Monologues Tips for Performing

A monologue is an extended uninterrupted speech by a single person. It is common in both Theatre and Literature. When the speech is directed to another person/people, it is called a monologue When the speech is directed to the person him/herself it is called a soliloquy

Other types of monologues include Dramatic Monologues Stand-up comedy (think Jay Leno at the beginning of the tonight show) Certain songs in musical theatre (when they reveal the characters thoughts) Villain Speeches (think Joker, Grinch) Rants (a la Rick Mercer)

Need Inspiration for your Monologue? think of a specific location, or time period change your point of view - perspective of a dog, a bird, God imagine life through the eyes of a real person, in a fictional event

Tips for performing your monologue Analyze the character. Think about the character: What is he/she like? Their background, fears, likes and dislikes. Name, age, home, culture. Analyze the scene: At what points does the emotion or tone change? Are they always talking to the same person/object. Make notes about this

Break the monologue into sections and work on transitioning between sections. Memorize your monologue. Practice it over and over again. Practice it for someone else. Make adjustments based on their feedback Use a prop if appropriate but make sure it doesn’t take away from your speech

Project your voice in the space Project your voice in the space. Block out your audience, but make sure they can hear you. Act as if your surroundings are real and really there. Ex: if you are supposed to be watching someone, “track” them with your eyes, even if they are actually invisible. Move around as appropriate. Don’t just stand there in one spot.

If you forget a line, don’t let the audience know. Stay in character If you forget a line, don’t let the audience know. Stay in character. Improvise Pause for a moment, in character, at the end of your performance, before becoming yourself again.

Finding and Researching Monologues Open Google Click “More” & then Chick “Books” Type “His & hers: 150 original audition monologues” or other titles Click it and read, read, read Click “tools” click “Full Screen” Use “Zoom Out” or fit the page on the screen

Press “PrtScn” button on the keyboard Open Microsoft Paint Click “edit” click “Paste” Select the part you need and cut and paste into any word processor program