The best women's monologues in Russian literature. Texts for the competition “Living Classics”

As we know, auditions for theater (creative) universities in Russia are now in full swing. Crowds, kilometers of applicants storm the starry Olympus. Or at least approaches to them. And an increasing number of applicants are concerned about preparing a strong program for admission. And I get a lot of questions in the mail. “Help, help, advise.” And in order to answer most of these questions at once, I created this article. I hope it helps someone.

So first I’ll touch on some common admissions myths. I have absolutely no idea where people get this information from. But nonetheless...

1) Myth 1. “It is better to use descriptive prose for admission”. It's not like that at all. It's better to read a monologue. Why? Because descriptive prose limits your means of expression. When you read a monologue (especially if it is consonant with you) - you show your emotions, one way or another. In descriptive prose there are fewer emotions and they are more one-dimensional. There are more emotions in monologues, they are more vivid. They need to be taken. Or at least bet on them.

2)Myth 2. “The “gender” of your character is not important when choosing a work”. It's a big mystery to me why do girls sometimes take excerpts created for guys?. You need EXACTLY female monologues. Or poems written by women poets. This is important to understand. The selection committee, listening to your performance (if, of course, it is performed with talent), will figure out what female roles to give you. WHAT SHOULD YOU PLAY. So, take “female” material. And even if it’s a fable, take a fable with “female” characters.

3) Myth 3. “When performing, you don’t need to play anything, be organic.” This is a very subtle question. In general, looking ahead, you need to be careful not to make mistakes with the material: you should understand the feelings experienced by the character on whose behalf the monologue is taking place. It would be strange if the hero of “your” work, who found himself in difficult life circumstances, easily and pleasantly “drummed” his text. Because I always say - But what about the execution? Anyone who comes across can do this. What's the difference? What is the talent?

Listen, and this is VERY important. The text must be ASSIGNED by you. He must become YOURS on an emotional level. What it is? This means that you must understand the character's feelings because you HAVE ALREADY HAD the same or similar situation in your life. You must remember this situation, delve a little into yourself and remember how you behaved, what you felt, how you spoke. And based on this feeling, speak a monologue. All.

One guy once wrote to me asking me to choose a monologue for him to apply for. Look there,” I told him. The guy searched and gave me one not very well-known text. Why exactly this, I asked. - I feel it. “I had the same situation in my life,” the guy answered.

And it is right. You don't need to play anything. But you must feel what is happening, you must understand how your hero feels. And then everything will work out. The main thing is not to try to squeeze emotions out of yourself, try to be as natural as possible.

Well, now here are three rules for finding a prose or dramatic passage that suits you and working with it.

1) The text should hook you. Infect him with emotion, encourage him to play. There is no need to take text that is not interesting or that you do not understand. Theater is a game, no matter how you look at it. You need to take a text that excites fantasy and emotions, that you WANT to speak.

2) No need to take large text. Take medium or small. No one will listen to you for 2 hours; applicants are a dime a dozen anyway. If the monologue is long and you like it, take a pencil and cut it a little. Believe me, the commission doesn’t give a damn how fully you reproduce the monologue. They will watch how ORGANIC and CONVINCING you are. And not behind the text, as such.

I repeat once again: boys take “male” theatrical monologues, girls take “female” theatrical monologues. And not the other way around!

3) Well, let’s assume you liked the monologue, it’s short (or you shortened it). Everything seems to be fine. What's next? And then, dear friend, you should read the play from which this monologue is taken. Yes Yes. It will take some effort! You will need to work ESPECIALLY carefully (and more than once!) on the part preceding the monologue. You need to understand who “your” hero is talking to, what kind of relationship he has with the interlocutor, and the MOST IMPORTANT thing - what he wants to get as a result of his speech. It is most important. “Why am I doing this? What do I want to get? Here are the questions :)

“Your” hero can, for example:

- convince (in the hope of getting the interlocutor’s consent to something),

- blame (receiving an apology or repentance),

- make excuses and repent (receiving forgiveness),

- call (encourage) to action (receiving help or support),

- reflect, look for a solution or answer (receiving an answer or advice to your questions) ...

