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    Short Monologues for Acting Classes
    Short Monologues for Acting Classes
    Short Monologues for Acting Classes
    Ebook128 pages1 hour

    Short Monologues for Acting Classes

    By Frank Catalano

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    About this ebook

    A great choice for both professional actors and performing arts students who have been assigned a monologue in an acting class. You will learn how to select a monologue that is right for you and get valuable tips for presentation and how to present your choice within an acting class. Contains 80 original short monologues for presentation and practice.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookBaby
    Release dateAug 20, 2019
    ISBN9781543981735
    Short Monologues for Acting Classes

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      Book preview

      Short Monologues for Acting Classes - Frank Catalano

      Lexington Avenue Press

      Copyright © 2020 Frank Catalano

      All rights reserved.

      ISBN (Print): 978-1-54398-172-8

      ISBN (ebook): 978-1-54398-173-5

      Table of Contents

      Introduction

      What is a monologue?

      What kinds of acting classes are there?

      Why do I have to do a monologue in my acting class?

      How do I select a monologue for an acting class that is right for me?

      Treat your monologue as if it were a scene

      What’s the best way to memorize my lines and create a physical life for my character?

      Performing a monologue for an acting class - How to create an implementation strategy.

      Creating a performance dynamic - How to make a creative box to play in

      How to play each moment as if it were a piece of a larger mosaic

      Using What If?

      How to create the moment before

      How to create now using specific objectives and beats

      How to create the moment after

      How to begin a monologue at an acting class

      Who should I look at when I perform a monologue in an acting class?

      How do I end my monologue in acting class?

      How to have fun at acting class

      THE MONOLOGUES

      #1 SIGMUND FREUD AND REPRESSION

      #2 SOMEONE

      #3 ANIMAL REPULSION

      #4 WEARING GLASSES

      #5 LUCKY

      #6 THE TAT

      #7 IRON CITY – 1957 COUNTRY SQUIRE

      #8 KONG ISLAND – 1931

      #9 BABYSITTING

      #10 SNAPSHOTS

      #11 INVISIBLE

      #12 TEST DAY

      #13 THE FULL COLLEGE EXPERIENCE

      #14 THE CLASSICS

      #15 BRIDGES

      #16 THE MESSAGE

      #17 THE 13TH FLOOR

      #18 SOLITARY

      #19 PARTY ANIMAL

      #20 STRIPES

      # 21 ELEANOR RIGBY

      #22 MY LOCH NESS

      #23 SHE PUT HER KNEE UP

      #24 A LINE IN THE SAND

      #25 INDIFFERENCE

      #26 JUST THE FACTS

      #27 ASCENDING

      #28 STEPPING OUT

      #29 WITTY DIALOGUE

      # 30 DAY TO DAY MATTERS

      #31 HELLO

      #32 SIXTIES ROCK AND ROLL DREAM

      #33 YOU NEVER LISTEN TO ONE WORD I SAY

      #34 FATAL ATTRACTION

      #35 PASTORAL

      #36 DECAY

      #37 JULIET’S UNDELIVERED NOTE TO ROMEO

      # 38 DRUNKEN SUPERMAN

      # 39 THE SOLILOQUY

      #40 PEE SOUP

      #41 FIVE SMALL BITES

      #42 WOLF

      #43 ROPE

      #44 THE BACKSIDE OF YOUR HEAD

      #45 DOG’S FEET SMELL JUST LIKE POPCORN

      #46 WHITE SILHOUETTE

      #47 DONUTS

      #48 TO DIE FOR…

      # 49 COFFEE PEOPLE

      #50 A. X.

