Product Description

Written to provide the actor with fresh and unusual Shakespearean audition material, this book provides fifty speeches. Some are taken from plays which are frequently overlooked and others are lesser-known speeches from more popular plays. Alongside each speech is a helpful character description, brief explanation of the context and notes on obscure words, phrases and references. These are all written from the viewpoint of the auditioning actor. There is also a guide to selecting, preparing and performing audition speeches and background material on Shakespeare and the times he lived in.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #124984 in Books
• Published on: 2000-03-31
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 126 pages

Customer Reviews

A Treasury for the Confident
In "Alternative Shakespeare Auditions for Women", Simon Dunmore provided a mine of pieces that have not been "done to death", and this book provides, somewhat predictably, more of the same. The only problem is, the popular Shakespeare speeches are so because they work so well... by eschewing them, Dunmore has included some speeches which present a challenge in terms of the viability of the piece - a problem quite in addition to the challenges inherant in the audition process. So here we have many speeches which require unspoken interjections to be reacted to... not impossible for an actor, but troublesome. For those happy with Shakespeare and who already have a good basic knowledge of the plays, these minor problems are outweighed by a wealth of almost "virgin" material. (The "performability" of the speeches in this anthology is as high as that in the first collection.) Those less confident, however, may be well advised to choose one of the many anthologies of classic monologues, as they will not have to weed out the dross, and not have to deal with the trickier challenges.

Some Treasures for the Confident
In "Alternative Shakespeare Auditions for Women", Simon Dunmore provided a mine of pieces that have not been "done to death", and this book provides, somewhat predictably, more of the same. The only problem is, the popular Shakespeare speeches are so because they work so well... by eschewing them, Dunmore has included some speeches which present a challenge in terms of the viability of the piece - a problem quite in addition to the challenges inherant in the audition process. So here we have many speeches which require unspoken interjections to be reacted to... not impossible for an actor, but troublesome. For those happy with Shakespeare and who already have a good basic knowledge of the plays, these minor problems are outweighed by a wealth of almost "virgin" material. (The "performability" of the speeches in this anthology is as high as that in the first collection.) Those less confident, however, may be well advised to choose one of the many anthologies of classic monologues, as they will not have to weed out the dross, and not have to deal with the trickier challenges.