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Acting in Plays, Singing/Monologue
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Question
Hello,
My high school is doing Taming of the Shrew and for auditions need to do a Shakespearean comedic monologue for a female (3-5 minutes). I have never done Shakespeare before so I was wondering if you had any suggestions...
I would appreciate any thoughts.
Choosing the right monologue is always a challenge, but moreso with Shakespeare. Not to mention, as the saying goes, "dying is easy; comedy is hard."
Your best bet is to choose one of the strong characters in one of the comedies, and look for a good monologue within that show. Some potential characters would be Viola in "Twelfth Night", Beatrice from "Much Ado About Nothing" or *any* of the lady characters from "Love's Labors Lost" are all good choices, as are Titania from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" or EITHER Julia or Sylvia from "Two Gentlemen of Verona".
I'm sorry I can't give you specific monologue ideas from these shows. (Unfortunately, I'm not as up on Shakespeare as I probably should.) However, I can give you some general rules: always try to match your own personal "type" to the monologue, unless you are deliberately trying to break out of your "type". Also, if the audition is for Shakespeare, make sure your audition piece IS Shakespeare - a lot of directors will score an actor lower if they do something similar, like John Milton or Ben Johnson.
And lastly, as we said on the Renaissance faire circuit, be sure to speak "forsoothly" - in other words, know the language and what you're saying. Believe me, it helps.
Break a leg, and let me know how you do!
-- Spyder
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Answers by Expert:
J. Spyder Isaacson
Expertise
Especially the Seattle theatre scene. Seattle is the number two theatre city of the nation, having more theatres than any other city (including Chicago!) except New York. I know the reputations of most of the local theatres, have worked with quite a number of them, and am currently earning the majority of my livelihood through live theatre. Beyond that, I have been a working professional for the past 10 years (after a long career in an unrelated field), have done just about everything in the field, and have done every possible type of theatre. Currently, I am also pursuing a new (and unexpected!) career as an animated film producer. (PLEASE NOTE that I am NOT an expert in music!) ***DO NOT*** ASK ME QUESTIONS REGARDING AUDITION SONGS OR MONOLOGUES - the answers require way too much information to be passed along by the All Experts system.
Experience
I have been an award-winning actor, singer, playwright, director and administrator (on various levels, all categories) for the past 30 years. A large part of my expertise has been with live theatre, although I do have a minor connection to filmed theater. I have done musicals, straight dramas, straight comedies, and experimental theatre.
Organizations
Theatre Puget Sound
Magical Mystery Troupe
Centerstage Theatre Conservatory Board of Trustees (former)
Express-Theatre Northwest (former)
Snoqualmie Falls Forest Theater
Publications
Unrelated trade publications
Education/Credentials
B.A. in Theatre Arts, Gonzaga University
M.Ed. in Education and Technology, Western Governor's University (in progress)
Awards and Honors
Mutiple awards (ask for specifics), Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival
Valley Community Players, Best Supporting Actor
Past/Present Clients
C's Animation Studio Productions, LLC
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