Monologues I considered during my reasearch

When researching for my monologues I'm looking for something from a published play, not an independent monologue or one from a movie. Being from a published play suggests it is well written and will have good quality to it whereas independent monologues could be written by anybody and have no back story for the character other than what is outlined in the monologue for you to study and understand. If I were to use something from a movie every line would be in direct comparison to the actor who played the character originally. With all of these monologues I am looking for something that says something about me as a person. Something that reflects a quality that I have or believe I have as well as being enjoyable to listen to because I wouldn't be able to portray something very well that I don't enjoy myself. I have only looked at monologues in a workable age range e.g. 17-30. Characters between this range would be believable roles for me to play but a child or old man are not the type of roles I would be auditioning for. 

Contemporary Monologues

A life of pieces – David Minyen (4 min)

Background Info: Matthew and Eric are best friends. They both got a in a car crash with their companions and Eric's fiancé died and Matthew's wife is in the hospital with some complications. Matthew is talking to Eric, who just admitted that he wants to join a cult because of how bummed he feels and wants nothing to do with this cruddy world. Matthew, being God fearing man, wants to convince Eric that there is much more to life, and realizes some things about himself in the process.

The character seems quite familiar being a religious man. It’s not too much of a leap for me to portray this character. The only reason I wouldn’t be able to connect with the character is I have never lost anybody so wouldn’t be able to connect on that level.

After reading it, it does interest me, however, it seems to be quite preachy towards the end, but the overall monologue is quite uplifting despite the pressing messages of imminent death. The character seems to be someone struggling to come to terms with the accident that has hospitalised his wife but trying to look on the bright side, all the while trying to help his friend with the same situation. It is a very serious naturalistic piece. The monologue is linear, it sounds to me like the advice that someone might give in the situation being portrayed. It is quite a bitter sweet scene, though the advice is positive with a theme of ceasing what time you have left there are hints of sorrow scattered throughout.

The monologue is probably not from any published play as I cannot find any related work, all I have been able to find are videos of people performing it or the site on which I found it on. As far as an audition piece I would steer clear of this one.

http://www.actorpoint.com/free_monologues/51.html



Amadeus – Peter Shaffer (3 min)

Background Info: Mozart is in a circle of respected composers explaining why he should be able to perform a vulgar opera.

While I don’t know much about Mozart or operas for that matter, the plot seems quite interesting.

After reading the monologue it seems quite fun and quite silly. The character seems to be frustrated and making a mockery of the whole situation. It would be quite fun to deliver this energetic monologue. Despite it being about opera and Mozart, knowledge of either doesn’t seem to be required. The play itself seems to be quite a farcical comedy despite being based around historical figures it is by no means historically accurate. The monologue is from a real work so is something that could be considered for an audition piece. However, after speaking about this with Daniel Cambridge, my tutor, this character is completely wrong for me. Him being a thin, small, childlike man it is pretty much the opposite of me. So it wouldn’t quite fit me portraying him no matter how much the character intrigues me. The way it is written seems to bounce around a bit but it fits with the characters lack of stability. I doubt that the real Mozart spoke in this non-linear manner and was more polite than the character portrayed here. But I do not know, this is just my thoughts.

http://www.actorpoint.com/free_monologues/26.html



American Psycho – Bret Easton Ellis (2 min)

This scene is Pat Bateman leaving a message for his lawyer. While he is on the phone he confesses to a lot of murders. It seems to be a bit erratic as if he is trying to remember everything, whether in the right order or not, it doesn’t seem to matter to him. It’s not the type of thing you would hear in everyday life so it doesn’t quite sound real. The fact that it is from a movie makes it not viable as an audition piece, despite it being quite an interesting character to portray. It is a dramatic scene.



Child Number One – Shauna Vert (3 min)

Background Info: Bill has come to see his son, the result of an accidental pregnancy. He is stressed as to whether to settle down and take responsibility or not.

This is quite a naturalistic piece. The character is stuck between the idea of taking care of his child who he has fallen in love with and his freedom. His financial stability factors into it too. I don’t relate to this character at all but can see where he is coming from. He feels selfish if he is not contributing to the child but physically can’t afford to pay for the child’s needs. This monologue is not from a published play so is not useable as an audition piece.

Agent Smith in The Matrix – Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski (4 min)

In this monologue the A,I, Construct Agent Smith gloats in a very controlled way. He compares humanity to a virus and points out how the only way humans are ever happy is when they are unhappy. Despite the clear hatred he has for humans, he still remains fully in control, never losing his composure until the last minute when he removes his sunglasses; this is when he tells us why he needs to get out of the matrix and he becomes visibly agitated. This monologue is really engaging however, it is out of a movie so would make it unusable as an audition piece.



