Contemporary Duologues

As an actor at any level - whether you are doing theatre studies at school, taking part in youth theatre, preparing for drama-school showcases, or attending professional acting workshops - you will often be required to prepare a duologue with a fellow performer. Your success is often based on locating and selecting a fresh, dynamic scene suited to your specific performing skills, as well as your interplay as a duo. Which is where this book comes in.This collection features twenty-five fantastic duologues for two men, almost all written since the year 2000 by some of our most exciting dramatic voices, offering a wide variety of character types and styles of writing.Playwrights featured include Mike Bartlett, Howard Brenton, Jez Butterworth, Alexi Kaye Campbell, Ella Hickson, Sam Holcroft, Anna Jordan, Rona Munro, Jack Thorne and Tom Wells, and the plays themselves were premiered at the very best theatres across the UK including the Manchester Royal Exchange, Watford Palace, the Almeida, Bush, Hampstead, Royal Court and Soho Theatres, and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.Drawing on her experience as an actor, director and teacher at several leading drama schools, Trilby James equips each duologue with a thorough introduction including the vital information you need to place the piece in context (the who, what, when, where and why) and suggestions about how to perform the scene to its maximum effect (including the characters' objectives).The collection also features an introduction on the whole process of selecting and preparing a duologue, and how to present it to the greatest effect. The result is the most comprehensive and useful contemporary duologue book of its kind now available.'Sound practical advice...a source of inspiration for teachers and students alike' Teaching Drama Magazine on The Good Audition Guides