Final Choices

My Final Monologue Choices for Royal Central:

- Barbarians
- Macbeth
- Romeo

My Final Song Choices for Royal Central:

- Proud Of Your Boy
- You're Nothing Without Me

My Final Monologue Choices for Chichester:

- COCK (example 1)

My Final Song Choices for Chichester:

- Corner Of The Sky
- This Nearly Was Mine

Potential Song #2: This Nearly Was Mine - Rodgers and Hammenstein

One dream in my heart,
One love to be livin' for,
One love to be livin' for
This nearly was mine.
One girl for my dream,
One partner in paradise,
This promise of paradise
This nearly was mine.
Close to my heart she came
Only to fly away,
Only to fly as day flies from moonlight
Now, now I'm alone,
Still dreamin' of paradise,
Still sayin' that paradise
Once nearly was mine.
I'll keep rememberin' kisses
From lips I've never owned,
And all that lovely adventures
That we have never known.
One dream in my heart,
One love to be livin' for,
One love to be livin' for
This nearly was mine.
Close to my heart she came
Only to fly away,
Only to fly as day flies from moonlight.
Now, now I'm alone,
Still a-dreamin' of paradise,
Still sayin' that paradise
Once nearly was mine!

Corner Of The Sky is quite an upbeat, fast-paced song. I wanted a song to contrast this, and therefore looked into This Nearly Was Mine. It is from the musical, South Pacific, written in 1949 by Rodgers and Hammenstein. I am singing this song for my Grade 8 singing exam on the 19th July, and also used it for my unaccompanied song for Royal Central last year during my audition, and so I am confident in using this song contrasting Corner Of The Sky. I feel it shows off my lower vocal ability, again contrasting Corner Of The Sky, and allows me to illustrate vocal strength which can otherwise not be shown doing a more modern song.

Potential Song #1: Pippin - Stephen Schwartz

Everything has its season
Everything has its time
Show me a reason
And I'll soon show you a rhyme

Cats sit on the window sill
Children sit in the show
Why do I feel I don't fit in
Anywhere I go

Rivers belong where they can ramble
Eagles belong where they can fly
I've got to be where my spirit can run free
Gotta find my corner, of the sky

Every man his daydreams
Every man has his goal
People like the way dreams have of
Sticking to the soul

Rain comes after thunder
Winter comes after fall
Sometimes I think I'm not after
Anything at all

So many men seem destined
To settle for something small
But I, I won't rest
'Til I know I have it all
So don't ask where I'm going
Just listen when I'm gone
Far away you'll hear me singing
Softly to the dawn

Oh, rivers belong where they can ramble,
Oh, eagles belong where they can fly
I've got to be where my spirit can run free, yeah
Gotta find my corner, ooh of the sky, yeah (of the sky, yeah)
Rivers belong where they can ramble
Oh, eagles belong where they can fly (high)
Oh, I've got to be where my spirit can run free
Gotta find my corner
Gotta find my corner, yes I do
Gotta find my corner
Gotta find my corner of the sky, sky
Gotta find my corner of the sky, sky

I performed this in my auditions for Guildford and Chichester. I had to cut the last section down for the song to fit the 2 minute specifications, however I aimed to keep in the high note. When in my auditions, nerves often got the better of me, and I ended up struggling with the high note at the end, but I feel that it was a solid performance overall, and it helped me to get into Chichester, which is where I am heading in September this year.

This song is quite upbeat, which from looking at Chichester's specifications, seems to be what they are after. I have therefore chosen this song as it shows off my abilities and fits their desires of a student.

Potential Monologue #3: Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare

But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?

It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!

Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,

Who is already sick and pale with grief

That thou her maid art far more fair than she.

Be not her maid, since she is envious.

Her vestal livery is but sick and green,

And none but fools do wear it. Cast it off.

It is my lady; O, it is my love!

O that she knew she were!

She speaks, yet she says nothing. What of that?

Her eye discourses; I will answer it.

I am too bold; 'tis not to me she speaks.

Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,

Having some business, do entreat her eyes

To twinkle in their spheres till they return.

What if her eyes were there, they in her head?

The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars

As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven

Would through the airy region stream so bright

That birds would sing and think it were not night.

See how she leans her cheek upon her hand!

