Bringing Out the Poet

in the Actor: Acting

Poems You Should Try
It's not common to use poems when auditioning for roles but it is possible to bring one to
the audition and have a successful performance. Poems can be an excellent way to show
your range and technique as an actor because the words that make up a poem don’t reflect
the way people normally speak. Words are more colorful and hold deeper meaning,
which is why poems are also difficult to recite. However, if you have the technique and
emotional range as an actor, poems can be quite effective. Here are several poets whose
works you might want to use:

Pablo Neruda
Neruda was a Nobel Prize winning Chilean poet who first wrote symbolic poems before
moving to surrealism. However, some poems by this great South American poet are
excellent reading for acting, especially if you will be auditioning for a romantic part. Try
selections from his 'Cien sonetos de amor', a full volume of poetry dedicated to love or
get his collection of poems from 'Selected Poems of Pablo Neruda'. If you can read
Neruda and move your audience, you can definitely play a romantic character even if you
dressed up as Quasimodo.

E.E. Cummings
If you want lyrical acting poems, Cummings is your man. The works of this American
poet are characterized by non-conformity to traditional poetic form. There are plenty of
distorted syntaxes and the use of slang is prevalent but you will love the rhythm if you are
adventurous and willing to try something different. If you can get past the new words
and hurdle the strangely placed punctuations, E.E. Cummings can give you the perfect
acting poem for your audition.
If you want something that's closer to theater, try 'him' (small caps), a play Cummings
wrote both in prose and verse. You should also check out excellent selections from
'Poems', '95 Poems' and :' six nonlectures'.

Shakespeare
The Bard never fails to bring out the best (and worst) in every actor. Everyone from the
great Laurence Olivier to Keanu Reeves has played a Shakespearean character. His
poems or sonnets, however, can be great pieces provided you understand the way the
language was created and can work with the rhythm. Shakespeare likes to use metrics in
his work.

Don’t be limited by the more popular Sonnet XVIII. There are about 150 sonnets to
choose from, but make sure you use these only as part of an audition for a part in a love
story. The sonnets are unabashedly romantic. They are also quite awkward to use if you
are unable to grasp the rhythm early on. However, they are perfect for developing your
vocal and rhythmic skill.

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