Dramatic Interpretation On-Line Resources: A Cut to the Chase
Even in a world as connected as ours, finding a piece for any speech event can be discouraging. With so many outlets for information, our search for the right piece often feels as endless as space. Fortunately, Dramatic Interpretation is an event built mostly on theatrical pieces. Sure, you can opt for a selection chosen from a novel or short story, but a majority of pieces are chosen from plays; they offer an easy solution to piecing together multiple characters. Anyway, if you have depleted your energies at your local library, and are in need of some internet assistance (without the hassle of finding websites), take a gander at the helpful list provided below. Be aware this list is composed of sites dedicated to plays.
- Stage Agent. http://www.stageagent.com/ A resource used by actors. It's fantastic for finding monologues (often an actor's nightmare) and plays. Stage Agent allows for searches to be broken-up into genre, gender, amount of roles, etc. The site does not provide the full-text of plays, but you might find an excerpt through the monologue search and always you will find a description of the play. Thus, you are making your next library visit easier by having titles to locate and read.
- Playdatabase. http://www.playdatabase.com/ Again, another site great for researching plays. When searching for plays, the site provides ways to narrow your search to help find what you need. A cool feature this site has is their "Top Plays" list. They provide a top ten list of the previous days most popular plays and a user-generated top 100 plays list.
- One-Act-Plays. http://www.one-act-plays.com/index.html Here you can find listings of plays with the text! Some of the plays listed even show publishing information so you do not have to track it down to be positive that the material has been printed (therefore, legitimate). The only down-side is some of these one-act plays are in the public domain. That means they are older. Not that older plays are bad! It's just be aware not everything listed was written 5-10 years ago.
- Monologue Archive. http://www.monologuearchive.com/ For something a bit older. If you are looking for older plays to draw material from then check this site. It specializes in monologues so you can read an excerpt of a play prior to checking it out of the library.
- Samuel French. http://www.samuelfrench.com/ One of the major play publishers out there. Buy a script you want here or look around for one that sounds interesting!
- Dramatists Play Service, Inc. http://www.dramatists.com/ Another of the major play publishers out there. Buy a script you want here or look around for one that sounds interesting!
When looking for Dramatic Interpretation material it is better to head to the library with a few selection ideas than with no clue of what you want. Using the websites above can provide that edge you need to find new material as well. Just be certain to verify publication before proceeding with anything! Happy Dramatic Interpretation hunting!