Monologue Stage Competition Winners!
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Actors took to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook & TikTok during December & January to fill it with performances of their favourite monologues. Talented performers from all over the world entered for the chance to perform on stage at WeAudition: Actors Pro Expo 2024.
The Competition was tough and brought forth an array of exceptional performances showcasing just how much undiscovered talent there is out there. Our judges could only choose four winners, and it was such a hard choice! The panel included top Casting Directors Kate Bone, Sarah Leung, and Michael Cox, each bringing their unique expertise and discerning eye to the judging table. With experience casting shows such as The Crown, Game Of Thrones, Luther and more – they have the experience to discover fresh, raw talent.
If you applied and didn’t manage to bag yourself a place on the stage this year, thank you for applying – you’ve already given yourself more exposure in 2024, so well done! We’d love you to join us at WeAudition: Actors Pro Expo 2024 and watch the winners, attend seminars, network with the industry and meet a plethora of exhibitors.
Meet our 2024 #ACTORSPROEXPOSTAGE Winners…
Georgia Taylforth
Why did I choose this piece?
I wrote & performed this piece quite a few years ago and I’ve always been really proud of it. I think it’s a piece that a fair amount of people can (unfortunately) relate to and it makes me feel proper powerful in a really human way. It’s really nice to have the opportunity to give it another go.
How did I prepare for it?
Cheating ex trauma? In all seriousness, a little bit of real life and a wish of what I could have said. I think having the idea of needing to be out of the house before the car was towed was helped by needing to get the tape done before my 4 year old came rushing in!
Xinha Morais
Why did you choose this piece?
I am big advocate for 4C hair, so much so that I made a TikTok in dedication for the trials and tribulations of 4C Afro hair which is the coarsest kind of Afro textured hair. Growing up I face a lot of discrimination and felt a lot of hate towards my hair which is something I outgrew. However, many young girls and women still have this complex against their hair. And we still very much face a lot of discrimination be it at work, in school or with friends and family. This monologue comes from one of my favourite plays, Crowning Glory by Somalia Seaton and I think it sums up very nicely some of the nonsense, black women have to hear about their hair.
How did you prepare for it?
I have a newborn at home so I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare. However, I did the usual trick where you write the first letter of each word and just have to absorb it.
Harleen Sahota
Why did I choose this piece ?
I chose this piece as I feel this character is funny and witty whilst keeping it cool and real. I feel as though she is very similar to me in that way. I also wanted to choose a character close to my playing range, she is younger than me but I enjoy playing that age because I can use my own emotional memory and how vulnerable I felt at that age. Having South-Asian heritage I enjoy performing texts which incorporate my culture and way of living; this monologue allows me to step into the shoes of a young British Asian woman battling between her Western attitudes and traditional beliefs.
How did I prepare for it ?
I started off by reading the play; from there I discovered my character’s objectives within the monologue, why she wants the things she desires as well as the different obstacles and fears in her way. From there I imagined her bedroom as well as the relationship with her mother and the scenarios described within her speech. I always find that visualising a memory in your mind really helps paint a picture when talking about it to the audience. I like to be clear on who I’m speaking to, what I’m really thinking beneath the words in the subtext as well as the emotional relationships between my character and other people mentioned in the script.
Georgina Russell
Why did I choose this piece ?
I chose this piece because it’s from one of my favourite modern plays and centres around a strong and complex female character. The subject matter is something that I think would relate to women of all ages and backgrounds and was one of the reasons I was personally drawn to it. This speech in particular comes at a pivotal moment in the play for the character of Alice, where she is finally confronting the thing that has dominated her thoughts for years. Finding the balance between being both brave and very vulnerable was a really interesting challenge to play with during rehearsals.
How did I prepare for it ?
My preparation for the piece started with trying to understand the mindset of the character, which involved reading through the play multiple times to build up a backstory and then using my imagination and clues from the text to fill in any blanks. This really helped me build an understanding of all the moments in the character’s life that lead up to the emotional turmoil of this speech. I then explored the relationship she has to the person she’s speaking to, to make sure I was really clear in my objective, and then I was free to play around with finding the physicality and voice of the character, doing deeper character work and exploring the text itself until I was happy with it – although I do always try out a slightly different spin on it every time I perform it to keep it fresh.
We can’t wait to see our winners perform on stage. Their respective time slots are from 12.20-12.30 and then again at 14.20-14.30 so make sure you stop by in between seminars and catch a glimpse of what caught the judges eyes!
Date: Saturday 24th February 2024
Location: ETC Venues, 155 Bishopsgate, London
Time: 10-6pm
Buy your tickets now!