Roy Batty in Blade Runner – Hampton Fancher (screenplay), David Webb Peoples, Phillip K. Dick

In this monologue Roy has come to the realisation that his death is unavoidable and this android feels real human emotions at not only the loss of his own life, but, the loss of the things he had seen. When he is dead no one will remember the things that only he has seen. This monologue is really heart wrenching however, it is out of a movie so would make it unusable as an audition piece.



Translations – Brian Friel (??:??)

The play revolves around the simple idea of the British Army trying to create a map of County Donegal and the story takes place in Baile Beag. It is about the impact that the translations from Gaelic place names into English tongue has on the local people as well as English culture. The monologue is from the point of view of Owen, whose grandfather told him old and mostly forgotten stories of how these places got their names. This monologue is his decision of whether or not to forget about old stories and name things something simpler for the sake of making life easy, or to remember things despite them being trivial at best. I don’t know the age of the character yet but with a little bit more research I can find that out. While the whole idea of the play is a little bit interesting, it does seem quite dull, I’d watch it but it doesn't excite me about the idea of performing it. Plus with it being set in a very Irish speaking community, the grasp of a basic Irish accent would be of great importance. Theoretically I could teach myself one from internet tutorials but the scene doesn't grasp me enough to make me want to do this, however, this is one of the only ones that I can find that is usable and it reflects part of my Irish heritage.

Danny and the Deep Blue Sea – John Patrick Shanley (2 min)

‘The setting is a rundown bar in the Bronx, where two of society's rejects, Danny and Roberta, strike up a halting conversation over their beer. He is a brooding, self-loathing young man who resorts more to violence than reason; she is a divorced, guilt-ridden young woman whose troubled teenage son is now being cared for by her parents. Danny, whose fellow truck drivers call him "the animal," seems incapable of tender emotion, while Roberta, who is still haunted by the memory of an ugly sexual incident involving her father, is distrustful of men in general. And yet, as their initial reserve begins to melt, and they decide to spend the night together, the possibility of a genuine and meaningful relationship begins to emerge-the first for both of them. In the end there are no facile, easy answers, but thanks to the playwright's skill and compassion, both characters are able to probe within themselves to find an exorcism and forgiveness that, while painfully achieved, offers the hope of a future touched, at last, with more than the bitterness and loneliness that had been their lot before their fateful meeting,’

The character is nothing like me and I would probably find it hard to get into the head space of somebody so ‘hard-core’. It is unclear from what I have read whether he is proud of this encounter with these two guys or whether he regrets it. After research, this role is similar to that of roles I would probably be cast as.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/269361.Danny_and_the_Deep_Blue_Sea

Monologue taken from http://www.actorpoint.com/free_monologues/11.html



Don’t Be Jealous – Manveer Sihota (4 min)

A troubled boy is confronting his peers and explaining the problems in his not-so perfect life.

After reading this I really like the character. The emotional torment and how he tries to hide it adds to the character. I can empathise with him on most levels. I have never been in the exact same situation but can imagine what it would be like. As far as I can see this monologue isn't from an officially published play and Maneever Sihota isn’t a well recognised playwright so this monologue isn't usable as an audition piece.

http://www.actorpoint.com/free_monologues/49.html

Fat Temple – John Vaughn (2 min)

This piece really made me laugh, the character seems quite genuine and I can empathise with his tough process. Despite these positives the monologue is still not from an officially published play and the author is unrecognised so as an audition piece it wouldn't work.

http://www.actorpoint.com/free_monologues/37.html


Classical Monologues

A Midsummer Nights Dream – Puck

‘The king doth keep his revels here to-night’

This monologue is from the point of view of Puck explaining why the king and the queen of the fairies are so rude to each other.

‘Thou speakest aright I am that merry wanderer of the night.’

In this scene Puck is kind of flirting with one of Titania’s fairies. She is quite dismissive of him, thinking of him as quite a naughty creature. He replies with this monologue as his explanation, claiming he is more playful than naughty.

The character of Puck isn't quite me. He is quite spritely, small, energetic and athletic.  Though I could portray his personality, his physicality would be a different question. 


A Midsummer Nights Dream – Demetrius
‘My lord, fair Helen told me of their stealth’

This is a monologue from the end of the play where the four protagonists are trying to explain what happened to Duke Theseus. Egeus is begging for Duke Theseus to force the marriage of Demetrius and his daughter. The monologue is Demetrius telling Duke Theseus that he doesn’t love Helena anymore, he does love Hermia and he is requesting permission to marry Hermia instead.