O that I were a glove upon that hand,

That I might touch that cheek!

This is a highly famous monologue, with some of the most famous words ever to be written. Normally this would therefore not be a great choice for an audition, however it is a suggested monologue from Royal Central as part of their list, and so I chose this monologue to oppose the emotions and objectives of the character in the Macbeth monologue. With a complete shift in these two factors, I am asked to portray a character that has developed a deep love and unwavering passion for a girl that he shouldn't! This monologue will allow me to illustrate my abilities as an actor, causing me to show differing emotions to that of my other characters in my other monologues.  

It works well with the audition as it contrasts my other monologues, but also illustrates a character who is a lead in a love story, which is a character often produced by looking at the alumni of Royal Central, when people have gone on to take part in things such as Mammia Mia, Othello, Spring Awakening and many more narratives that incorporate 'love'.

Potential Monologue #2: Macbeth - William Shakespeare

To be thus is nothing,

But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo

Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature

Reigns that which would be feared. 'Tis much he dares,

And to that dauntless temper of his mind

He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valor

To act in safety. There is none but he

Whose being I do fear, and under him

My genius is rebuked, as it is said

Mark Antony’s was by Caesar. He chid the sisters

When first they put the name of king upon me

And bade them speak to him. Then, prophetlike,

They hailed him father to a line of kings.

Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown

And put a barren scepter in my grip,

Thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand,

No son of mine succeeding. If ’t be so,

For Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind;

For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered;

Put rancors in the vessel of my peace

Only for them; and mine eternal jewel

Given to the common enemy of man,

To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!

Rather than so, come fate into the list,

And champion me to th' utterance.

I have already read Macbeth, and studied it for my English Literature A-Level. However, I would like to re-read it to ensure I understand the depths of the character at this point in the narrative. This monologue is one that I found from the list given by Royal Central as a requirement for their audition. They ask for two classical speeches from the list, and upon reviewing those choices given, I have found that this one is a strong option. Most auditionees are likely to choose the ones that they think no one will go for, be it King Lear or The Duchess of Malfi, however I know Macbeth extremely well, and Shakespeare as an author, and so I feel my strength lies in choosing the more obvious ones, to be different from the other students auditioning and to show my knowledge of the texts via my portrayal of Shakespeare's characters.

With regards to my own performance, I feel, like the Barbarians monologue, I can reach an emotional connection with the audience through my strength in hard-hitting, aggrevated character performances. I feel that my strengths lie in more serious performances as a whole, and so this is a good choice for the Royal Central audition in my opinion.

Potential Monologue #1 - Barbarians - Barrie Keeffe

 “They laughed at me mum … destroyed her. They took away her bowels, to stop it spreading. The doctors did. They gave her a plastic bag, she hated it – the bag to urinate in. She hated it, she said it was like having a bath wearing a life belt. She used to sing in the pub, by the flats. She wanted a garden. We never had one in the flats. Never lived on the ground, me mum didn’t. The pub had a garden. Sit there, drinking her Dubonnet and lemonade. She used to sing at the pub at nights sometimes. They had turns and she’d get up and sing. Even when she was very ill. And one Saturday night, she had this … she had this lovely voice, beautiful. When she sang ‘Goodnight Irene’, old women cried. She was a legend, her voice. (He sings:)

Irene, goodnight, Irene goodnight I’ll see you in my dreams.

Pause. He begins to cry.

And this Saturday night, they had this dwarf comic. He told tall stories and jokes, made me mum laugh. He said – see there used to be a lot of blacks in there, and so he told jokes about the blacks. They like them, I mean – well, they had to like them.

Pause.

And when he went off the stage, they never took off the microphone. And it was still there, only about three and a half feet from the ground. They asked for a song and me Uncle Harold, he said to me mum: ‘Give us a song, Elsie’. And the other people, they all said: ‘Give us a song Elsie’. And she said ‘O no, I can’t.’ And then they all started chanting: ‘Elsie, give us a song.’ And the man in the piano, called Charles, he started playing the beginning to ‘Goodnight Irene’ ‘cause it was like her signature tune and eventually she got up and she was very overcome because of all the warmth and the pub was nice, with warmth and friendship. And she stood up and the drummer gave her the hand microphone and still they forgot the dwarf’s microphone which was still standing in front of my mum. And she put her hand to stop everyone cheering and the piano player asked for hush and my mum said: ‘I’m very overcome to know you all cared for me ‘cause of the collection from the pub to send me flowers when I had my unfortunate operation …’  And she was very err … moved. Moved. And in the loudspeakers. Because the dwarf’s microphone was still switched on … it was standing about waist height to my mother. The sound of gushing water. The microphone picked up the sound of my mum passing water into her plastic bag. Everyone could hear it. Through the loud speakers, the sound went on and some of the people … (Pause.) Laughed. They laughed.