      #51 GOODBYE

      #52 CONFESSIONS OF A SERVER

      #53 THE BARBERSHOP

      #54 LAUNDRY

      #55 HOLD DOWN THE SEATS

      #56 SITTING SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE

      #57 YOUR SPIRIT

      #58 – THANK YOU

      #59 MAN’S WORK

      #60 WOMAN’S WORK

      #61 DILLY DALLY

      #62 STEPPING ON THE CRACKS

      #63 PEACE

      #64 THE VIETNAM WAR AND THE FORT HAMILTON LAMENT

      #65 PALACE HOTEL– NEW YORK CITY

      #66 HOW DEEP TO DIG A HOLE

      #67 LISTENING

      #68 BAD HAIR DAY

      #69 DOG PEOPLE AND CAT PEOPLE

      #70 – LIVING INSIDE A HEFTY BAG

      # 71 VISUAL AUDITORY

      #72 WASH YOUR HANDS

      #73 LITTLE WHITE LIES

      #74 BLOCKED

      #75 - HAPPY FOR YOU

      #76 CONTEMPLATION OF SELF

      #77 DREAMING OF PARIS

      #78 ROMANTIC

      #79 DUMB WAYS TO DIE

      #80 IF I COULD ONLY BE THIN

      Introduction

      As an author, I have written several monologue books including ART OF THE MONOLGUE , HOW TO SELECT AND PERFORM MONOLOGUES and SHORT MONOLOGUES FOR AUDITIONS – all three have focused on the performance of a monologue as a creative presentation with a specific environment and situation. This current volume focuses on the presentation of monologues specifically for acting classes. The difference here is that the actual selection and presentation of the material is focused more upon the development an actor’s abilities in an audition rather than a performance an acting class. Why short monologues? As an acting teacher, I have always advised my students less is more. What does that actually mean? In this case, I want the student actor to focus specifically on a given purpose in the presentation of the monologue as it relates to the development of acting skills. The given purpose of a monologue for an acting class is to provide the teacher a sample of your acting abilities, your demeanor, ability to take direction and ultimately to determine what you will focus on in the class. It is very different from using a monologue for an audition. A casting director is rarely if ever going to have you perform a monologue if they are reading people for a specific role. They will just have you perform the actual lines of the character that you are reading for. A director of a theatre company, a university theatre school, an agent or manager might want to see how you perform prepared material. They would want to see how you create the moment on your own so they can have an idea of the kind of actor you really are and how you would fit into their company or agency. But let’s get back to the acting class. When you select a monologue, select something that’s brief, to the point and gives your acting teacher an idea of who you are and what you can do. An actor should have at least two short contemporary monologues (one comedy and one dramatic) ready to go at all times. A contemporary monologue is one that derives from the 1950’s to present day. Most of the of the monologues contained in this book are contemporary. If your acting class covers the classics, you want to be totally prepared and can add at least one or two short classical monologues to your acting arsenal. Classical "  monologues  are speeches taken from plays that can derive from ancient Greece, Shakespeare to the early twentieth century depending upon how they are defined by your acting teacher.

      If you select a contemporary monologue from a popular movie or play found on the internet, you will present yourself at a slight disadvantage. The danger in presenting familiar material will invite comparison. Most acting teachers will have seen and heard other student actors do these same monologues. As you perform, your teacher and the class will be thinking about the last student that presented the same material. How did they do it? How does your interpretation differ? Which one is better? You don’t want them thinking about another student performance. You should select monologues that are new and fresh to their ear. Show them something new that is a perfect fit for just you. Something, that they can only imagine you performing. It should show what you can do emotionally, intellectually and physically and most importantly be brief and to the point. Brief and to the point means about one to two minutes. Remember, your performance is a sample of what you can do, not the whole performance.

      Presenting a monologue in front of a whole class is also like an audition, you want to bring into the group a short sample of your acting ability or to showcase a specific aspect of your talent. If your strong suit is emotional roles, prepare a short emotional monologue. If it’s physicality, then prepare something that relies centrally upon your ability to move within the space. This is no secret. Acting teachers and students prefer shorter monologues for class presentations. Why? This allows both the teacher and the student the ability to focus on specific acting issues rather than restating them over and over again within a cumbersome presentation. Usually, your acting

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