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    Playwrights

    Every major playwright from the Greeks to the present day, grouped by period. Names in darker type have monologues and scenes in the library — the number beside each one says how many.

    97 of 210 playwrights covered · 1,226 scenes

    Greek & Roman

    The oldest surviving dramatic writing, and still the backbone of classical audition speeches.

    5/8 covered

    Elizabethan & Jacobean

    Shakespeare and his contemporaries — the verse repertoire most drama schools ask for.

    6/11 covered

    Restoration & 18th Century

    Comedy of manners: sharp, spoken, and a common second classical choice.

    6/9 covered

    19th Century

    The birth of modern naturalism, from Ibsen and Chekhov to Wilde and Shaw.

    10/16 covered

    Early 20th Century

    Between the wars — Irish revival, European modernism and the well-made play.

    9/18 covered

    Mid 20th Century

    Post-war drama: the Angry Young Men, absurdism and the American giants.

    13/28 covered

    Contemporary British & Irish

    The living repertoire most often set for contemporary audition speeches.

    21/54 covered

    Contemporary American

    Pulitzer-era American writing, widely used for contemporary monologues.

    22/44 covered

    International

    African, Australian, Canadian and European writers in translation and in English.

    5/22 covered

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