Monologues
Spoon River Anthology, by Edgar Lee Masters- Elsa Wertmann
- Lydia Humphrey
- The Village Atheist
- Robert Davidson (who I called Roberta)
- John Horace Burleson (who I called Joan Hortense)
- Zilpha Marsh
Bad Habits, by Terrence McNally
- Dolly's "I hate tropical fish..."
All My Sons, by Arthur Miller
- Kate Keller's dream in Act I
Harry Potter: Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
- excerpt from the monologue of Lord Voldemort (after kidnapping Harry from the Tri-wizard tournament)
Electra by Sophocles, David Greene (translator)
- Clytemnestra's monologue to Electra about why she killed her husband
Song exercises:
- Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier
- Mordred's Lullaby
Roles
Kate Keller in All My Sons by Arthur MillerNotes
Here is a list of things I took away from this class
- Take it slow
- Read multiple times
- Keep finding more in the text
- Live with the role, even when you're not on stage
- Acting involves going into upsetting places, if you don't want to go there, you don't belong in this profession
- Get the reality of the part before adding voices and accents
- The role builds from inside out
- Improv character interview to get into the role.
- Actually see what you're talking about. Your eyes should show that.
- Wearing a shawl will keep you from bobbing your head
- A prop or music can help you get into a role
- A posture can help you get into a role
- If you're taking to someone in rehearsing a monologue, have someone sit there so you can look at them
- The spoon river anthology is a good source of monologues
- I have a tendency to straighten my back to get into a role. That's distracting. I've got to do that before the lights go up
- The stage directions in a screen play are often not written by the playwright. They're typically written by the book publisher, to help sell books. Don't feel badly about ignoring them
- During rehearsal it's o.k. To start over if you make a mistake
- He's patient about getting off book, as he wants to see you get into character more
- Hand gestures are often distracting. Use them sparingly.
- What an actor looks like when "in" the role as opposed to without reality.