And so on. The characters pronounce some monologues alone. But even then, you need to INVENT an interlocutor, for example, from among the hero’s friends or his immediate circle. You need to accurately imagine the reaction of your interlocutor to certain words. You need to draw him LIVE, simply imagining him among your friends, girlfriends, relatives or just acquaintances.

That's it. Good luck getting into theater school. And to make it a little easier for you, I opened a new VKontakte group -

A monologue is that part of an acting performance in which the artist is given complete freedom of expression (within the limits of the character, of course). He can speak passionately and ardently, he can become covered with spots of anger and sputter with saliva, or he can speak quietly, but very soulfully. And many actors realized this opportunity to their fullest.

There are many strong monologues in movies, but the site kinowar.com selected the 15 most powerful of them.

Chaplin has always been a special figure in cinema. This man created the world famous image of the Tramp, became an icon of silent cinema and introduced a new form of entertainment to the entire planet. It was his speech in the film “The Dictator” that became a new breakthrough in world cinema, which was then practically silent. Delivered in 1940, this speech still remains one of the best in the history of cinema, including modern sound.

Monologues play a special role in Tarkovsky's films. We would like to highlight our favorite - the Writer's monologue, performed by the incredible Anatoly Solonitsyn.

One of the most powerful and cynical phrases of the unprincipled Gordon Gekko went down in history not only because it was beautifully performed by Oscar-winner Michael Douglas, but also because it truly reflects the essence and laws that operate in the world of big money to this day.

Tarantino has always been able to make cool monologues that you want to quote. Especially when they are so richly filmed and acted. One of the most striking monologues is Samuel L. Jackson's quotation of a fictional passage from the Bible.

The whole essence of military training is contained in this film by Stanley Kubrick. The film's strongest introduction comes in the words of "classic military" Sergeant Hartman: "I have no racial discrimination here. I don’t give a damn about black-assed people, Jews, pasta people and Latinos. You are all equally worthless here!”

Jack Nicholson is a man with incredible acting skills. He is able to turn any moment into a work of art. Of all his memorable roles, I especially want to remember his monologue from the film “A Few Good Men,” in which you not only feel the prevailing tension, but also, it seems, you can feel the steel inner core of an unbroken man.

Colonel Kurtz, portrayed by Marlon Brando, is as scary as the most cherished horror can be. It is especially interesting to understand this in the sense that almost all of Brando's monologues were improvised, and the framing of the shot was chosen in this way due to the fact that he had problems with being overweight. In any case, this film has become a masterpiece of world cinema, and largely thanks to this scene.

ATTENTION! Scene contains spoilers.

Truly the pinnacle of the creative mastery of two masters - Daniel Day-Lewis and Poul Anderson - has become one of the most iconic in the history of cinema. It cannot be otherwise, because a desperate, elderly, feral oil producer kills a priest. And he does it in such a way that it seems as if Satan himself is doing it. Bravo!

Smiling and optimistic in appearance, Robin Williams has always been a great motivator. His roles and acting charged and evoked a desire to live, laugh, and change everything for the better. Of course, we know that his fate was tragic, but in his films he will remain like that forever.

This point is still the Bible for anyone who has ever faced a sale. Incredibly assertive performance by Alec Baldwin, after which you want to sell the whole world to prove to yourself that you have balls of steel.

A story that chills the blood with its cruelty, truthfulness and naturalism. Descriptions of the last major U.S. Navy tragedy in World War II paint a terrifying picture of a shark encounter. The details are chilling and allow the viewer to understand and imagine something that he would most likely never even want to hear about.

The dramatic monologue of the dying android Roy Batty, partly borrowed from Friedrich Nietzsche, has long become an icon in the world of science fiction. An incredible ending to the film and no less juicy content of the dramatic climax, which is finally intended to answer the question: do androids dream of electric sheep?

