Last week our Youth Theatre groups got to tackle their first monologues of the term. It was great! The script was fun and relatable and the students could give their individual twists while learning about characterization and owning the stage while you’re up there alone.
Experience with monologues are especially important as students will often be asked to perform on their own for auditions.
Here are some tips on what to DO and NOT TO DO when choosing a monologue:
DO:
-
Have options.
Prepare two monologues and make sure they are very different. When there’s a
large turnout at the audition performers are called back for a second round. Showing
range of performance qualities will put you ahead of the rest.
-
LOVE the
piece of work. If the student loves performing it, the audience or judges or
casting directors will love watching it.
-
Extract a
monologue from a play. There are books available with monologues pre-written
for this purpose but choosing something that has context will allow the student
the depth of the character, other characters and the plot to feed into their
performance.
-
Look for an
age-appropriate piece that the student can relate to. Let who you are help you
in selecting who you’d like to play.
-
Look for
something where the character is doing something – ACTion, ACTing, ACTive.
-
Keep it
short. Your first 30 seconds are most important, everything else is just bonus.
DON’T:
- - Choose
a monologue that’s been overdone…Out damn
spot…
-
- Choose
monologues with content that will make the audience uncomfortable.
-
- Not
read the rest of the play. Know the context of the scene you are showing and
show and understanding and appreciation for the entire play you are performing
from.
For more,
join a Youth Theatre group near you and get in on the ACTion.
 |
| Somerset West Youth Students rehearsing their monologues to perform for the class |
No comments:
Post a Comment