I know this monologue quite well having performed it several years ago, the character is right for me in most ways. The only thing is that it is a little bit short. 

A Midsummer Nights Dream – Bottom

‘When my cue comes, call me’

This monologue is bottom trying to make sense of what has happened to him, with having his transformed in to the head of an ass. He has decided to write the whole thing down as a play. There is a self-referential joke about the name of the actual play in this monologue.

I can see myself as this character. As he is quite popular his monologues are probably used often so I wouldn't use it as an audition piece. It is a little bit short, but I do like it.

‘Sweet moon, I thank thee for thy sunny beams’

This monologue is from the play within the play, I believe. It has good length to it, but it isn't quite what I’m looking for. The actual monologue is good, but with it being bottom as an actor, performing it badly would be something I would struggle with. I would probably steer clear of this one as any attempt to act badly on purpose might be mistaken for bad acting and I would have to rely on other monologues to show that I can do more subtle and less 'pantomime like' acting. 

http://www.shakespeare-monologues.org/plays/13?g=3



These are my final choices;

Contemporary –

1) Translations – Brian Friel

One of the things I am prideful of is my Irish heritage. This play let me show that side of myself. Translations is a naturalistic piece first published in 1981. 

2) Danny and the deep blue sea - John Patrick Shanley
Frequently I have been type cast for violent roles, plus this character reminds me of what I used to be like before a successful anger management course. This made the monologue an obvious choice as I could show myself through the character. Danny and the Deep Blue Sea was originally published in 1983. While this monologue sounds as though the play is grotesque style my research led me to a recording of a performance and it seemed more of a naturalistic piece. 

Classical-

3) A midsummer night’s dream – Demetrius

‘My lord, fair Helen told me of their stealth’

This monologue is taken from my favorite Shakespeare production so when considering potential classical monologues the first place I looked was in a midsummer nights dream. I was prepared to look in other plays for a suitable monologue if I couldn't find one that felt like it fitted me. Fortunately I found this monologue quite quickly. A Midsummer Night's Dream is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596 and was published in 1600. It is a Shakespearean performance.


1) http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=WtZdeBWU6moC&pg=PT46&lpg=PT46&dq=Translations+back+to+the+romance+again.+all+right!+fine!&source=bl&ots=XcwWq__ORU&sig=oguBQ54Y4shXCBtniVQm1gtRDBI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=nfpIVOHjNMO1sQTj1oLADQ&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Translations%20back%20to%20the%20romance%20again.%20all%20right!%20fine!&f=false
2) http://www.actorpoint.com/free_monologues/11.html 

3) http://www.shakespeare-monologues.org/plays/13?g=3

Self Review

For the Midsummer Night's Dream monologue I tried to get the iambic pentameter right but I struggled with this and did break up a few of the lines where there shouldn't have been pauses and breaks. I didn't focus on the rhythm in the early stages of learning the lines as much as I should have. Having said that I did quite well I believe. I knew the lines fairly well. I fluffed the names swapping Hermia and Helena at one point. However, managed to correct this mistake in my call back performance. The character is quite well bred and would be of high status, to show this I maintained a good posture and a raised head throughout the performance. 

For the Danny and the Deep Blue Sea monologue my original intentions where to keep quite controlled movements but I might have gone a bit overboard with this and made it look a little unnatural, which was not my intention. I think I might have dropped the accent or the accent may have changed a little during the middle. My feedback from my tutor doesn't reflect this however. 

The character I was trying to create for the Translations monologue was completely different from what I ended up with. My original interpretation was that he was someone who was proud of his heritage and that was how I began to rehearse it but after some research I found that he was not proud of his heritage and couldn't care less about it. After more research into it I found out the monologue is him frustrated with the character of Yoland, who is romanticising about everything Irish. It is not his intention to honour his heritage, it his intention to point out the ridiculousness of it. The physicality for the character was quite loose and natural and a little bit sarcastic. I believe my accent for this was not the strongest of the three but was not bad. 

During the rehearsal process I ran and reran each of these monologues over the weeks making minor changes, keeping what worked in my opinion and changing what didn't. 

Picking two contemporary pieces that both required accents was risky but these were the characters that I connected with the most early on. Even when I realised that the characters or performances weren't what I initially thought, I had made connections to the characters so decided to continue with them.

Translations plot summary

Translations is a three-act play set in the tumultuous nineteenth century country of Ireland. The action takes place in a hedge-school where students are faced with the invasion of English speaking soldiers. One of these soldiers falls in love with an Irish girl and then mysteriously goes missing. The son of the master of the hedge-school is forced to go into hiding to keep from being condemned for the crime, although he is not responsible for the soldier's disappearance. Translations is a play about love, tradition, and the circumstances that force the break with these traditions.

