Classical Monologue

I chose this monologue because I thought it would be a challenge to me as Hera is a very powerful female character and I usually don't get to play someone as powerful as she. In addition, I am exploring the contrast between modern and classical monologues as I usually do modern monologues.

Hera - Dialogues of the Gods by Lucian

You should be ashamed of yourself! Lord of the gods! Hah! Your behaviour wouldn’t be proper even if you were some mortal peasant! You desert me, your lawful wife, and go carousing with mortal women at all hours of the day and night with no consideration for my feelings! It’s not respectable! At least those sluts of yours remained on Earth, while you’ve brought this youth from Ida into my own house! He actually lives with us! I have to pick up after him! Oh, I’ve seen how you take the cup from him! Everyone sees! It’s embarrassing! Even when you’re not thirsty! After tasting, you hand the cup back and insist that he drink too, then you receive it again, all googly-eyed, making sure to take the remainder from the spot where the boy has placed his lips so you can drink and kiss at the same time in front of us all! Do you really think we’re so dim-witted that we can’t see it?! And this morning, I actually witnessed you, the King and father of the universe, with that big beard you’ve grown, lay aside your aegis and thunderbolt to play a game of marbles with the boy! You’ll take any excuse to get close to him, and don’t think that I don’t see it! Zeus, King of the Gods—a pedophile and a degenerate!

Shakespeare in Da House duologue

For my Shakespeare duologue I have chosen to do Much Ado About Nothing (Benedick/Beatrice), 4.1. In this scene, Beatrice is angry at the way Claudio has treated Hero (her cousin) so she persuades Benedick to take revenge and kill his good friend, Claudio. This is a dramatic scene however both these characters a very comical. I want to practice the old English language and I have chosen this duologue to help me as I find it a challenge and this will help me on my pronunciation of some words and articulation.

BENEDICK

Lady Beatrice, have you wept all this while?

BEATRICE

Yea, and I will weep a while longer.

BENEDICK

I will not desire that.

BEATRICE

You have no reason, I do it freely.

BENEDICK

Surely I do believe your fair cousin is wronged.

BEATRICE

Ah, how much might the man deserve of me that would right her!

BENEDICK

Is there any way to show such friendship?

BEATRICE

A very even way, but no such friend.

BENEDICK

May a man do it?

BEATRICE

It is a man’s office, but not yours.

BENEDICK

I do love nothing in the world so well as you – is

not that strange?

BEATRICE

As strange as the thing I know not. It were as

possible for me to say I loved nothing so well as

you, but believe me not; and yet I lie not; I

confess nothing, nor I deny nothing. I am sorry for my cousin.

BENEDICK

By my sword, Beatrice, thou lovest me.

BEATRICE

Do not swear, and eat it.

BENEDICK

I will swear by it that you love me, and I will make

him eat it that says I love not you.

BEATRICE

Will you not eat your word?

BENEDICK

With no sauce that can be devised to it. I protest

I love thee.

BEATRICE

Why, then, God forgive me!

BENEDICK

What offence, sweet Beatrice?

BEATRICE

You have stayed me in a happy hour: I was about to

protest I loved you.

BENEDICK

And do it with all thy heart.

BEATRICE

I love you with so much of my heart that none is

left to protest.

BENEDICK

Come, bid me do any thing for thee.

BEATRICE

Kill Claudio.

BENEDICK

Ha! not for the wide world!

BEATRICE

You kill me to deny it. Farewell.

BENEDICK

Tarry, sweet Beatrice.

BEATRICE

I am gone, though I am here; there is no love in

you; nay I pray you let me go.

BENEDICK

Beatrice –

BEATRICE

In faith, I will go.

BENEDICK

We’ll be friends first.

BEATRICE

You dare easier be friends with me than fight with mine enemy.

BENEDICK

Is Claudio thine enemy?

BEATRICE

Is he not approved in the height a villain, that

hath slandered, scorned, dishonoured my kinswoman? O

that I were a man! What, bear her in hand until they

come to take hands, and then with public

accusation, uncovered slander, unmitigated rancour

– O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart

in the market-place.

BENEDICK

Hear me, Beatrice –

BEATRICE

Talk with a man out at a window! A proper saying!

BENEDICK

Nay, but Beatrice –

BEATRICE

Sweet Hero! She is wronged, she is slandered, she is undone.

BENEDICK

Beat–

BEATRICE

Princes and counties! Surely, a princely testimony,

a goodly count, Count Comfect; a sweet gallant

surely! O that I were a man for his sake, or that I

had any friend would be a man for my sake! But

manhood is melted into curtsies, valour into

compliment, and men are only turned into tongue, and

trim ones too: he is now as valiant as Hercules

that only tells a lie and swears it. I cannot be a

man with wishing, therefore I will die a woman with grieving.

