Monologues from Literature: A Sourcebook for Actors

by Marisa Smith (Editor)

Actors looking for new and exciting ways to audition will discover that some of the greatest acting scenes ever written appear not only in plays, but in novels, stories, even poetry, Monologues from Literature taps this virtually limitless wellspring, providing monologue adaptations for dramatic and comic audition pieces, conveniently organized in chronological order -- from Homer's The Odyssey to Tom Wolfe's The Bonfire of the Vanities.

Spanning the centuries, this sourcebook offers a variety of situations styles, and periods that you can tailor to any type of audition or acting class. You'll find characters that will allow you to display a great range of moods and emotions, including:

Francie in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Sancho Panza in Don Quixote

Anna in Anna Karenina

Rebecca in Ivanhoe

Uchendu in Things Fall Apart

Sissy in Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

Emma Bovary in Madame Bovary

Portnoy in Portnoy's Complaint

Felicitas in The Company of Women

The Poet in Les Fleurs du Mal

Sal in On the Road

Cocoa in Mama Day

And dozens more

Monologues from Literature also provides an invaluable reference chart that divides the selections into age and gender of character, setting and period, and genre (drama, seriocomedy, or comedy), so that you can quickly find a monologue appropriate for your needs.

Genres: Plays

352 pages, Paperback

First published August 22, 1990

Reviews

[Mark Woodland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has, literarily speaking, a fine collection of monologues from great literature. They're variously dramatic, funny, intense.... the kind of material that an actor looks for to prepare for an audition that will get them called back and cast. It's a great book for use in acting classes. However, there's a caveat when it comes to actually using these pieces in a professional audition: There are directors and casting directors who frown on the use of anything that's not from an actual play, and one doesn't want to set oneself up for an uphill battle as soon as one announces what piece they're auditioning with. It's impossible to tell in advance (unless you can get it from the grapevine), so using the material in this book has an advantage in that few other people will be using material of this type. That may well make you stand out in the crowd and make a good impression. On the other hand, there is that element of snobbery about true performance writing. You takes your chances.... Personally, I think it's perfectly legitimate to use literature to audition with, and I have done so. Good book if you have the nerve, and as I said, excellent stuff for acting class.

[Rena Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike Mark Rafael's Telling Stories, that I bought at the same time, this book was a bit of a disappointment. It has monologues and quick synopses of the stories the monologues come from, however, I found most inappropriate for teens to perform at school speech contests, which was the purpose for buying the book. Many contain inappropriate language or just much too mature subject matter for teens to relate to or be able to portray.

Also, the monologues are quite short. The requirement of our district is 2 - 10 minutes, and many of these wouldn't even be a 2 minute performance.

Possibly my purpose was too limiting.