An alternative philosophy of life for a modern man, embodied in one of the best films of all time. Character

There are two chairs on the stage. Slow classical music is playing. A girl enters the hall, wearing a raincoat, a scarf tied around her neck, and light shoes. Her gaze is turned to nowhere, it is clear that she is blind. She stands, shifts from foot to foot, sits down on one of the chairs, then gets up again, looking at her watch. He sits down again and enjoys the music. She feels that someone is approaching her. Rises.

“Is that you? Hello! I recognized you. You always breathe so softly and heavily and your gait is so smooth, flying. How long have I been waiting? No, not at all, I came about 15 minutes ago. You know how much I love the sound of the fountain and the laughter of children playing on the playground. And the rustle of leaves reminds me of the wonderful, summer and carefree days of my childhood. Naive No, I just love to dream and know how to enjoy little things, such as the scent of grass and the coolness of the fog, the touch of a warm palm and the melody of the early morning! , music of awakening. And everything else doesn’t matter to me. I learned to feel those things that cannot be seen, that can only be understood with the heart. How I would like you to feel them like I do... Lord, what am I saying! desire is selfish! You possess a divine gift...What is divine in it??? The question of a sighted person! It is common for all people not to appreciate what they have, and only to suffer when they lose it. But only the blind can tell you that there is reality beyond the visible. In the same smell, melody and hug. Forgive me... Do you forgive me?..."

The girl sits down on one of the chairs and looks dreamily into space.

"Shall we take a walk? Or sit and listen to a street musician play the flute? Tell me what he looks like! What do I think? I think he looks like John Lennon, he's wearing a shabby brown jacket with leather elbow patches, a plaid shirt and trousers with suspenders... Yes, you're right, this is how a saxophonist should be dressed. And next to him lies a black case from his flute, into which the children poured millet and pigeons pecked it right from the case... But I can describe what it was like. the melody of a musician is similar. The sounds of a flute are like the singing of birds on a spring morning, they are like drops of rain and the shimmer of a rainbow. They make my soul rush high, high to the sky! I just feel an irresistible desire growing in me to rise on my toes, throw my hands up and up. sing, sing, of course, sing, but this melody has no words, just like there is no light in my eyes... I don’t cry. Sometimes I just feel a lack of something. I don’t understand what. Yes, I have learned to perceive and feel people differently. their voice, their breathing, their gait. I can easily determine the skin color, hair length, height and eye color of the speaker or singer. But I touch my face and I don't know what it is like. It’s as if I’m lost to myself...Like a closed book. I can smell, touch and hear everything in this world. But I will remain a mystery to myself forever."

The girl grabs her hand as if someone touched her there. She places her second hand on the first and strokes the imaginary hand of her interlocutor.

"You took my hand. I recognize your touch from a thousand others. Your hand is like a guiding thread, leading me through the labyrinth of darkness, which only occasionally acquires a gray tint. When? In the moments when I cry. Believe me, tears seem to wash away this veil from my eyes. I listen to music... And when the rhythm, tonality and words sound and combine, when they are at the peak of mutual harmony, it’s like a climax, an orgasm, and tears flow from my eyes. But these are not bitter tears, not tears. suffering or bitterness. These are grateful tears, healing and soothing. But what am I all about tears... You smile! I feel it, I hear your hair moving, your eyes narrowing in a smile.”

The girl gets up, walks around the chair, leans on its back, as if putting her hands on the interlocutor’s shoulders.

“You and I are sitting like this, very friendly and cozy, holding hands, smiling. This is an unforgettable feeling. And the sincerity and kindness of your palm cannot be replaced by any colorful pictures and multi-colored markers!!!”

The girl sits down on the chair again and doesn’t get up again. She no longer looks at her interlocutor, she looks into the hall, as if trying to look at everyone in the hall, but she fails. The music is playing a little louder.

