Task

Big face, little face

Pretend you are chewing a toffee. The toffee starts small, but slowly gets bigger and bigger. Eventually it gets so big it gets stuck in your teeth. It then starts to grow small again.

Task

Tongue twisters

Tongue twisters are a great way to warm up your mouth so that you are ready to deliver your monologue clearly. Try the following:

‘My mother makes marvellous marmalade and medicine on Mondays in May’ 

‘Hot petal cat, copper kettle pot’

Finally, remember to drink plenty of water.

You are now ready for your final performance. Take the monologue that you have developed over the course of this workshop and perform it to someone else. You could even record your monologue to watch back. After your performance, ask your audience:

  • What they enjoyed about the monologue.
  • What they thought was happening in the monologue.
  • Who they thought the character was.

It’s useful to practise performing in front of someone and asking for their feedback to help you make decisions about your performance and build your confidence.

Thank you for taking part in our Introduction to Monologues workshop. We hope you found it useful and that you had fun writing your own monologue. We’d love to know how you got on. Connect with us on social media @oldvictheatre #OVJoinIn to let us know what you thought of the workshop and share your writing.

If you’re interested in finding out more about monologues you can download our free Inside guide to monologues and Inside guide to playwriting packs, which contain additional performance exercises and eight monologue commissions especially written for people aged 14-18.

Credits

Writer: mezze eade

Videography and editing: Olyvon

Graphic design: Matt Hodges