Today, after finishing off notes about the importance of the actor developing their core skills which include observation, control of the body, imagination and spontaneity we looked at the assignment brief for the unit. You can download this from below.

Applying acting Styles, Assignment brief

We then looked at a range of different monologues and asked the kind of questions an actor might have to ask if bringing those characters to life.

We turned those questions into questions that could be asked about any monologue, these are listed below.

What happened imediately before the speech? What happened in the long term, prior to the speech that led to the character being in their particular situation?

• What is characters social background, their class etc?
• What events have created their particular characteristics or attitudes?
• What is the significance of the relationships shown or referred to?
• What is the importance of objects/setting referred to or used?
• Is the character telling the truth?
• What is the physical condition of the character at the time of the speech?
• What is the mental condition of the character at the time of the speech?
• What is the purpose of the lines – what do they want to achieve….
• Have the lines got a hidden purpose…? Do they mean more than they first appear to?

The key to most of these answers is to be found in the play from which your monologue comes from!

IT IS THEREFORE ESSENTIAL THAT YOU GET A COPY OF THE PLAY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE FYI WILL ORDER IT FOR YOU IF POSSIBLE. YOU CAN ALSO GET PLAYS VERY CHEAPLY THROUGH PLAY.COM or AMAZON.CO.UK or EVEN EBAY.