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! General Information The Theatre Arts program contains courses that allow and encourage students to explore acting! movement! technical theatre! and other elements and disciplines of theatre craft through a rigorous arts curriculum" The Theatre Arts Program will expose each student to all aspects of the theatrical arts and help them to discover and develop their passion and skills within the craft" Students in this program travel as a cohort group and participate in honors courses" This program is for students who have a strong interest and talent in the theatre arts" It is expected that students in this program intend to continue on to advanced courses" Audition The following outlines what you will need to have prepared prior to your audition and what you will be asked to perform at the audition # You may use this checklist to help you# Have Prepared for the Audition
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Memorize and perform one of the provided o r s t u d e n t s e l e c t e d monologues

Monologue Options: Female Play$The Fantasticks$Character$Isa Play$Our Town$Character$Emily Play$Brighton Beach Memoirs$Character$Nora

Remember: Students are only required to perform ONE of ! the monologue options" A Male variety of styles have been Play$You%re a Good Man Charlie Brown$Character$ provided ranging from comedic Charlie Brown to dramatic" Students should Play$Our Town$Character$George select the monologue they feel ! most comfortable performing! Male OR Female something they can emotionally Play$You%re a Good Man Charlie Brown connect with! and shows their individual talent in the best possible light

Please Note: On the monologue! auditioning students will be evaluated on the following categories: Memorization! Focus! Concentration! Commitment! Believability! Interpretation of Material! and Vocal and Physical Expression" Students can perform one of the provided monologues or one of their choosing" M O N O LO GU ES M U ST BE M EM O RIZED!

Perform at the Audition

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Cold Reading

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Cold Reading consists of a scene the student will be given when they come to the audition itself" Students will be given only a couple of minutes to read over and review the scene before they perform it with a scene partner that will be provided# Improvisation consists of performing without a script and making up a scene as you go" Students when be given a scenario for a scene and will then improvise a beginning! middle! and end" A scene partner will be provided for the improvised scene"

Improvisation

Additional!"#$$%&'()*!+',-.!

Recommendation Letter *not required

This recommendation should be from your theatre teacher or classroom teacher! if you do not have theatre at school"

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Instructions and this form an also be downloaded from sennhs"org" Students should have their monologues memorized and ready to perform on their interview date# Any questions can be directed to Mr" Joel Ewing at jbewing@cps"edu

Female Monologue Option #1 The Fantasticks By Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt Isa: "This morning a bird woke me up. It was a lark or a peacock. Or something like that. Some strange sort of bird that I d not heard. And I said, hello. And it vanished: flew away. The very minute I said hello. It was mysterious, so do you know what I did? I went over to the mirror and brushed my hair two hundred times without stopping. And as I was brushing it, my hair turned gold! No, honestly! Gold! And then red. And then sort of a deep blue when the sun hit it. I m sixteen years old, and every day something happens to me. I don t know what to make of it. When I get up in the morning to get dressed, I can tell: something s different. I like to touch my eyelids because they re never quite the same. Oh! Oh! Oh! I hug myself till my arms are blue, then I close my eyes and I cry and cry till the tears come down, and I taste them. Ah! I love to taste my tears. I am special. I am special. Please God, please - don t let me be normal."

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Monologue Option #2

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Our Town By Thornton Wilder Emily: "(Defensive.) Im not mad at you. (Dreading to face the issue.) But, since you ask me, I might as well say is right out, George - I don t like the whole change that s come over you in the last year. (She glances at him.) Im sorry if that hurts your feelings, but Ive just got to - tell the truth and shame the devil. (Facing mostly out, on the verge of tears.) Well up to a year ago, I used to like you a lot. And I used to watch you while you did everything - because we d been friends so long. And then you began spending all your time at baseball. (She bites the word.) And you never stopped to speak to anyone anymore - not to really speak - not even to your own family, you didnt. And George, its a fact - ever since youve been elected Captain, youve got awful stuck up and conceited, and all the girls say so. And it hurts me to hear em say it; but I got to agree with em a little, because it s true. I always expect a man to be perfect and I think he should be. (All innocence, yet firm.) Well, my father is. And as far as I can see, your father is. There s no reason on earth why you shouldnt be too. But you might as well know right now that I m not perfect - It s not easy for a girl to be perfect as a man, because, well, we girls are more - nervous. Now, I m sorry I said all that about you. I don t know what made me say it. (Cries.) Now I can see it s not true at all. And I suddenly feel that it s not important, anyway. (Cries.)"

