The Theatre Arts Audition Book for Women

Annika Bluhm

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN: 9781135871291
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Acting & Auditioning

First published in 2003. The Theatre Arts Audition Books offer one hundred speeches from plays of the past twenty-five years, fifty in a volume for men, fifty in a volume for women. Each excerpt is preceded by a note situating the play and the selection. Speeches come from a wide range of plays, including David Mamet's Oleanna, Caryl Churchill's Serious Money, Martin McDonagh's The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Jim Cartwright's Road, and Timberlake Wertenbaker's Our Country's Good, as well as plays by Anthony Minghella, Mark Ravenhill, Sue Townsend, Alan Ayckbourn, and others. Annika Bluhm has assembled two sparkling collections of monologues that will challenge and inspire the actor

Contents

Introduction by Annika Bluhm

After Miss Julie by Patrick Marber

Donkeys’ Years by Michael Frayn

Treehouses by Elizabeth Kuti

Joyriders by Christina Reid

Cooking with Elvis by Lee Hall

Fear and Misery of the Third Reich by Bertolt Brecht

Two by Ron Elisha

Educating Rita by Willy Russell

Junk by John Retallack, adapted from the novel by Melvin Burgess

Bazaar & Rummage by Sue Townsend

Why is John Lennon Wearing a Skirt? by Claire Dowie

Teendreams by David Edgar and Susan Todd

Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick by Terry Johnson

My Mother Said I Never Should by Charlotte Keatley

A State Affair by Robin Soans

Summer by Edward Bond

Truly, Madly, Deeply by Anthony Minghella

The Art of Success by Nick Dear

Oleanna by David Mamet

Up to You, Porky by Victoria Wood

Beached by Kevin Hood

Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker

The Pitchfork Disney by Philip Ridley

The Great Celestial Cow by Sue Townsend

Silly Cow by Ben Elton

Adult Child/Dead Child by Claire Dowie

Down the Line by Paul Mercier

Bazaar & Rummage by Sue Townsend

An Experienced Woman Gives Advice by Iain Heggie

Waking Up by Dario Fo and Franca Rame

The Age of Consent by Peter Morris

Joyriders by Christina Reid

Spoonface Steinberg by Lee Hall

Made in Bangkok by Anthony Minghella

The Lament for Arthur Cleary by Dermot Bolger

City Sugar by Stephen Poliakoff

Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down by Richard Cameron

Serious Money by Caryl Churchill

Pond Life by Richard Cameron

Confusions by Alan Ayckbourn

The Gift by Roy Williams

Find Me by Olwen Wymark

Shopping and Fucking by Mark Ravenhill

Road by Jim Cartwright

Ten Tiny Fingers, Nine Tiny Toes by Sue Townsend

Whale Music by Anthony Minghella

Five Kinds of Silence by Shelagh Stephenson

Touched by Stephen Lowe

The Wild at Heart Club by Jenny McLeod

Fen by Caryl Churchill

Thank you to Andrew, Griffin and Arden Farrow.

Introduction

In the course of compiling this book I spoke to a number of directors working in various areas of theatre, from drama schools to the National Theatre. Nearly everyone agreed that an actor’s most important attribute was self-knowledge. Self-knowledge can be expressed in a variety of ways: through wit, intelligence, verbal and physical dexterity, an assertive, as opposed to an aggressive manner.

There is a great difference in approach to auditioning in Britain and the United States. In America cut-throat competition has engendered a highly professional attitude. Actors tend to arrive fully prepared for an audition, on time, with well-rehearsed speeches from plays that they have taken the time to read in their entirety. In contrast directors spoke about the appalling diffidence of many actors in Britain, who arrived in no way prepared, appearing to feel that the audition was something of an imposition and that performing was the last thing in the world they wanted to do.

Directors were keen to emphasize the fact that an...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Dedication
• Introduction by Annika Bluhm
• After Miss Julie by Patrick Marber
• Donkeys’ Years by Michael Frayn
• Treehouses by Elizabeth Kuti
• Joyriders by Christina Reid
• Cooking with Elvis by Lee Hall
• Fear and Misery of the Third Reich by Bertolt Brecht
• Two by Ron Elisha
• Educating Rita by Willy Russell
• Junk by John Retallack, adapted from the novel by Melvin Burgess
• Bazaar & Rummage by Sue Townsend
• Why is John Lennon Wearing a Skirt? by Claire Dowie
• Teendreams by David Edgar and Susan Todd
• Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick by Terry Johnson
• My Mother Said I Never Should by Charlotte Keatley
• A State Affair by Robin Soans
• Summer by Edward Bond
• Truly, Madly, Deeply by Anthony Minghella
• The Art of Success by Nick Dear
• Oleanna by David Mamet
• Up to You, Porky by Victoria Wood
• Beached by Kevin Hood
• Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker
• The Pitchfork Disney by Philip Ridley
• The Great Celestial Cow by Sue Townsend
• Silly Cow by Ben Elton
• Adult Child/Dead Child by Claire Dowie
• Down the Line by Paul Mercier
• Bazaar & Rummage by Sue Townsend
• An Experienced Woman Gives Advice by Iain Heggie
• Waking Up by Dario Fo and Franca Rame
• The Age of Consent by Peter Morris
• Joyriders by Christina Reid
• Spoonface Steinberg by Lee Hall
• Made in Bangkok by Anthony Minghella
• The Lament for Arthur Cleary by Dermot Bolger
• City Sugar by Stephen Poliakoff
• Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down by Richard Cameron
• Serious Money by Caryl Churchill
• Pond Life by Richard Cameron
• Confusions by Alan Ayckbourn
• The Gift by Roy Williams
• Find Me by Olwen Wymark
• Shopping and Fucking by Mark Ravenhill
• Road by Jim Cartwright
• Ten Tiny Fingers, Nine Tiny Toes by Sue Townsend
• Whale Music by Anthony Minghella
• Five Kinds of Silence by Shelagh Stephenson
• Touched by Stephen Lowe
• The Wild at Heart Club by Jenny McLeod
• Fen by Caryl Churchill