Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Monde.
Hi Lisa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
It’s very simple, really: I’ve been working 24/7 practically my entire life. I realized very early on that I wanted to be in music and theatre. Music, singing, dance, and acting occupied most of my childhood. My solo career as a singer and songwriter began at the age of 12, and from 14, I performed in musical theatre, including musicals and musical plays. But I felt limited while being “just” a performer, and I strove to prove myself as a composer and librettist of musicals as well. Later, I also directed and produced my own projects.
As of today, I am the author of musicals and plays, and each project is a whole piece of my life, a beloved child that I’m sad to part with. Therefore, I have published several of my plays (“I Know All Save Myself Alone”, “Saint Francis: Religion of Love”, “Dracula: Finding of a Shadow”), and transformed some into other literary forms, such as audiobooks.
So, “Teach Me How to Die”, which originally was a play of mine of the same name, directed and produced Off-Broadway in 2023, became an award-winning book “Teach Me How to Die. A Novella and Other Stories” – recently having won the Florida Book Awards 2025 in the Popular Fiction category. That opened up completely new perspectives for me as a prose writer. I’m currently finishing my second novella, “Literary Speed Dating…”, which I plan to stage after its publication.
Before, my experience was the opposite: a theatrical production or productions, and then publication. You might think there’s no big difference, but it’s like standing on your head or on your feet—it is standing all the same!
I was lucky—I got to try my hand at a completely unfamiliar medium —film. My play “Dalí’s Dream”, which won the Broadway World Central New York Awards 2024 as the Best Play, was commissioned by the Dalí Museum in Saint Petersburg, Florida, and was turned into a film version for a screening dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the great painter’s birth.
I’m thrilled with every new opportunity that I encounter and am ready to continue working tirelessly.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It would be a lie to say the road was smooth and the mood cloudless. No, that’s not true. Any path, especially in the world of theatre, where competition is fierce, and colleagues and audiences hold so many different opinions, is a struggle. A struggle for understanding, acceptance, and success. All artists, creators of any form of creative product, dream of becoming recognized and famous. I’m no exception. The main thing, I think, is to not only take credit for the victories along the way but also for the defeats. Then—without taking offense—you can move forward. There are two quotes by my beloved genius painter, Salvador Dali, that I live by: “Don’t be afraid of perfection. You’ll never reach it,” and “Mistakes are almost always of a sacred nature. Never try to correct them. On the contrary: rationalize them, understand them thoroughly. After that, it will be possible for you to sublimate them.”
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I already told you a little about myself at the beginning. If we talk about the specialization that brings me the most recognition, then it’s my books: “I Know All Save Myself Alone”, “Saint Francis: Religion of Love”, “Dracula: Finding of a Shadow”, “Teach Me How to Die. A Novella and Other Stories” – they won multiple awards in various nominations/categories and became winners and finalists of various competitions.
I’m most proud of “Dracula: Finding of a Shadow”. I poured so much heart into this project that it’s my number one. While writing the script of the play, I immersed myself so deeply and comprehensively in the subject of Dracula as the protagonist of Bram Stoker’s Gothic novel that I even became friends with his great-grand-nephew, Dacre Stoker, who wrote the prequel “Dracul” and sequel “Dracula the Undead” to his famous relative’s novel. He even recorded a video message to our audiences, which we showed after each performance of “Dracula: Finding of a Shadow” Off-Broadway in 2022.
This play of mine had several productions, but at some point, I realized I wanted to try playing Dracula myself; I had become so immersed in the character. I had amazing special effects prosthetic makeup, I worked on my voice, and the result was what it was: the audience couldn’t believe it was Lisa Monde behind the Dracula mask. They even complained about a typo in the playbill!
The anthology “Dracula: Finding of a Shadow” includes not only the play but also an interview with Dacre Stoker and my essays on the transformation of Dracula’s image in the media, particularly in various theatrical productions and musicals. I believe this is one of the most detailed analyses of this stellar literary hero’s long life beyond the pages of a book.
As an anthology, “Dracula: Finding of a Shadow” won five literary awards and one theatrical award. And the audio drama of the same name won five prestigious awards.
I wear many hats: writer, playwright, performer, composer, director, singer, sound designer… It all gives me a perspective, which sets me apart from others.
To learn more about my creative work, visit my website at www.lisa-monde.com.
What were you like growing up?
I was always a creative person. My interests have always been grounded in the arts, music, theatre, literature, and musical theatre. As I became older, the scope of my interests and passions grew. I’m always learning something new, discovering new inspirations in the world of art.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lisa-monde.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_lisamonde/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisa.monde.5/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/lisamonde
Image Credits
Lux Foto/ Nathalia Garcia, Shane Maritch
