Mastering the Shakespeare Audition

Many actors have no idea where to start in preparing a Shakespeare audition speech

Yet many auditions professional or drama school require a well-delivered classical monologue

Mastering the Shakespeare Audition shows performers how to focus rehearsal time and spend it well

Starting with how to choose a piece that plays to each actor's particular strength, casting director Donna Soto-Morettini provides a series of timed exercises and rehearsal techniques that will allow any actor to feel confident and truly prepared for performance

Offering progressive and clearly marked exercises detailing the time necessary both to read and complete the work, Mastering the Shakespeare Audition also features extended exercises for those with more time to spare, allowing a deeper understanding of the ideas and skills involved

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

Turning the whole process on its head - A different way of working

PHASE ONE : ACQUIRING THE TOOLS

- Adding vocal colour
- What's the point of mastering meter?
- Finding the bare bones of a speech
- Imagining action

PHASE TWO : CHOOSING AND PREPARING A MONOLOGUE

- Choosing the best monologue
- Read through the whole process first
- Get to know the context of the monologue
- Analyzing structure
- Analyzing rhythm
- Finding language patterns
- How to draw a monologue
- Create the imagined world of the speech

PHASE THREE : REHEARSING AND PERFORMING THE MONOLOGUE

- Last work on the meter
- Last work on vocal colour
- Putting text and action together
- Refining the action
- Find the pleasure

PHASE FOUR : I'M NOT IN A HURRY DEEPENING YOUR PRACTICE

- Laban efforts for voice
- Unusual syntax
- Using verbs to analyze structure
- Some final questions

Appendix
Resources