Gerory

Which Shakespearean monologues for men shouldn't I use for drama school auditions? Is "To be, or not to be" so overdone that they even sigh when they here it's coming? And which contemporary monologues shouldn't I use?

Any help would be really appreciated.

stagemum

I'd say that Hamlet's soliloquy is a bad idea, as are any older characters like Lear. Anything too familiar should probably be avoided, and most schools want an age-appropriate character (which Hamlet is, of course). They usually mean under twenty-five, or thirty, at the oldest. It's a good idea to choose a Shakespearean character who contrasts with any other modern characters you present (ie. don't use two romantic heroes or two villains). Men have a distinct advantage over women, since there is a far greater range and abundance of strong male roles.

Gerory

Thank You, stagemum! You've helped me twice already, I really appreciate that.
Maybe You can also recommend me some good pieces (monologues) considering that I am 18 y/o and still have a bit of an accent in English?

stagemum

Do you want to be a "good guy" or a "bad guy?" Do you want a comedy or tragedy? You should select the monologue in connection with any others you plan to present, so that they contrast. My son chose Edmund's "bastard" speech from King Lear, because he had already memorized it for another workshop. It's interesting, because it makes a villain more sympathetic to the audience. Another good villain's speech is by Richard, Duke of Gloucester (the future Richard III) in Henry VI, Part 3. Everybody knows Richard's "Now is the winter of our discontent . . .;" not as many people know the Henry VI speech, where he spells out his plans to murder his brothers, and assume the throne. All the comedies have roles for young men. There are some lists of "overdone" speeches on the Web; some colleges even list monologues they recommend against. It still tends to be a bigger problem for girls, just because there are fewer good Shakespearean monologues available for them. The schools want to get a sense of your comfort with the language, and your comprehension of the text, so it's also essential that you familiarize yourself with the play and the context in advance.

TheRealKEVP

This is one of those issues where I have a different opinion from many people on this forum.

I think that EVERY male Shakespearean monologue for an actor under 35 has been so overused that NONE of them should be used at audition.

The first rule of auditions (really the only "rule", the rest are just guidelines) is to always follow the instructions of the audition call. If the school says they require Shakespeare, or they prefer Shakespeare, then you should do Shakespeare. (I think Central School in London actually has a list of monologues by Shakespeare that they require applicants to choose from).

If the instructions do not say they require/prefer Shakespeare, then I think you really should not do Shakespeare. Many schools ask for a "classical" monologue. But the ignorant people only know one classical playwright, that's Shakespeare. When you choose a different classical playwright than Shakespeare, the auditors will be impressed that you know more about theatre history than most (almost all!) of the other people auditioning. I think the best choice for a classical monologue is any English playwright, other than Shakespeare, from before 1800. (But again, follow the school's audition rules. They may have a more specific definition of what counts as "classical").

Don't worry too much about your accent. I don't know how heavy it is, of course, never having heard you. I once worked with an actress who was Polish. She had a noticeable accent, but it wasn't so strong that one could immediately identify her country. She could have been Polish, or Latvian like you, or German, or any number of things. You might want to avoid choosing an English character for your monologue (it sounds a little strange having a King of England or Prince of Wales speaking with a Latvian accent!!!). But the "classical" English playwrights (including Shakespeare) often wrote plays that were set on the continent (Hamlet is actually from Denmark, after all), or even in their plays set in England would have foreign visitors. Maybe one of these characters would work best for you. There's an old theatre saying "If you have a hump, put a frill around it". In other words, don't hide the things that make you different, celebrate them and emphasize your uniqueness. Your accent may make you more "exotic", and perhaps that is the sort of character you could specialize in. It's worked for all kinds of actors, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Greta Garbo, etc. (But a really good acting school should help you get rid of your accent)

TheRealKEVP

Also, in terms of age, since you are 18 I think you can probably safely play characters up to about ten years older than yourself. You are an adult now. You could probably also play characters as young as 16, maybe even 15.

For contemporary monologues, there are websites that discuss, or even list, which contemporary monologues have been "overused".

AdaQuince

"But the ignorant people only know one classical playwright, that's Shakespeare."

Just because a person chooses Shakespeare for an audition monologue does not mean they are ignorant.

It might be the actor actually likes Shakespeare and performs it well. Or perhaps they are most comfortable with that choice. Perhaps the chosen monologue is something the individual is working on simultaneously as a school or class project and that choice decreases the stress of the student.

There are a number of reasons that a student would choose Shakespeare and none of them make that person "ignorant" nor is it an indication of what classical playwrights or theatre history the student knows. The auditors are going to be impressed with a quality interpretation and performance regardless of playwright.

TheRealKEVP

The fact is that if someone knows only ONE classical playwright, that's almost certainly going to be Shakespeare. And anyone whose only knowledge of theatre history is Shakespeare, is quite ignorant of theatre history.

You are correct that if someone chooses Shakespeare as their classical monologue, it may not mean they are ignorant. They may know many, many, other classical playwrights. But the ignorant people WILL all choose Shakespeare. And how are the auditors to tell the two groups apart? If you choose a DIFFERENT playwright than Shakespeare that will make you stand out from the crowd. And really, at any audition, you should find a way to stand out from the crowd (in a good way!). By choosing a classical playwright other than Shakespeare you are standing out in two good ways--both by showing that you have some knowledge of theatre history, and also by using a monologue that hasn't been overused at auditions.

If you can do Shakespeare well, you should be able to do other classical playwrights just as well. Some of these guys knew Shakespeare personally, and went and drank with him in the tavern! The professional actors of Shakespeare's time didn't just perform Shakespeare's plays, they all performed in plays by many different playwrights. The skills you learned for Shakespeare carry over to these other playwrights.

A couple of times I worked as part of an acting competition for college-aged young people. We clearly listed in the instructions a list of periods that were acceptable to choose from for the "classical" monologue. Including "Elizabethan" and "Jacobean". But we still got lots of phone calls from college students asking "Ummm, is Shakespeare okay for my classical?" We had to say "Yes, as it clearly says, Elizabethan and Jacobean playwrights are okay". Apparently LOTS of college students were completely unaware that Shakespeare was "Elizabethan" and "Jacobean". I remember that one year the woman who won in the state chose Sheridan for her classical, when the majority of the other competitors chose Shakespeare.

KEVP

Gerory

Thank You all for Your advices and time!