The first half of Act one sets up the atmosphere of the city of Baile Beag and introduces the main characters. Midway through this act Owen, one of the head master's sons, returns from Dublin. Much to his brother and father's dismay Owen is employed by the British army to help make a new map of Ireland. It is Owen's job to translate conversations between the English speaking soldiers and Irish speaking citizens of the town. Unfortunately, Owen does not do a very adequate job of translating Lancey's words. He does not tell the students this map making project is a military operation.

In the second act of the play Owen and Yolland begin to realize how difficult their project of translating all the Irish place names into their English equivalents will be. Owen is unsentimental about the project and sees it only as another job while Yolland actually develops a deep love for the Irish language, culture and country. Yolland also falls in love with Maire, a girl who attends the hedge-school. Up to this point it had been understood that Maire and Manus would get married. When Manus sees Maire and Yolland embracing after a dance he goes after Yolland with a stick. Although Manus does not injure Yolland, Yolland goes missing the next day. Manus runs away because he is afraid he will be arrested in connection with Yolland's disappearance.

In the final act of the play Captain Lancey issues a warning to all the citizens in Baile Beag that the entire city will be destroyed if Yolland is not found. It appears Doalty plans to help organize some type of uprising against the English army with the help of the Donnelly twins. The play ends with an atmosphere of uncertainty. Yolland has not been located and no one seems to have information about where he might be. The futures of the various characters included in the play are also unclear. The play closes with Hugh attempting to quote from Greek mythology, an attempt at which he fails.

Taken from Bookrags (http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-translations/).

Me and Owen

Initially I read the character of Owen as someone who cared a great deal about his heritage, despite the diminishing cultural awareness of all these places and place names. I thought this was evident through the lines

'Back to the romance again. All right! Fine! Fine! Look where we’ve got to. (He drops on his hands and knees and stabs a finger at the map.) We’ve come to this crossroads. Come here and look at it, man! Look at it!' 

I believed him to be in a state of despair, sarcastically trying to deal with a difficult job of deciding what bits of his culture to disregard.

'And ever since that crossroads is known as Tobair Vree – even though that well has long since dried up. I know the story because my grandfather told it to me. But ask Doalty – or Maire – or Bridget – even my father – even Manus – why it’s called Tobair Vree; and do you think they’ll know? I know they don’t know. So the question I put to you, lieutenant, is this: what do we do with a name like that? Do we scrap Tobair Vree altogether...' 

Until recently I thought this was him losing his calm and having an emotional outburst about how sad the state of affairs are. 
When in actual fact he really doesn't care about his heritage and about these names. 
This is going to drastically change the way I have been rehearsing this monologue. 

With the play being set in Ireland in the 1800's, 1830's to be precise, I am going to have to learn to do an effective Irish accent. I have been using a video tutorial to work on this. 

What led up to the monologue

Owen is a businessman based in Dublin. Originally coming from the village of Donegal he is employed by the English Army to translate between them and the locals as well as translate place names for the map the soldiers are working on. He has found memories of Donegal but looks down on its peoples reluctance to move forward with the times. He understands what needs to be done and is quite good at it but whilst working with Yolande becomes enraged with his over romantacising with everything Irish. It is at this point in the play at which the monologue takes place. 

Any further details on the process I took is written on my script. 

Danny and the deep blue sea plot summary

‘The setting is a rundown bar in the Bronx, where two of society's rejects, Danny and Roberta, strike up a halting conversation over their beer. He is a brooding, self-loathing young man who resorts more to violence than reason; she is a divorced, guilt-ridden young woman whose troubled teenage son is now being cared for by her parents. Danny, whose fellow truck drivers call him "the animal," seems incapable of tender emotion, while Roberta, who is still haunted by the memory of an ugly sexual incident involving her father, is distrustful of men in general. And yet, as their initial reserve begins to melt, and they decide to spend the night together, the possibility of a genuine and meaningful relationship begins to emerge-the first for both of them. In the end there are no facile, easy answers, but thanks to the playwright's skill and compassion, both characters are able to probe within themselves to find an exorcism and forgiveness that, while painfully achieved, offers the hope of a future touched, at last, with more than the bitterness and loneliness that had been their lot before their fateful meeting,’ 

Taken from Goodreads (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/269361.Danny_and_the_Deep_Blue_Sea)

Me and Danny

Danny is a hard case so I have to be conscious of how I portray him, body language in particular. Naturally the way I sit is quite closed and quite timid but the character would be quite strong and open. I also have a tendency to do movements when i'm talking, e.g hand gestures and facial movements, but this wouldn't be right for the character. I see him as quite still and only moving when necessary. 

