This site was created and is managed by Prof. Mya Brown (SUNY Oswego, Theatre Department) and Laura Harris (SUNY Oswego, Penfield Library). Prof. Brown originally envisioned this database as a way to help actors select monologues for audition purposes. Although there are other collections of Shakespearean monologues on the web, none of them include monologue-specific textual context. For ease of access, we have tagged the monologues by genre, gender, and age. We recognize that many characters in Shakespeare's plays can be represented by any gender, and have identified monologues that may be of particular interest to agender or non-binary individuals.
In addition to serving as a resource for actors, this site also serves as an open pedagogy project. The University of Texas Arlington Libraries define open pedagogy as
...the practice of engaging with students as creators of information rather than simply consumers of it. It's a form of experiential learning in which students demonstrate understanding through the act of creation. The products of open pedagogy are student created and openly licensed so that they may live outside of the classroom in a way that has an impact on the greater community.
Most of the content on this site has been contributed by students of Prof. Brown's Theatre 352 (Acting Shakespeare) courses. Each monologue contains information about the student who created that database entry.
Prof. Brown and Ms. Harris welcome any feedback, and extend an invitation to other academics to involve their students in this project. Please click the Contact Us button below to get in touch!