He stops crying. Long silence.

That night at home, she got up out of bed and went to the bathroom and drank a pint of bleach. Which killed her. (Pause.)After that, it was very quiet at home. I went two nights every week to the Cadets and then … I signed up. I don’t … talk about it much. When I had the medical, I didn’t tell them about my mum … I thought it best to say ‘natural causes’

He stands there silently.”

This contemporary monologue is a hard-hitting piece written with an act of some relatability for the actor. It may not be the events within the monologue that are relatable, but the actor can utilise events within his own life to match the emotion of Jan, the character delivering the monologue. This is known as Stanislavski's 'emotional memory', which is a technique I aim to apply when performing this monologue.

Using the notion of emotional memory, I would refer back to past experiences that I have made me feel the same emotions Jan does here. He wavers through extreme anger, depression, and some joy in the reminiscence of his mother. I have not directly experienced what Jan has, but using events in my own life, I will hope to achieve the emotions shown in the above dialogue.

Jan is of a similar age to myself, and so I can also relate on the level that I have likely experienced similar events a normal 16-18 year old boy might experience. I am also of the same gender, which allows me to relate in terms of experiences through adolescence as a male. Most institutions prefer you to choose monologues of a similar age and gender, therefore this monologue falls in well with these requirements. Some do allow you to do the opposite, but I would prefer to do male monologues to try and display my strengths as an actor.

Personally I feel this monologue would highlight my strengths as an actor. I find myself being quite strong in the emotional, hard-hitting monologues. Previously I played Mickey in Blood Brothers, and in his final monologue in the discovery of who Eddie really is, I felt that I could strongly portray his emotional state, which is somewhat similar to Jan's state in this monologue. I feel taht I can do less emotional, more upbeat monologues too, but I seem to prefer reaching the emotional connection required in monologues such as this one.

This monologue would not suit Chichester, as they ask for an upbeat monologue that relates to me as an actor and that I feel is appropriate to the musical theatre art form. I can see this monologue taking place in a darker musical theatre performance however, with its upbeat parts changing the emotional state slightly, making the final moments of the monologue all the more devastating. A more upbeat, slightly more comedic monologue would be required for the audition at the University of Chichester.

However, this monologue will suit the audition at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. From looking at the alumni from that insitution, they have produced performers that can go on to get lead roles in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, War Horse (Jack Loxton) which are both hard-hitting shows, with some upbeat parts to them, but allow for strong emotional performances.

Insititution Requirements Summary

University of Chichester:

- DANCING: Taught some technical exercises and a musical theatre routine and demonstrate some ballet technique.

- SINGING: Two songs to be prepared from the musical theatre canon. You will be asked to choose one to start with and if required you will have to sing the second one. Please bring the sheet music for the accompanist.

- ACTING: The audition will include a short improvisation workshop. Please also prepare one short upbeat monologue that relates to you as an actor and that you feel appropriate to the Musical Theatre art form. It should be no longer than two minutes in length.

Royal Central:

- ACTING: Two memorised classical speeches from the audition speech list. A memorised contemporary speech (written after 1960 and no more than two minutes in duration)

- SINGING: Two memorised songs. One must be from a musical (please bring sheet music, in the key you wish to sing. The second song can be of your own choosing and is sung unaccompanied. Neither song should be more than two minutes in length.

Commentary:

I am looking forward to the preparation of these audition pieces. I have the bonus of already auditioning for these places previously, and so I feel prepared in the sense that I have a backlog of audition monologues and songs that I have used. However I aim to challenge myself in learning ones that I have not yet used in an audition, and to test my skills so that I am not just repeating last year's audition process.