"People pass by, they smile because the sun is shining brightly. I feel it on my face and body. Its warmth envelops my whole body, like a duvet. People rejoice in the blue sky, sun and warmth! Children run barefoot on the warm asphalt. And adults They put on light moccasins and cotton scarves that flutter in the breeze. And you know, I really love it when large flakes of snow fall from the sky in winter. I feel them melting on my eyelids and lips, and then I believe that I belong here. to the world, along with the sun, the sky, birds and songs. Each person, each bauble and little pear, adapts in its own way to the huge world around us. I am a part of it, blind, but believing that thanks to the power of love for all living things, for everything. what sings, smells and warms, I subtly feel all the palette and rainbow of its interweavings... Do you understand me? No, you are sighted. You love me too. And that’s enough for us.”

Increasingly, humorous monologues for women are heard from concert stages and television screens today. A real breakthrough in this direction was made by the Comedy Woman program. And many humorous monologues for women were published.

Ladies' irony: with your sword and at your... neighbors!

Humorous monologues for women are often directed against the shortcomings of the fair sex. That is, the ladies seem to laugh at themselves. And this is the zest that makes humorous monologues for women so attractive. Uninhibited artists who do not hesitate to appear funny and absurd allow them to see their shortcomings from the outside.

Here’s a classic version: an offended spouse shares her pain with her friend over the phone.

And guess what, he tells me: “You have no hobbies at all!” I have this - and no! Yes, with my hobbies I can open doors without using my hands! And if I want, I can easily sneak a bottle of champagne and a couple of broomsticks into them from the wedding unnoticed. Well, citrus with them - let it be “pomelo”... You, Ank, why are you picking on me? I don’t understand... Are you for him or for me?

Fight, search, find, don’t let go!

A whole layer of ironic works is devoted to the problem of finding a soul mate. About how creatively some ladies try to solve the problem, humorous monologues about women that are sure to make listeners smile.

Basically, a characteristic of most people can be seen in miniatures: they present themselves completely differently from how others see them.

The second “trick” is reflections on the representatives of the stronger half, which organically fit into the woman’s humorous monologue. Ladies can talk about men endlessly! They simply love to remember their past relationships, share experiences, how to “tame” their husbands, and raise them. The search for a soulmate is the subject of humorous monologues for women, the texts of which are presented below.

Advertisement in the newspaper about acquaintance “Puss in Socks”

One day, an old lady showed up at our editorial office alone. Well, God's dandelion - one word. From somewhere out of the depths of her skirts and sweaters she pulled out a completed free advertisement form and laid it out on the table.

I took a piece of paper in my hands and read it. And I’m simply amazed! Grandma’s imagination, it should be noted, is so... inexhaustible! The very first phrase delighted me. Listen to this: “My cat! An affectionate and caring cat is waiting for you in her cozy apartment, on a soft bed... Hurry up, otherwise another one will take your place!”

And although we have instructions from above not to approach clients with our ideas and tips, I could not resist and asked: “Granny, why do you need this “cat”? You live peacefully in your cozy apartment - and that’s okay. And then some rogue will appear, smoke, and scatter his socks all around...” And the granny answered me: “Daughter, where have you seen cats in socks, huh?”

Granny was really looking for a cat for her cat, but I thought who knows what.

A humorous monologue of a woman about men “Fatal sexy is looking for a soul mate”

This text may be a continuation of the first miniature, since the action takes place in the same editorial office where advertisements are accepted. But this time a very curvaceous lady came in a lilac short coat, a green hat and an orange scarf. The ad said that the sexy fatale was looking for her soulmate. Okay, I gritted my teeth and kept quiet: sexy is sexy, everyone has their own understanding of this word.

Monologue about the first wife and cabbage jam

My first husband was, in principle, a good person. I just became very fixated on food. No matter what I cook, he always compares it with my mother’s cooking. “Cucumbers are not fried!” And why? These are the same zucchini, only unripe. Why not fry them? “They don’t make jam from cabbage!” Strange... They cook it from tomatoes, they cook it from pumpkin, but not from cabbage?

