The Poor School requires one Shakespeare piece to be performed by each auditionee. It may be that this discourages some people from applying.

Our advice is to approach whatever piece of Shakespeare you choose in the same way as you approach your modern piece. The material and the language are a little different but essentially acting a character involves the same things.

When you have chosen your piece you should "translate" into colloquial English. In other words you say to yourself: how would this person express the same thoughts and feelings if he were alive today?, and then write it out. Having done so you are better placed to know, or to believe you know, what the character is saying. You then go back to Shakespeare's words and attempt to invest them with the same freedom and expression. When acting a modern piece most people have a fair idea of what their character is thinking (often different to what the character is saying). You should try to do the same with your Shakespeare character.

You must, when auditioning, use Shakespeare's words and not paraphrase. The "translating" is an exercise to help you make sure you understand what you are saying.

You must know the context of the piece and therefore the play from which it is taken. You are likely to be asked about the play as a whole. It is quite acceptable to say, at the audition, that you are inexperienced or unsure of what to do with Shakespeare.

This is not so much a blueprint for acting Shakespeare in general, as short-term, specific advice to those who feel unsure with the material at an audition.

There follows a list of pieces for men and women. It is included as suggestion only.

MEASURE FOR MEASURE - Angelo "What's this, whats this" to "wondered how" (Act 2, Scene 2)

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING - Benedick "O she mis-used me" to "follow her" (Act 2, Scene 1) or "This can be" to "I were married" (Act2, Scene 3)

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM - Bottom "When my cue comes" to "at her death" (Act 4, Scene 2)

ROMEO & JULIET - Mercutio "O, then I see" to "this is she" (Act 1, Scene 4)

MACBETH - "If it were done" to "on th'other" (Act 1, Scene 7) or "Is this a dagger" to "or to hell" (Act 2, Scene 1) or "To be thus" to "to th'utterance" (Act 3, Scene 1)

HAMLET - "O that this too, too solid flesh" to "hold my tongue" (Act 1, Scene 2) or "Speak thy speech" to "so abominably" (Act 3, Scene 2)

KING LEAR - Edmund "Thou, nature" to "stand up for bastards" (Act 1, Scene 2)

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE - Shylock "Signor Antonio" to "thus much moneys" (Act 1, Scene 3)

THE WINTER'S TALE - Leontes "I am angling now" to "feel't not" (Act 1, Scene 2)

MEASURE FOR MEASURE - Isabella "To whom should I complain" to "his soul's rest" (Act 2, Scene 3)

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM - Titania "These are the forgeries" to "parents and original" (Act 2, Scene 1)

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE - Portia "The quality of mercy" to "gainst the merchant there" (Act 4, Scene 1)

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW - Kate "Fie, fie" to "do him ease" (Act 5, Scene 2)

TWELFTH NIGHT - Viola "I left no ring" to "for me t'untie" (Act 2, Scene 2)

ROMEO & JULIET - Juliet "The clock struck nine" to "pale as lead" (Act 2, Scene 5) or "Gallop apace" to "may not wear them" (Act 3, Scene 2) or "Farewell, God knows" to "I drink to thee" (Act 4, Scene 3)

JULIUS CEASAR - Portia "You have ungently" to "cause of grief" (Act 2, Scene 1)

OTHELLO - Desdemona "O God, Iago" to "vanity could make me" (Act 4, Scene 2)

ANTONY & CLEOPATRA - Cleopatra "O Charmian" to "looking on his life" (Act 1, Scene 5)