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Monologue Option #3

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Brighton Beach Memoirs By Neil Simon Nora: "Oh, God, he was so handsome. Always dressed so dapper, his shoes always shined. I always thought he should have been a movie star-like Gary Cooper-only very short. Mostly, I remember his pockets. When I was six or seven, he always brought me home a little surprise. Like a Hershey or a top. Hed tell me to go get it in his coat pocket. So Id run to the closet and put my hand in and it felt as big as a tent. I wanted to crawl in there and go to sleep. And there were all these terrific things in there, like Juicy Fruit gum or Spearmint Life Savers and bits of cellophane and crumbled pieces of tobacco and movie stubs and nickels and pennies and rubber bands and paper clips and gray suede gloves that he wore in the wintertime. Then I found his coat in Moms closet and I put my hand in his pocket. And everything was gone. It was emptied and dry-cleaned and it felt cold-And that s when I knew he was really dead."

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Monologue Option #1

You re a Good Man Charlie Brown Based on the characters from Charles M Schulzs comic Peanuts By Clark Gesner Charlie Brown: I think lunchtime is about the worst time of the day for me. Always having to sit here alone. Of course, sometimes mornings arent so pleasing, eitherwaking up and wondering if anyone would really miss me if I never got out of bed. Then, theres the night, too lying there and thinking about all the stupid things Ive done during the day. And all those hours in between when I do all those stupid things Well, lunchtime is among the worst times for me. Well, I guess I better see what I got. (He opens bag, unwraps a sandwich, and looks inside.) Peanut Butter. (He bites and chews.) Some psychiatrists say people who eat peanut butter sandwiches are lonely. I guess theyre right. And if youre really right the peanut butter sticks to the roof of your mouth. (He munches quietly, idly fingering the bench.) Boy the PTA did a good job of painting these benches. (He looks off to one side.) Theres that cute little redheaded girl eating her lunch over there. I wonder what shed do if I went over and asked her if I could sit and have lunch with her. Shed probably laugh right in my face. Its hard on a face when it gets laughed in. Theres an empty place next to her on the bench. Theres no reason why I couldnt just go over there and sit there. I could do that right now. All I have to do is stand up. (He stands.) Im standing up. (He sits.) Im sitting down. Im a coward. Im so much a coward she wouldnt even think of looking at me. She hardly ever does look at me. In fact, I cant remember her ever looking at me. Why shouldnt she look at me? Is there any reason in the world why she shouldnt look at me? IS she so great and Im so small that she couldnt spare one little moment just to(He freezes.) Shes looking at me. (In terror, he looks one way, then another.) Shes looking at me!

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Monologue Option #2

Our Town By Thornton Wilder George: "Emily, I m glad you spoke to me about that - that fault in my character. What you said was right; but there was one thing wrong with it. That s where you said I wasnt noticing - people and you, for instance - why, you say you were watchin me when I did everything - Why, I was doing the same about you all the time. Why, sure - I always thought of you as one of the chief people I thought about. I always made sure where you were sitting on the bleachers, and who you were talking with, and for three days now Ive tried to walk home with you; but something always got in the way. Yesterday, I was standing over by the wall waiting for you, and you walked home with Miss Corcoran. Listen, Emily, I m going to tell you why I m not going to Agricultural School. I think once Youve found a person you re very fond of - I mean a person who s fond of you, too, and who likes you well enough to be interested in your character - Well, I think that s just as important as college is, and even more so. That s what I think: (His head down. Squirming.) Emily, if I do improve, and make a big change, - would you be I mean, could you be?"

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Male OR Female Monologue Option You're A Good Man Charlie Brown Based on the characters from Charles M Schulz s comic Peanuts By Clark Gesner "A 'C'? A 'C'? I got a 'C' on my coat hanger sculpture? How could anyone get a 'C' in coat hanger sculpture? May I ask a question? Was I judged on the piece of sculpture itself? If so, is it not true that time alone can judge a work of art? Or was I judged on my talent? If so, is it fair that I be judged on a part of my life over which I have no control? If I was judged on my effort, then I was judged unfairly, for I tried as hard as I could! Was I judged on what I had learned about this project? If so, then were not you, my teacher, also being judged on your ability to transmit your knowledge to me? Are you willing to share my 'C'? Perhaps I was being judged on the quality of coat hanger itself out of which my creation was made...now is this not also unfair? Am I to be judged by the quality of coat hangers that are used by the dry cleaning establishment that returns our garments? Is that not the responsibility of my parents? Should they not share my 'C'?"

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