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Guest Post: “From Behind the Table: General Auditions Part 3B - Monologue Choices and Presentation Continued”

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“Even though it may be a general audition the theatre will probably be looking to cast the season they’ve announced. If there’s something the actor thinks they’re appropriate for they should attempt to do everything possible to win the role by tailoring the choice of monologue to the role they think they’re right for.”
George Pothitos, Neptune Theatre

Modern and Canadian Content:

“I love it when I get wind of a Canadian monologue from a show that I haven’t yet seen.” Del Surjik, Artistic Director, Persephone Theatre.

Many companies will ask for a Canadian monologue, so it’s good to have one in the bag. Doing a Canadian monologue also shows an interest in the work that most Canadian companies are doing and therefore an interest in them and support of both the Canadian and local theatre scene.

Canadian monologues are not the easiest to find, especially if you are looking for new plays. Places to look are local reference libraries, Solo Collective Archives, organizations like Playwrights Theatre Centre, Playwrights Montreal, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Alberta Theatre Projects, Playwrights Guild of Canada and of course Biz Books.

Check out the web pages of theatres doing new work and go discover the playwrights. There are a few good monologue books out there like She Speaks by Judith Thompson, and He Speaks by David Ferry. Also the Summerworks Festival is now publishing their productions.

Shakespeare and Classical:

“Be ready at anytime to do a Shakespeare piece…Change pieces regularly – learn new ones for the pleasure of it.”
Christopher Gaze, Bard on the Beach

You will need one speech in verse and one in prose. You also want to skip the “Purple speeches”(DPG). The Hamlets, Richard the Third and Lady Ann, Henry the Fifths, Rosalind, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, Romeo and Juliets, etc. Basically, if it’s famous – avoid it. Firstly you can’t measure up to the Artistic Director’s version in their head and, like above, everybody is doing them. Give yourself the opportunity to stand out – read the lesser done plays and other playwrights of the time period such as Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Middleton, John Ford and Lope De Vega (I just finished Joost Van Den Vondel’s Lucifer and Life is a Dream by Calderon de la Barca – both chock full of great monologues). There are some great speeches out there.

This does make life a little difficult for women. Unfortunately when you remove the famous women from Shakespeare you are left with very little unless, of course, you go outside the box. Spanish and French playwrights are a good source (as they actually wrote for female actors) such as Moliere, De Vega, etc. Greek and Roman texts will also do the job – they’ve got some great verse and the ancients also told a mean fart joke. There is also the opportunity to do a male speech that you have always wanted to try (see quote below).

“…it is refreshing to see actresses and actors choosing speeches from the less popular plays. I am always impressed that they have been inspired by or taken the time to sit down and read the lesser known plays and prepare a speech I don’t see often. It shows me that they have a sense of curiosity and risk taking. I also don’t mind if actresses choose to do a monologue written for a male, providing they have the passion for it. For me the key to a successful monologue is to have read the entire play, and to know what motivates the character, be it male or female. To know what the events are that lead up to the moment that they are compelled to speak the thoughts they are about to utter.”
Marianne Copithorne, Artistic Director, Freewill Shakespeare Festival

For the Modern Classical (Shaw, Tennessee Williams, etc) the same rules apply. Try looking outside of England and America (F. Garcia Lorca, Jean Anouilh, Nikolai Gogol, etc). If the company is doing an Irish play find an Irish monologue. Allow yourself to come in with something different that they may not have heard before.

Additional:

For the final entry of this blog series, I will be directly addressing questions from you, the readers. Ask your questions on the comment section below and I will endeavor to find answers for them.


In Bocca al Luppo
John Jack Paterson

Posted on July 16, 2010.
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Guest Post: “From Behind the Table: General Auditions Part 3A - Monologue Choices and Presentation”

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“Choose a piece that you love…Choose a piece that you relate to…Choose a piece that perhaps espouses things in which you believe…It is also smart to choose a piece spoken by a character that you could conceivably play” Michael Shamata, Artistic Director, The Belfry Theatre (Victoria)

Contrasting Monologues:

Most general auditions will ask for 2 contrasting monologues. I’m struck every time with the question “What does that mean?” even when it’s me putting it on the call notice.

What we are looking for is two different performance qualities. In classical theatre it’s easier – Comedy vs. Tragedy, Prose vs. Verse. In modern theatre where the lines between the two blur, think along the lines of Character Role vs. Straight Role, Dramatic vs. Comic, Naturalism vs. Stylized, Still vs. Movement (can you walk and talk at the same time). Are they thematically different? Do they help demonstrate your range?

It’s always good to get a second opinion on whether the monologues actually showcase different skill sets or sides of yourself.

