Tips for performing 1 minute Shakespeare monologues
You’d think a one minute monologue would be easier than performing a long monologue, right?
Wrong! Apart from the fact that it’s a little less work to understand what it means and memorise your lines, a short monologue is actually trickier to nail than a long one.
The reason is that with a one minute monologue, you need to showcase your abilities and range in very short space of time.
For a one minute monologue, I recommend setting yourself two main goals:
Variety. In a short monologue, it’s common for actors to get stuck in one emotion, which does nothing to showcase your range or show any nuance. This can result in the audition panel thinking that you’re not a great actor, when actually you just didn’t find those moments that really show what you can do!
High stakes. High stakes means that the character feels like they have a lot to lose (and a lot to win, simultaneously). Sometimes the stakes are naturally high, like when the monologue is at the climax of the play (or someone’s about to die!), but in some cases, you might need to make some strong acting choices to make sure the monologue feels dynamic and draws the audience in.
Important: for both these goals, we want to first find what’s already there rather than manufacture something out of nowhere.
Since Shakespeare has been around a long time, most audition panels will be familiar with the characters. If you make a bizarre choice just for the sake of manufacturing variety, the audition panel will probably not be impressed.
So, how can we hit these goals?
Here are my top tips:
Choose a monologue that already has high stakes and variety! Some monologues, especially those at the beginning of plays, tend to be designed just to fill the audience in on what’s going on (expository, or exposition monologues), rather than developing the character’s journey. Choosing a monologue from the middle of the play, rather than the beginning or end, can often help with this. If you haven’t already, make sure you check out my favourite one minute monologues post.
Make sure you identify the units (sometimes called beats or sections).To make sure you show variety at the appropriate moments, you need to divide the monologue into sections and figure out how each section is different. If you’re new to Shakespeare, this can be challenging, so ask for help from a coach or teacher, or check out my ebook Shakespeare Audition Prep, which walks through process in easy steps.
Choose a strong objective. Often in Shakespeare, actors are so busy getting used to the language, they forget the basics, like having a clear objective. A powerful objective is the most effective way to make sure the stakes feel high. Ask yourself why this moment is important to the character. (Tip: every monologue is important to the character, otherwise they wouldn’t speak for such a long time! If you’re struggling to find something, ask yourself if your character achieves anything by the end of the monologue. Sometimes they decide something, figure something out, or convince someone else to do something.
Do research and character work. All your acting choices need to be appropriate to the character and the play. The best way to make sure you’re not making bizarre choices that will bamboozle the audition panel is to be THOROUGH in your prep. If you find Shakespeare overwhelming and you’re not sure where to start (or maybe you’re short on time to read the whole play), make sure you at least do some basic googling! Yes, it’s ok to read Spark Notes’ character analysis, as long as you don’t stop there. If you can, watch or listen to a version of the play (try Digital Theatre or an audiobook), and at the very least, you need to thoroughly read the scenes your character is in.
Work on your physicality. With a one minute monologue, you can’t afford to use the first few lines to “warm up”. You have to be able to drop into the character straight away! In your character prep, make sure you create a clear physical characterisation that you can use to help you connect to the character. (Read my post, “How to drop in instantly” for more tips.) If your audition is in person, also think about how you can use the space. You don’t need complex blocking, you just need a sense of where you are and how your character might move, even if it’s just a few steps. This will help you feel alive in your body and create a dynamic performance!
For more tips on creating a compelling performance, purchase my e-book: Shakespeare Audition Prep. It’s the ultimate accountability guide. Let me be your Shakespeare coach in your pocket! ;)
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