The character of Danny lives and has grown up in the Bronx, New York. So it would be important for me to get the accent right. I have been using a video tutorial to work on this. 

In one session we used the hot seating rehearsal technique and I stayed in character for between 6-7 mins however I did make a small mistake when I jerked like a head butt. However, even though the questions in the first part of the exercise were not specifically related to the scene, I did manage to feel the character. 

What led up to the monologue.

Danny doesn't want people to ask about him but wants to tell people how hard it is to keep them at arms reach. His life is going nowhere and he plans to kill himself on his 30th birthday. He hates his dad because he was angry and you can see the reflection of his father in the character of Danny. As Danny and Roberta speak he feels more comfortable and opens up to her about how he hurt his hand, how he thinks he might of killed the guy in the fight that he had the night previous. It is at this point in the play that the monologue takes place.

Any further details on the process I took is written on my script. 

A Midsummer Night's Dream plot summary

Theseus, duke of Athens, is preparing for his marriage to Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, with a four-day festival of pomp and entertainment. He commissions his Master of the Revels, Philostrate, to find suitable amusements for the occasion. Egeus, an Athenian nobleman, marches into Theseus’s court with his daughter, Hermia, and two young men, Demetrius and Lysander. Egeus wishes Hermia to marry Demetrius (who loves Hermia), but Hermia is in love with Lysander and refuses to comply. Egeus asks for the full penalty of law to fall on Hermia’s head if she flouts her father’s will. Theseus gives Hermia until his wedding to consider her options, warning her that disobeying her father’s wishes could result in her being sent to a convent or even executed. Nonetheless, Hermia and Lysander plan to escape Athens the following night and marry in the house of Lysander’s aunt, some seven leagues distant from the city. They make their intentions known to Hermia’s friend Helena, who was once engaged to Demetrius and still loves him even though he jilted her after meeting Hermia. Hoping to regain his love, Helena tells Demetrius of the elopement that Hermia and Lysander have planned. At the appointed time, Demetrius stalks into the woods after his intended bride and her lover; Helena follows behind him.

In these same woods are two very different groups of characters. The first is a band of fairies, including Oberon, the fairy king, and Titania, his queen, who has recently returned from India to bless the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. The second is a band of Athenian craftsmen rehearsing a play that they hope to perform for the duke and his bride. Oberon and Titania are at odds over a young Indian prince given to Titania by the prince’s mother; the boy is so beautiful that Oberon wishes to make him a knight, but Titania refuses. Seeking revenge, Oberon sends his merry servant, Puck, to acquire a magical flower, the juice of which can be spread over a sleeping person’s eyelids to make that person fall in love with the first thing he or she sees upon waking. Puck obtains the flower, and Oberon tells him of his plan to spread its juice on the sleeping Titania’s eyelids. Having seen Demetrius act cruelly toward Helena, he orders Puck to spread some of the juice on the eyelids of the young Athenian man. Puck encounters Lysander and Hermia; thinking that Lysander is the Athenian of whom Oberon spoke, Puck afflicts him with the love potion. Lysander happens to see Helena upon awaking and falls deeply in love with her, abandoning Hermia. As the night progresses and Puck attempts to undo his mistake, both Lysander and Demetrius end up in love with Helena, who believes that they are mocking her. Hermia becomes so jealous that she tries to challenge Helena to a fight. Demetrius and Lysander nearly do fight over Helena’s love, but Puck confuses them by mimicking their voices, leading them apart until they are lost separately in the forest.

When Titania wakes, the first creature she sees is Bottom, the most ridiculous of the Athenian craftsmen, whose head Puck has mockingly transformed into that of an ass. Titania passes a ludicrous interlude doting on the ass-headed weaver. Eventually, Oberon obtains the Indian boy, Puck spreads the love potion on Lysander’s eyelids, and by morning all is well. Theseus and Hippolyta discover the sleeping lovers in the forest and take them back to Athens to be married—Demetrius now loves Helena, and Lysander now loves Hermia. After the group wedding, the lovers watch Bottom and his fellow craftsmen perform their play, a fumbling, hilarious version of the story of Pyramus and Thisbe. When the play is completed, the lovers go to bed; the fairies briefly emerge to bless the sleeping couples with a protective charm and then disappear. Only Puck remains, to ask the audience for its forgiveness and approval and to urge it to remember the play as though it had all been a dream.

Taken from SparkNotes (http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/msnd/summary.html)