What are good prose pieces to perform?

Question

I'm a member of a speech team, I'm a 16 year old female, I'm looking for something more dramatic that says something, as opposed to something humorous. I really need to find something soon! Please help!

Answer 1

Cleavinger's trial from Heller's "Catch-22" (it's funny, too...oh, wait you don't want that...)

Shakespeare is good for speeches of course. I like Mercutio's death speech from R & J (or the Queen Mab Speech). Any of Hamlet's soliloqies.

I have something off beat--Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential," toward the end he does a little re-creation of kitchen lingo that if performed right will be dynomite.

At the end of Orwell's "1984"--any of O'Brian's speeches towards the end are super-awesome for your purpose, but there's one passage where the narrator says explains how war is used as distraction.

Or Animal Farm where the old pig inspires the animals to become indpendant.

Answer 2

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen has some good pieces, yeah Shakespeare is great, and any other classic book should work :)

Answer 3

I've heard great prose come out of the book "Girl Interupted".