I am by nature a person with imagination. And I don’t like to walk the beaten path. In general, my first characters and I did not agree.

A story about a second husband and a suit from under the bed

The lady - fatally sexy - continues her humorous monologue. Men and women switched places as if in her story. This adds irony to the performance: everyone is accustomed to the fact that it is the stronger sex who sometimes allows themselves to come home in the morning “chauffeured,” and their lovely wife shames him in the morning for his unworthy behavior. The stereotype is broken. Here the spouses mixed up their roles.

My second husband was German. He simply drove me crazy with his punctuality! “Don’t come home drunk at night again!” Well, what kind of statement is this? Where else should I go at night? It’s early for work, but it’s late to see friends... And when I wake up, the brain drain begins in the second round: don’t shake the ashes into the sugar bowl, don’t look for your suit under the bed. Where else should I look for it, if that’s where I hung it... That is, I put it there. Well, in short, he fell in there himself! A bore, in short, in one word. And with this we did not get along in character.

Monologue about the third spouse and lost socks

My third husband was Estonian. Our sticking point with him was socks. Yes, yes, such simple things as ordinary socks can cause divorce! “I tep-pe at-tal a good number of us-skoff, each pair rolled up into a little bundle, one arm after another. Pa-achimu ani u tep-pyat-los-tsa?” How do I know why these socks keep getting lost? I just started putting them in the washing machine just like that, rolled up in a ball. I didn't like it again! My husband also didn’t like the fact that his sweater changed color. It was kind of grayish and nondescript. And it became a breathtaking color! Actually, it turned out to be a whole combination, one might say, a rainbow of colors. A designer find, by the way... But my husband did not appreciate my flight of fancy. They didn't get along with this either. Here, now the last hope is on you.

And the “fatal sexy” straightened her orange scarf, throwing it casually over the shoulder of her lilac short coat.

To be admitted to acting and theater arts programs, you must read a passage of a work of fiction at the audition. What should you choose? Tips from Stuart Howard, a New York-based casting director for theatre, film and television.

I’ll say right away: there is simply no list of ideal monologues for actors. There are those that I personally like, for example, “Hamlet’s Advice to Actors” (“Perform a monologue, I beg you...”). This passage perfectly combines stunning language, charisma of the character and a dose of humor, but not everyone can play Hamlet, and not everyone should do it. I believe that a monologue should suit the actor and vice versa. I can tell you that such and such monologues are good, but if they do not suit you and you do not enjoy performing them, they are unlikely to give you anything.

More about the classics: If your audition requires you to present one of Shakespeare's monologues, you should not expect that you can distinguish yourself by learning a sonnet. Shakespeare's plays contain dozens of great characters and monologues, both in verse and prose.

Actors ask me all the time for advice on whether a piece should be funny or serious. My answer is - choose what suits you best and what you like best, but do not forget that with a short comic passage it is more difficult to make a good impression than with a short serious one.

Actors often ask the question, “What is a monologue anyway?” According to Webster's Dictionary, "a monologue is a passage or work, in verse or prose, presenting the words or thoughts of a single character." So a dialogue from which the second character’s lines were thrown out cannot definitely be considered a monologue. I think the best example can be found again in Hamlet: this is a soliloquy that begins with the words “To be or not to be.” The main character stands alone on stage, and, depending on the director’s vision, talks to himself or addresses the audience.

I would like to give some advice to actors. The best thing you can do is read, read more, and then read some more. Fall in love with the author's words and choose a monologue that best expresses that love. Look for familiar plays and read all those that are recommended to you. If you see and love the productions of "Love Under the Elms" or "Mourning is the Fate of Electra" by Eugene O'Neill or "Mary Stuart" by Friedrich Schiller, "The Odd Couple" by Neil Simon or the musical "South Pacific" by Rodgers and Hammerstein - why don't you Why not start reading O'Neill, Schiller, Simon, or Rodgers and Hammerstein?

