August Wilson Monologue Competition

Unit Outline — 7 Sessions

Session One

· Introductions

· Pre-program quiz

· Check-in question (Ask a question that calls for a response or “monologue” from each student. This is a great place to introduce an element of August Wilson’s biography in a way that is personally meaningful to the students — see Monologue Scoring Lesson Plan for an example)

· Basic Acting Exercises

o Physical warm-ups

o Vocal warm-ups

o Community-building group games (to help students get comfortable performing without being alone on stage)

§ Milling and seething

§ Basic tableaus

§ Any other favorite ensemble-building games

· Intro/overview of the August Wilson Monologue Competition — information on both the Boston regional and national competitions

Teachers: Assign students to read monologue options/plays. Students should make their monologue selections and begin memorizing before session two. Send completed pre-program quizzes to the Huntington Theatre Company’s Education Department.

Session Two

· Check-in question

· Basic Acting Exercises

o Physical warm-ups

o Vocal warm-ups

· Community-building game

· Monologue scoring demo

o Break down example monologue as a group with student input (either have overhead projector or monologue written on large poster size paper)

o Answer questions: Who is the character speaking to in this monologue? What is their relationship? What does the speaker want (objective)?

o Score monologue in front of class, adding beats and verbs/tactics, define stakes.

o Discuss character, mood, tempo, etc. Finding “color” in text

· Introduce character development

o Explain biography assignment

Teachers: Students should continue memorizing monologues and complete the Character Biography assignment for session three. Set a target off-book date (by which students are memorized well enough to do their monologues without the paper in-hand and with few calls for “line”) and give an in-class memorization quiz.

Session Three

· Students turn in biographies

· Check-in question

· Competition criteria — share copies of the judges’ rubric and the accuracy judge form, so students know exactly how their performances will be evaluated

· Basic Acting Exercises

o Physical warm-ups

o Vocal warm-ups

· Community-building game

· Introductory group acting work such as:

o Exploring centers of gravity

o Character walks

o Day-in-the-life improv or response to world-of-the-play prompts in character

· Students share tips and suggestions for memorization

Teachers: Give students time to run monologues in class at least once in pairs or small groups. Assign students to draw or create a composite picture (using magazine clippings) of their character. Look over character biographies and respond in writing.

Session Four

· Return character biographies to students

· Check-in question

· Basic Acting Exercises

o Physical warm-ups

o Vocal warm-ups

· Community-building game

· Half of class presents monologues (memorized or not)

o The teacher and other half of the class provides constructive criticism. Use judges’ rubrics for guidance. If possible, each student watching gets enough rubrics for each presentation. This places ownership on the person critiquing, as well as has them making critical observations they can use for themselves.

Teachers: Give students time to present monologues for critique in small groups with judges’ rubrics for each student. Check in with each student and find out where they are struggling.

Session Five

· Check-in question

· Basic Acting Exercises

o Physical warm-ups

o Vocal warm-ups

· Community-building game

· Second half of class presents monologues (memorized or not — though the off-book date should have either passed or be close at this point, so most students should be able to perform without their monologue in-hand)

Teachers: Check in with each student to find out where they are struggling. Run critique sessions in small groups or in pairs.

Session Six

· Check-in question

· Basic Acting Exercises

o Physical warm-ups

o Vocal warm-ups

· Community-building game

· Character Exploration —In-depth acting exercises of the teacher’s choice. Suggested activities:

o Hyper-speed/slow-motion

o Animal essence

o Predator/prey

· Monologue presentations

o Workshop monologues with a few volunteers and find different ways of performing — live coaching

Teachers: Check in with each student and find out where they are struggling. Run critique sessions in small groups or in pairs.

Session Seven

· Post-program quiz

· Post-program reflection/evaluation

· Quick group warm-up

· Mock Competition

Teachers: After your school competition has taken place, submit your winner and alternate’s contact and monologue information on the August Wilson Monologue Competition page on the Huntington Theatre Company’s website. Submit your students’ post-program quizzes and reflections to the Huntington Theatre Company’s Education Department no later than the day of the Boston Regional Competition.