The Australian Script Centre (see previous post) has published an anthology of unpublished Australian scripts and monologues with Stand Alone: 20 Contemporary Audition Monologues for Young Actors.
Stand Alone is an excellent resource for high school or university students of theatre and drama. On a single CD is the full text to the 20 plays and one monologue from each script. This anthology includes:
Female:
- Coral from Bumpy Angels by Sue Rider
- Jane from Fashion Tips for the Young and Beautiful by Sarah Brill
- Karen from Burnt Piano by Justin Fleming
- Lizzie from Burning by Verity Laughton
- Madeleine from Still Waiting by Alexandra Collier
- Melinda from Melinda by John Upton
- Nellie from Salt Creek Murders by Melissa Reeves
- Paula from Ray by Tony Nicholls
- Penny from The Keys to the Animal Room by Peta Murray
- Shondelle from Shondelle the Tiger by Terence Crawford
Male:
- Algy from Pussy Boy by Christine Evans
- Angas from Stop Means Go by Chris Thompson
- Anthony from SOLD by Suzie Miller
- Blackie from Room for Night and Day by Kit Lazaroo
- David from X Ray by Chris Tugwell
- Howie From Little Boy Lost by Michael Costello
- Imad from Enemy Material by Simon Froehling
- Luka from This Uncharted Hour by Finegan Kruckemeyer
- Rex Paulson from Under Mulga Wood by William Christie
- Samson from Downstairs at Gosford Park by Gary Abrahams
The Australian Script Centre only distributes unpublished Australian works. While unpublished, many readers will recognise some of the quality titles in this anthology or perhaps may have even seen them in performance.
Monologues and playscripts in Stand Alone are presented as PDFs on a single CD, ready to open as local files in your web browser. All areas of the CD are easily navigated with links between each section, including the full text of all 20 plays, the 20 monologues, plus comprehensive playwright biographies. Monologues are printable, but the complete playscripts are read-only (available separately for purchase from the Australian Script Centre).
Monologues in this anthology are categorised in a menu under gender, with a handy difficulty guide denoting those considered straightforward, medium and challenging.
Monologue characters include everything from a 14 year-old Irish servant girl to David Hicks at Guantanamo Bay. Settings are both Australian and overseas, urban and rural, past and present. Many of the characters in this anthology are aged in their 20s, deliberately accessible to young actors.
The diversity of styles, characters and plots in the monologues of Stand Alone make this contemporary anthology challenging, yet attractive for today’s theatre enthusiasts. The playwriting in this collection is polished and engaging.
Highly recommended.
Purchase details: Stand Alone: 20 Contemporary Audition Monologues for Young Actors.
Price: AUD $16.50, plus postage.