Audition monologue from a musical? Certainly. There are a lot of them, and some of them can be safely used to impress the director. My favorite is Cornelius Hackl's monologue in Hello, Dolly! Cornelius and the other characters in the musical were arrested, and while sitting in prison, he suddenly turns to the audience asking if they know how beautiful his beloved is. The monologue is taken from Thornton Wilder's comedy "The Matchmaker", which formed the basis of the musical. Great for auditions because it's extremely romantic and touchingly funny. Every lover understands Cornelius's feelings.

Monologue for listening to “Measure for Measure”: Claudio

I advise young people to pay attention to Claudio in this play. He has an amazing monologue addressed to his sister. Claudio is imprisoned for his depraved behavior, and his sister tells him that she will not sacrifice her innocence to save his life. The monologue begins with the words “But to die... to go - where, you don’t know...”. Claudio suddenly realizes that his life is at stake and wants his sister to feel his despair. By the way, if you take a work written in a foreign language, choose the translation that you like best and sounds better in your native language.

Monologue "Storm": Trinculo

If you are looking for a more mature character with a subtle sense of humor, pay attention to Trinculo's monologue from The Tempest. It begins with the words “Neither a tree nor a bush for you...” and is uttered by the character when he is looking for shelter from a storm and stumbles upon the corpse of a man. The passage is full of funny descriptions; everything that Trinculo sees causes him genuine disgust.

Twelfth Night audition monologue: Viola

Every girl's dream is to play Viola in Twelfth Night. When a character is completely confused about his feelings, a wonderful monologue arises. It begins "Some ring... What happened to her?" It’s not often that you have to play an embarrassed girl who dresses up as a boy and becomes the object of love of a beautiful lady.

"The Seagull": Konstantin

Chekhov is one of my favorite playwrights. Konstantin, the main character of the play, tells his dear uncle that his mother does not love him. The monologue begins with the words “Loves - does not love...”. This passage is very sad, frank and touches the soul.

"The Seagull": Masha

Masha is one of the most magnificent characters in modern drama. Pay special attention to her monologue about her future husband, a schoolteacher who loves her with all his soul, and whom she herself cannot stand. It begins with the words “I am telling you all this as a writer.”

"Dreamer": Georgie

Georgie, the main character of the play, wakes up and, getting ready for work, does her morning toilet in front of the mirror. The monologue is charming, funny and sincere.

"Invitation to March": Camilla

The play begins with the main character, a middle-aged lady, Camilla Jablonski, addressing the audience and telling who she is, where she lives, what she wants from life, and how she will achieve it. The monologue is very funny and lively.

“Simplicity is enough for every wise man”: Glumov

The main character, young Glumov, turns to his beloved, Cleopatra. This emotional monologue will not leave anyone indifferent. Begins with the words “How can I upset you!”

"Fear and Poverty in the Third Empire": Jewish Wife

This is a very long monologue (about 20 minutes), but it can be broken down into great segments. The Jewish woman packs her bags and talks to herself, then to her husband, and finally leaves him. She doesn't want her religion to ruin his life. He doesn't try to stop her.

"Cleo, Camping, Emmanuel and Dick": Imogen

A very funny play about the film industry. Imogen, a beautiful and seductive actress, has had too much alcohol and tells everyone around her that she wants to be remembered for her talent, not for her sexy looks.

Remember, the main thing in auditioning is not the monologue itself, but how you present it. Choose the one you like, and when you get tired of it, look for another one.

Author: Stuart Howard, casting director for theatre, film and television based in New York. His most recent work includes a contemporary production of West Side Story. She holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University and an MFA in Playwriting from Purdue University, as well as a diploma in French Classical Drama from Sorbonne University.

Translation by: Natalya Sklyomina