How to Use a Friend to Rehearse a Monologue

Video Transcript

"This is Dr. Charles Grimes, and I'm talking on behalf of Expert Village about rehearsing a monologue. You can use another person to talk to as you're rehearsing your monologue, and there are a number of ways to do this. This is equally good whether you're doing a monologue for an audition, or doing a scene in a play. I'm going to teach you a very simple technique, and I'm going to example it for you. It's what I call the touch your knees exercise. You're going to take two chairs, put them up very close to each other, and have two people looking at each other dead on. We've angled this a bit so we can look pretty on camera. But generally, straight on, and you're just about almost touching the other person so that you're ready to pay attention to their slightest shift in behavior. What Hank is going to do is to read a line, to try to get it in his head, to speak it for real, to look at me as he's doing so, to observe my response, to continue his focus, to make that action happen, and then he's going to proceed. So maybe we'll look at Hank as he's the important person here. He's doing the monologue. I'm just the helper. So for right now, I'm going to be responding and reacting and Hank's going to go nice and slow and keep the focus on me, always trying to direct his words right at me. The man issue is a singular issue, quite distinct from our previous work. Certain elements might well approximate points and procedures of some of your other activities. Okay, let's go back, Hank, really tell me that, and wait for me to have a reaction before you go on to your next line. And look at me before you keep speaking. The man issue is a singular issue, quite distinct from your previous work. Certain elements might well approximate points and procedures to of some of your other activities. Keep looking at me Hank. What do you want from me? All is dependent on the attitude of our subject. In all events, McCann, I can assure you... how am I reacting to you, Hank? Am I getting it? No you're not, so I'm going to be angry. Good. Because you're not getting. Good. Good. I want you to get it. Keep going. All is dependent on the attitude of our subject. In all events, McCann, I can assure you that the mission will be accomplished and the assignment carried out with no excess aggravation to you or myself. Satisfied? I'm getting there, Hank, yes. So that's wonderful. So that gives you a way to interact with a partner. Again, we're localizing the person you're talking to, so we're energizing all those aims and actions. The important thing is that when you say something and you haven't finished saying it, the final bit of that communication is you checking to see if the person has gotten your message. So that's one way you can rehearse with a partner-- the touch your knees exercise."