Monologues are an essential part of every actor's toolkit. Actors need them for drama school entry, training, showcases and when auditioning for roles in the industry. Edited by Dee Cannon, author of the bestselling In-Depth Acting, this book showcases selected monologues from some of the finest modern plays by some of today's leading contemporary playwrights. The monologues contain a diverse range of quirky and memorable characters that cross cultural and historical boundaries, and comes in a brand new format, with a notes page next to each speech, acting as an actor's workbook as well as a monologue resource.

Intended for students and children taking part in speech and drama competitions and exams, this book contains a range of audition speeches. It includes female, male and unisex speeches selected from both plays and children's books. Where relevant the author has indicated how a speech could be shortened for younger children. There is also an introductory section with contributions from Alan Ayckbourn, Carol Schroder (teacher and examiner for the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), Richard Carpenter (TV writer) and Ed Wilson (Director of the National Youth Theatre) and senior casting directors for the RSC, TV and film. This edition has been freshly revised to include 10 new speeches from well known recent productions as well as children's books including Harry Potter. 'A superb compilation' Amateur Stage

This book of contemporary monologues for women includes pieces from the best of the last three decades of contemporary playwriting, from Howard Brenton and Bryony Lavery to Charlotte Jones and Mark Ravenhill. Including extracts from plays by award-winning British playwrights, there are pieces both serious and comic providing the actor with all the challenges of performing contemporary plays. The book is an invaluable resource for auditions, acting class, competitions and rehearsals. A fuller appreciation of each monologue is provided by Chrys Salt's invaluable commentaries, giving clues as to possible direction and setting each piece in the context of the play as a whole.Praise for Chrys Salt's Make Acting Work: "A really useful book for every actor to own" Prunella Scales; "This book should be part of every resourceful actor's armoury" Annette Badland

A selection of speeches drawn from the great landmark plays of the twentieth century.

Actors need to learn not only how to use their voice, but to use voice and language together. This book is about the expressive potential of language, and how actors can develop the verbal skills to release that potential. Written by tutors at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and authors of the successful companion title, The Vocal Arts Workbook + DVD, this book provides practical approaches to each aspect of verbal expression: Sound: speech sounds and how to use them more expressively Image: bring life and specificity to images when you speak Sense: focus on the most significant words and phrases in a speech or scene Rhythm: how rhythm is created and used in both verse and prose Argument: the structure or logic of language Putting it all together using one classical and one modern scene Each of the chapters consists of several sections: Framework; Exploration; Exercises; Follow-up; Suggested Texts; and Further Reading, addressing the learner throughout, but also providing Teaching Tips which give specific notes for teachers.

Monologues are an essential part of every actor's toolkit. Actors need them for drama school entry, training, showcases and when auditioning for roles in the industry. Edited by Dee Cannon, author of the bestselling In-Depth Acting, this book showcases selected monologues from some of the finest modern plays by some of today's leading contemporary playwrights. The monologues contain a diverse range of quirky and memorable characters that cross cultural and historical boundaries, and comes in a brand new format, with a notes page next to each speech, acting as an actor's workbook as well as a monologue resource.

Selection of speeches drawn from landmark plays stretching from classical theatre through to the nineteenth century.