Let's get MOUTHY: Talking statues competition
MOUTHY: Public Writing Competition
Give Keats a Voice!
The poet John Keats, who trained as a surgeon at Guy's Hospital in 1815-16, before writing works such as To Autumn and Ode to a Nightingale, now sits on a bench in the grounds of Guy's Hospital.
What does he make of the hospital in 2016, 200 years after he completed his training? What is in the book he holds - perhaps some notes for a new poem? What would he say to you if you sat down next to him?
As part of MOUTHY we have teamed up with arts producers Sing London to create three new Talking Statues for Guy's Hospital campus: Asclepius, the Greek demigod of medicine; a boat sculpture by artist Daniel Silver; and John Keats. Keats still awaits the gift of speech...can you bring him to life?
Your challenge is to find a ‘voice’ for the statue of Keats, and write an engaging monologue in 350 words.
Writers' tips:
Get under Keats' skin!
Look closely and develop a sense of empathy with the statue.
Invite your listeners to feel with you: create shifts in tempo and emotion, use different tenses, figures of speech and anecdotes, psychological transitions, sensory details and even sound effects.
Find your statue’s voice
Write in the first person and adopt Keats' persona:
What kind of vocabulary will you use - your own or that of another era?
Your words will be spoken so read them aloud: use their rhythm and your sentence structure to convey emotional charge and urgency.
Read great monologues for inspiration, for example Hamlet’s 'Alas, Poor Yorick', or watch film monologues, like Morgan Freeman’s in The Shawshank Redemption.
How are you going to keep people listening? Structure your monologue!
How will you introduce yourself? With a greeting, a warning, a question, an order, a riddle? Grab and hold your listener’s attention from your very first line.
Think of your monologue as a story, with you as both narrator and lead: how will you build a sense of development, suspense and atmosphere?
Your final line is the most important of all: how will you say goodbye and make your exit?
Do some background research before you begin.
Google around or visit your library to become an expert on your statue. You’re sure to discover interesting facts, anecdotes, jokes or quotes to weave into your monologue.
How to enter:
The competition is open to everyone! Submit your monologue (maximum 350 words) with the heading 'Public Writing Competition Entry' to competition@talkingstatues.co.uk by 5pm on Sunday 23rd October 2016.
Our expert judging panel will be looking for originality, factual accuracy and entertainment value, so keep this in mind when writing!
The winning pieces will be recorded by a professional actor and included as part of the Talking Statues series, ready to chat later in the autumn. Winners will also be invited along to their monologue recording and receive a copy of the final recorded script to keep.
September 7, 2016