef on Fire Island, a proofreader on Wall Street (a lot), an Italian translator, and, most notably (and hilariously), a whorehouse receptionist. She was hired, she was fired (or quit), but through it all her energy and drive to work, to function, to make good, to keep going, is more than evident – it's palpable. Every time she loses a job, it's right on to the next one, with few regrets, few complaints, and a positive attitude and energy that is enviable. On the surface her life makes for a hilarious tour de resume. But underneath is a universal lesson learned about life in the workplace.

Blown Sideways Through Life began in 1993 as an autobiographical solo performance piece at the New York Theatre Workshop. After a highly acclaimed sold-out engagement, it transferred in 1994 to the Cherry Lane Theatre, enjoyed a run of 221 performances off-Broadway, and won her an Obie Award and a Drama Desk Award nomination.

Cast: 1 female

What people say:

"The birth of a true dramatist... a touching striptease of the soul that will stop your heart." — The New York Times

"Her humor is self-deprecating, yet at the same time assertive. One of her missions seems to be to remind us that every person we encounter, from salespeople to one's employees, are individuals with thoughts and feelings ... this is a valuable and often forgotten lesson." — The Christian Science Monitor

About the Playwright:

Claudia Shear is an American actress and playwright. She first came to prominence with her 1994 self-penned solo performance piece Blown Sideways Through Life.