Two Laerskool Helderkruin learners qualify for World Monologue finals
Competitors are designated to groups defined by age, monologue duration and experience.
They say acting is reacting, but when alone on stage or in front of the camera, the dialogue is one-way. The monologue is a stand-alone performance, the telling of a story through a single tangent.
The World Monologue Games is the brainchild of Australian thespian, Pete Malicki, in response to the shutting down of theatre stages and performance sets around the world. Roughly 3 000 budding actors and actresses submitted their digital performances, with 200 selected for the regional finals. The finalists for the global showpiece have been announced, with just 70 of the best being selected.
Laerskool Helderkruin has not one, but two learners selected for this elite event. Leané Nortje and Estee-Mari Smit have each qualified in separate categories that form part of the full four-day live-streamed extravaganza, split over two weekends in late October. Competitors are designated to groups defined by age, monologue duration and experience.
On 17 October, Leané will perform in the Tigers Sprint and Main categories, which means she is under 12 years of age, doing two monologues of a maximum of 60 seconds and 150 seconds, respectively. Estee-Mari will take her digital stage on 24 October, also in the Main category, but in the 12 to 17 age group. “I’m really excited despite the pressure and can’t wait to compete on the world stage!” said Estee-Mari.
Leané will be performing a piece from the 1995 American family drama A Little Princess and is as equally excited by her shot at glory as her fellow Helderkruiner. “It focuses on a young girl who is in a New York City boarding school and she is trying to encourage a younger girl whose mother has recently passed,” she said, elaborating on her chosen piece.
The World Monologue Games will be live-streamed internationally, so go to www.monologues.com.au/WMG for broadcast details.