From the Season or Not from the Season:

I suggest choosing monologues where a character is similar to a character in the season rather than the character itself. Most AD’s and directors will have a strong idea of their lead characters in their head that you can’t possibly live up to. The best bet is to showcase those qualities in yourself and plant the idea rather than trying to fit into a box you can’t see. Also, everybody else will be doing them. You may pull off the audition fantastically but after the 10th time the monologue has been heard the Auditoners will be tuning out. When the auditions are called for the show itself they may then ask you to read for the character.

From the Internet and Film:

In general internet and film monologues don’t fly in theatre auditions. Most AD’s have an aversion to them so best leave them alone.

Theatre for Youth Audiences:

“Books are fine as long as the piece has some dramatic action on it. Again, I’m looking for acting ability. I would also consider looking at adult plays with young characters in them, as long as the speech has some meat on the bones.” Pablo Felices-Luna, Artistic Director, Carousel Players (St.Catharines, ON)

The biggest complaint one hears from TYA practitioners is inappropriate monologues. Take a look at the age ranges the company performs for. If it’s 3-5 year olds, ya might not want to do that David Mamet or Neil Labute monologue you’ve been dying to try out. Fit the monologue to the company.

One of the great things about Theatre for Youth Audiences is a lot of it is based on literature. One can always pull out a favorite storybook from childhood and build a monologue. TYA also tends to use a lot of wonderful theatricality – if you juggle, do acrobatics, clown work, etc this is a place to showcase it.

For a teen-based issue-company like Greenthumb Theatre in Vancouver you want a different approach. Hit their webpage and see what kinds of characters are usually brought to the company’s stage then take a look at any adult material that includes characters in the right age range.


About Jack Paterson

Jack is a Canadian director/ actor who is currently in Toronto for Canadian Stage’s BASH! Residency. He is a graduate of The Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York. Directing credits include Mad Duck’s Jessie nominated productions of Coriolanus, Titus Andronicus, Julius Caesar and The Tempest, Carousel Theatre’s The Hobbit and The Odyssey (winner Outstanding Production Jessie Richardson Award), The Bardathon’s Henry 6 Parts 2 & 3 and The Presentation House hit The Real Inspector Hound. He is the recipient of the Ray Michaels Award for Outstanding Body of Work by an Emerging Director and been nominated for four Outstanding Direction Jessie Richardson Awards.

Most recently he was the Artist in Residence at the Centaur Theatre and directed The Love of Don Perlimplin for Belisa in his Garden for the Shaw Festival’s Neil Munro Directors Project.

A tremendous thank you to all the artistic directors, directors and actors who shared their insights for this blog.

Posted on May 25, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 25 - Budgeting Continued”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 25 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

To conclude 2 weeks of crew tips – a reminder that it is best to be able to pay these crew people. While sales agents should work on commission, lawyers, web designers, PMDs etc most likely will not. You should create a budget that is as detailed as a production budget. In Think Outside the Box Office I created such a budget with detailed explanation, using my budget and several others as examples. Raising the money at inception will help avoid potentially costly P&A finance rates and last in’s first out requirements. If you have a tax rebate due you, don’t bank it, use it as a large portion (or all) of your distribution and marketing budget.

Here’s a list of what you will need to include in your budget:

-Distribution Crew including those who I have discussed and whoever else you need for your specific release: bookers, publicists, community engagement consultants, social media strategists, graphic designers.

-Marketing creative and materials: including trailer, poster/key art, press kit.

-Print and other delivery materials: Various masters, authoring, replication, digital cinema files etc.

-Media buys from print to Google

-Travel expenses.

-General office supplies – especially shipping.

And anything else your release needs – the above is a very quick summary.

Let me know what you think! Follow me @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book and workshops here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on May 25, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 24 - Webdesigners Part 2”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 24 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

Oftentimes the best designer is not the best programmer, and vice versa. You may need two separate people: one for the look of the site (which hopefully is integrated with your key art), another to do the actual programming. If you have to choose to pay one or the other, go for the programmer. It is easier to find good designers for a reasonable rate (i.e., someone needing to build their portfolio) than programmers.

Let me know what you think! Follow me @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book and workshops here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on May 20, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 23 - Webdesigners Part 1”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 23 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:



If you are not a technically-oriented person, you need an IT person to set up your website. Chances are they will know a lot more about search engine optimization (SEO) than you do. Ask them to set up a site that you can regularly modify on your own, so that you are not spending thousands of dollars over the course of your film’s life. If you can get a qualified person to do it for free, great — but you should be able to find someone to set up a simple site for $500 to $1,000 ($2,000 tops!). Maintain your relationship with this person so you can ask them to come back from to time to time to tweak your site (like when you want to sell DVDs, merchandise, etc.).

Let me know what you think! Follow me @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book and workshops here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on May 19, 2010.
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