Shakespearean Monologue
School/Branch Competition
ESU Shakespeare Monologue Competition Information:
The information below, from the Sandhills Branch of the ESU, is from PREVIOUS YEARS (it's usually the same year to year, but it might change some)
The winner of our branch competition will go to the national competition. There will be monetary prizes for runner-up and third place.
The National competition will be held in late April. They have put together a fantastic weekend. All expenses for the student are covered by ESU US as well as our Sandhills branch. They are encouraging parents to join the student, and will have a special hotel rate and adult events as well. For students who cannot bring a parent, they have arranged for a very nice hostel with ESU chaperones. Our branch will help fund the parents as well.
The weekend will include a Broadway show on Saturday (completely funded by the Denver branch of ESU), dinners, and some free time as well to visit NYC. The competition will be held Monday April 24 at the Lincoln Center. Preliminaries will be in the morning, with the finals in the afternoon. Everything should wrap up by 5:00 pm. The winner of the competition will go to RADA in London this summer, runner up will attend the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton VA, and third place is $1000. In addition to these prizes, it is a wonderful opportunity for students to network, meet others in the industry, and make friends who share their love of theater.
- The school competition will be held after school on Wednesday February 5 at the Pinecrest Auditorium. For this level, you only need to present your monologue.
- For those who advance, the branch competition will be held shortly after, at the Village Chapel in Pinehurst. The competition will be Saturday, Feb 8 at 2:30 pm. For this level, you will also need to present a sonnet.
- The National Competition will be in New York City in mid to late April (specific date TBA)
The information below, from the Sandhills Branch of the ESU, is from PREVIOUS YEARS (it's usually the same year to year, but it might change some)
The winner of our branch competition will go to the national competition. There will be monetary prizes for runner-up and third place.
The National competition will be held in late April. They have put together a fantastic weekend. All expenses for the student are covered by ESU US as well as our Sandhills branch. They are encouraging parents to join the student, and will have a special hotel rate and adult events as well. For students who cannot bring a parent, they have arranged for a very nice hostel with ESU chaperones. Our branch will help fund the parents as well.
The weekend will include a Broadway show on Saturday (completely funded by the Denver branch of ESU), dinners, and some free time as well to visit NYC. The competition will be held Monday April 24 at the Lincoln Center. Preliminaries will be in the morning, with the finals in the afternoon. Everything should wrap up by 5:00 pm. The winner of the competition will go to RADA in London this summer, runner up will attend the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton VA, and third place is $1000. In addition to these prizes, it is a wonderful opportunity for students to network, meet others in the industry, and make friends who share their love of theater.
Students Invited to School Competition
Amelia Kaczmarek
Mario Covington
Gabby Brunson
William Cheng
Eleanor Severtson
Amelia Kaczmarek
Mario Covington
Gabby Brunson
William Cheng
Eleanor Severtson
Students Invited to Branch Competition:
Click here for the approved monologue list
Click here for the approved sonnet list.
The winners of the in class competition will receive an invitation to compete in the school competition in the spring, and the winner of the school competition will continue on to compete in the branch competition. The winner of the branch competition will receive an invitation to compete at the National Competition.
Click here to view videos of past National Shakespeare Competitions (playlists of individual years include the national top 10 finishers from that year)
*To access the full plays, open http://www.folgerdigitaltexts.org/
These monologues will be graded on the basics of monologue work (projection, diction, physicalization, characterization).
A few notes from the ESU website:
Students should speak naturally. We urge them to use their own voice rather than affect a British accent. (no accents will be allowed for the class project)
Students should not wear costumes or use props of any kinds; including chairs, hair clips, jewelry, hats or any other added costume pieces (basic daily clothing, nothing that gets in the way of acting).
You should identify the selection before you begin.
To access the ESU’s website:
http://www.esuus.org/esu/programs/shakespeare_competition/
Click here for the approved monologue list
Click here for the approved sonnet list.
The winners of the in class competition will receive an invitation to compete in the school competition in the spring, and the winner of the school competition will continue on to compete in the branch competition. The winner of the branch competition will receive an invitation to compete at the National Competition.
Click here to view videos of past National Shakespeare Competitions (playlists of individual years include the national top 10 finishers from that year)
*To access the full plays, open http://www.folgerdigitaltexts.org/
These monologues will be graded on the basics of monologue work (projection, diction, physicalization, characterization).
A few notes from the ESU website:
Students should speak naturally. We urge them to use their own voice rather than affect a British accent. (no accents will be allowed for the class project)
Students should not wear costumes or use props of any kinds; including chairs, hair clips, jewelry, hats or any other added costume pieces (basic daily clothing, nothing that gets in the way of acting).
You should identify the selection before you begin.
To access the ESU’s website:
http://www.esuus.org/esu/programs/shakespeare_competition/