This is a selection of speeches drawn from the great landmark plays of the twentieth century. The most famous playwrights of the British, American and European theatre, from Shaw to Sartre and Williams to Fo – and the plays most constantly performed on stages around the world – are represented in this unique collection. Monologues of all types – both serious and comic, naturalistic and absurdist – provide a dynamic challenge for all the actors: the student, the amateur and professional. Here is an invaluable resource for acting classes, competitions, auditions and rehearsals. A fuller appreciation of each speech is enhanced by the editor’s introduction and commentaries, which set the plays and individual speeches in their dramatic and performance contexts.