Distance Learning: Monologue & Individual Performance Exercises

The exercises listed below can be adapted to distance and online learning opportunities. Students work individually (rather than with partners or in groups).

Group work and discussions can be completed using video conferencing programs (such as Google Hangouts, Skype, or Zoom).

Written work can be submitted electronically via email or uploading to Google Drive or similar.

Performances can be done live via video conferencing programs, or filmed on a smartphone or digital camera and uploaded to a service such as YouTube or Vimeo (privacy settings can be adjusted to accommodate your school’s internet safety policies).

Check out our round-up of exercises for Vocal and Physical Performance as well.

Monologue & Individual Performance Exercises

Students can find and read scenes and monologues from a variety of online sources (such as right here on Theatrefolk’s Free Resources page), or with a public library card and the Libby app). Teachers may also wish to supply monologues for students. Performances can be prepared at home as homework, and performed live via video conferencing or recorded and submitted. Written reflections and practice/rehearsal journals can be assigned for students to document their processes.

1. Auditions Exercise Part 1: Perform on Video

2. Auditions Exercise Part 2: Mock Auditions

3. Connecting the Past to the Present: Modernizing a Scene

All exercises can be completed individually

4. Creating Your Audition Toolkit – Monologues

5. Exploring Spoken Word Poetry

This is a combination writing and performance exercise

6. “Let’s Try That Again”: Taking Direction in an Audition

7. 5 Tips for Preparing A Monologue With Confidence

Focus on Tip #4: Record your performance