BENEDICK

Tarry, good Beatrice. By this hand, I love thee.

BEATRICE

Use it for my love some other way than swearing by it.

BENEDICK

Think you in your soul the Count Claudio hath wronged Hero?

BEATRICE

Yea, as sure as I have a thought, or a soul.

BENEDICK

Enough! I am engaged, I will challenge him. I will

kiss your hand, and so I leave you. By this hand,

Claudio shall render me a dear account. As you

hear of me, so think of me. Go, comfort your

cousin; I must say she is dead: and so farewell.

Music Performance Review

The music students assembled and put together a gig for the performing arts students to come and watch. As I was walking in, I could see how small the room was and jam-packed it would be because there were a lot of students coming to see the music students perform their songs. There was a massive argument between some performers before the show even began, the argument resulted in in one of the girls crying which I thought left a very bad impression and it was unprofessional. There was a lot of shouting over each other and I didn’t like the way they were speaking to each other, it was very rude and I think that should’ve be resolved in a friendly and respectful manner. I think that making someone upset especially before they’re about to go on stage is quite hurtful because it causes the performer to lose confidence and give up on the gig because they aren’t in a good mood to play an instrument or sing.

After everyone settled down, the gig went on and as performers in the year 2 level 2 and some of the year 2 level 3 went on stage and performed their song I could sense a vibe of competition between each other. After a student introduced the song that her group was going to be playing, someone in the audience respectfully asked if she could repeat herself as she kept mumbling the words and it wasn’t clear for the audience to hear; she replied to the audience member by giving a lot of attitude which I was quite shocked by because we’re here to support her and watch her performance. I think that reacting like that really lets the whole group down.

Some of the songs that were sung were really catchy and fun to sing to. They were all very talented as some played an instrument whilst others sang or they did both which was fun to see how passionate they are about music.

At one point in time, I felt like I should just leave because the switch-overs of the next groups took extremely long leaving the audience standing around for too long. The music students were wasting a lot of valuable time talking over who goes next instead of just following and remembering their ques. That would have made it a lot easier for them.

Overall, I felt that some groups delivered a great performance and I enjoyed listening to some of the songs they sung and I was able to sing along because I knew the words. However, I also felt as if they weren’t taking it seriously which was quite disappointing.

Puss in Boots Review

The Year 2 Musical Theatre students put on a production of Puss in Boots and on Wednesday 16^th December, we got the chance to watch it in the theatre at our college. The first few minutes of just walking into the theatre and glancing around the stage clearly showed that they put a lot of effort into designing the set design and I was very impressed to see such detail. It was almost like it was a huge production at the Royal Theatre and I was intrigued by the leaflet I was given showing the cast and the chapters of the play when I walked in through the door.

Those few moments of the characters being introduced I thought that was spectacularly funny and a great way to start the show. By looking at their costume, I could clearly see who is what character because the costumes were so detailed and the actors managed to adapt the way their character speaks for example, the actress playing Puss had probably researched the way cats move and adapted that to put into the show to make it more believable. The students in the play had great projection through the microphone and the articulation of the words was perfect. I think that being committed to the pantomime, working hard for the past few weeks on it and memorising yet still remembering all of their lines must have been very exhausting and quite hard however it all paid off as they gave their best of their ability to make sure the show went perfectly. On top of that, they had songs to learn and dance moves too which I thought worked well in the show.

Throughout the show, some of the original parts were changed to fit the modern period so the audience can relate and I found myself doing so. This way it engaged the audience more. The whole show in general was very humorous and genius for example, I liked the idea of having a rabbit toy in a remote control car to move it around, it was a great laugh seeing Jack and Puss chasing after the rabbits as they drove around the stage. I noticed that the set changes and the lighting were precise and in time with the music which showed that remembered their ques. The music and the light changes really set the mood and made it more engaging. The backdrop set the scene and it give the audience an idea of where the characters are and what scene they’re in.

I particularly liked the character Hettie Quette as she was a very funny character and enthusiastic, she was very confident in engaging with the audience by speaking to them and also being a bit flirtatious to one of the boys in the audience which made it even better to watch because of the reactions given. Moreover, I thought they all did a great job in maintaining their character throughout the show.

On the other hand, I noticed a few things that could’ve been improved such as the singing; it was off pitch at times and not all the right notes were hit however it’s understandable because not everyone was born a professional singer and also their vocals seemed quite tired from delivering all those lines. Also, I felt that some of the lines of some characters were quite rushed so it was quite hard for the audience to catch what they’re saying because they were speaking too fast or weren’t that clear. They could improve that by slowing down and taking their time with their lines to make it sound perfect.

To conclude, the whole show was brilliantly put together by the technical theatre crew and an amazing performance was given by the musical theatre students.