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Doing a Shakespeare Monologue for Drama School Audition

Today’s blog comes because I’m constantly working with young people on their Shakespeare monologues and I wanted to sum up the lessons they learn working with me, so that those students who cannot get to my studio can benefit from doing a little more prep on

Monologue Choice

Old Bill isn’t writing anything new these days, so it does make your choice somewhat limited.  However, people are obsessed with doing ones that ‘they won’t have seen’.  Well, they’ve probably seen all of them! They don’t care about your Shakespeare choice, cos they knew you didn’t have one.  The only thing you should do is cast yourself in a Shakespeare role that suits you.  If you don’t know if it suits you, wikipedia the play if you don’t have it around to read.  Does that sound like you could get cast in that role?  So don’t do the Nurse from Romeo and Juliet, if you’re a skinny, blonde, 17 year old! There’s plenty of choice for you, even if Shakespeare was writing for androgynous boys!  Choose a piece, no longer than 2-3 minutes.

Style of Performance

It has become popular in the last thirty years, particularly in the United States to try to ‘naturalise’ Shakespeare’s speech. Yes, of course, it should sound authentic and not overly declaimed, but it is poetry and as it is heightened language, you must heighten your performance style.  You should still be convincing, but you must also learn to make the poetry come to life. When you naturalise it, it flattens the poetry and because the audience need time to take it onboard, going quickly with a naturalistic speed, the audience do not have time to take it all in.

The Heartbeat

Another side effect of naturalising Shakespeare is ignorance of his dramatic verse.  Some characters speak verse and some prose.  Usually reflecting their status or their state of mind.  Almost all Drama School Auditions will want you to speak verse.  So make sure your speech is in verse!  Inside each line of his verse is the iambic pentameter, the duh dum duh dum duh dum duh dum duh dum rhythmic beat that pounds through his verse like a poetic heartbeat.  The heartbeat reflects all sorts about the character and often gives up secret clues given to us by Shakespeare.  If you ignore it, or try to act against the grain of it, you end up all wrong.  You can’t play Chopin without playing the notes he wrote, you can’t ignore Shakespeare’s verse.  Those that do end up sounding like they’re singing their national anthem to the tune of When the Saints Go Marching In…

Speeching

Patsy Rodenburg has spoken about three circles around you as a performer.  I like to think about the first circle being just for you, the second takes in another person or people, the third is sort out into the air.  A Shakespeare monologue is NEVER performed to the third circle, never to just the open air.  Speak to yourself, or speak to the audience, but speak to a PERSON.  Speak to the audience AS a person.  Very easily, we just ‘speech’ as I call it, out into the darkness,  we forget that we’re trying to get something done, the character wants some kind of action as a result of speaking, we can’t do that if you just throw it out.  Each word, each phrase, each line and each sentence is intended to hit a person and make a change.  Remember that and practice it on a person, not into the air.

Headline

Lastly.  The first line of all Shakespeare monologues is like a HEADLINE IN A NEWSPAPER!  IT sums up the speech and gives you a chance to understand the speech right from the off.

Hope that’s helpful!

Oh, before I forget, in April, I will be releasing an eBook on Acting Shakespeare Monologues called Approaching Shakespeare, in the meantime, you might have to settle for a copy of my other eBook Truth in Action.

To You, The Best!

Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND


Like What You Read? Want to Read More? Mark's eBook is available here
Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011

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