The monologue class is an opportunity to put into practice many of the things we work towards in the Fundamentals class and it helps give you perspective on where you’re currently at with your acting.
I encourage monologues, because it is very much down to the Actor how much time they want to dedicate to working on it, without the logistics of finding time that is mutual with a scene partner.
Information: Class begins at 7pm I usually give each student around 15-20 minutes of highly-focused attention. If we’re doing virtual classes, I will give students more time where needed.
What is expected:
Please purchase a couple of monologue books and go through them and find something that speaks to you that you’re comfortable spending time with. Remember, the reason I ‘normally’ give you 15 minutes of class time, is because most of the work is done by you in between classes. I pave the way, ask the relevant questions, invite you to think about the character in different ways to get you to address those points in the week between classes.
So format of Week 1. Bring in a piece that you’ve read, you’re familiar with both the story and the text. I Always encourage you to read the entire piece. (So if your monologue is from Hamlet, then read the play: Hamlet, etc.). Monologue can be from a Produced Film or published play, not something you wrote. Before the deadline (if you’re in class you usually know the date for this deadline, or ask), please send me a copy of the monologue in pdf format via e-mail together with any research you’ve done on it, such as this is what happens to the character right before the monologue. Or this is what the character wants. I want to know your research basically to ensure you’re researching correctly and also so I know the character (in the event I’m unfamiliar with it). During class I will ask you to do the monologue first and then provide you with tools for character breakdown.
Week 2. You are required to know the lines better and have done the work discussed in class on Week 1. You’re not expected to have the lines memorized at this stage, but high familiarity with it is recommended. I will go over your character breakdown and question your choices and ask you to justify them in the event they are not working. I will address other aspects of the script, your performance, choices etc to be worked on for Week 3.
Week 3. By now you are ‘off book’ – ie memorized the lines like you know your name. You have worked on all the things discussed in the 2nd class and we’ll work on a few other directorial tips to help with the presentation of the material.
Most importantly I would like you to think of this as a journey of discovery. You’re not expected to ‘nail’ the character in 3 weeks for those who are less experienced. I also do 10 week Monologue classes for those who want to continue working on their piece beyond the initial 3 weeks, or if they learn that the piece is not suitable can opt to work on a different piece. We’ll discover a lot together as we do this, and I invite you not to be nervous about producing an outcome. My goal is to help you find your voice within the character (put your unique touches to it) and make it your own!
Any questions please let me know. Please don’t forget Script Delivery deadline. I must receive it by BEFORE the deadline, to give me time to read all the scripts from every Actor and supporting materials submitted.
Many Thanks.
Michael