Introducing Young Voices, a new space in our newsletter where teens ages 13–18 can share their stories, ideas, and creativity. Here’s our first featured piece.
by Connor and Finley Asti, Youth Voices Contributors
When you hear the word “Shakespeare” you most likely think of long monologues and scenes that seem to drag on for miles, intimidating language, and complicated plots. This stereotype has led to many young actors feeling a sense of distaste towards the “immortal bard,” ourselves included, at least at first. We are Finley and Connor Asti and this is how we grew to love Shakespeare.
In a constantly changing landscape of new and exciting plays and musicals, finding a space to perform classic theatre can be a challenge. This is where the Pittsburgh Public Theater’s Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Competition comes in. We have both been acting for over ten years, so when we were introduced to the competition we figured we’d give it a try. Little did we know that Shakespeare would become a staple in our family’s performance calendar every year.
We sign up through our school and then we pick our monologues. From there we begin to memorize it, this is always a huge challenge since the English language was so different in those times. We often have to translate some words and write down the monologues to get the information to stick. Once you’re able to memorize Shakespeare, remembering vital information in day to day tasks is much easier.
We then move into building character and rehearsing. This is done partially at home, where we give each other performance notes, and during school hours and where we get one training session with a seasoned Shakespeare professional who gives us constructive feedback. This was such a beneficial experience and helped both of us step out of our comfort zones and try something new. The mentors are always very warm and welcoming. Then the big day comes around and we meet at Pittsburgh Public Theatre. Oftentimes when we get there we start feeling a little stressed and nervous for our performance. This is completely normal. The important part is allowing the nerves to bolster our performances instead of holding us back. We then walk into one of the stages in the building and perform in front of three judges who score us. We’re proud to report that we’ve both earned Honorable Mentions two years in a row.
Shakespeare and performing arts as a whole are not just fun hobbies, they give you transferable life skills, especially as an actor. Shakespeare’s writing, we’ve noticed, helped with diving deeper into the text to really build our characters, and having a platform to tinker with performance also benefits our acting process. There’s also something very magical about adding your own spin on a piece that has been being performed for hundreds of years.
Each actor sometime in their teen life, should dip their feet into the water of Shakespeare. It’s warm and it’s welcoming. The language is confusing, but beautiful in a way that could only be described through performance. I feel we’ve gained valuable experience through this competition. The issue of whether the Shakespeare monologue and scene competition should be entered by every young actor is as easy as sink or swim, right or wrong, or “To Be or not to Be.”
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About the authors: Connor Asti is a freshman at Chartiers Valley High School. He is a young actor and musician who enjoys bringing creativity confidence and heart to every stage performance. At 13 years old, Finley Asti is an enthusiastic young performer who loves singing, acting and writing.
