How to Pick an Audition Monologue

By Valerie Brooks

Rate: (13 Ratings)

Winning a role may depend on what audition monologue you choose and how well you deliver it. Know the ins and outs of choosing the perfect monologue from an acting teacher who also held numerous auditions throughout New York and Philadelphia.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Step1
Choose a monologue the casting people haven’t seen a million times. It’s hard to bring something new to a monologue that’s been performed over and over and agents and casting directors get tired of seeing them. This means staying away from the most popular monologues found in monologue books. It’s OK, and sometime preferable to choose one from a well-known play but try to avoid the major ones, such as Hamlet, Glass Menagerie, Tea & Sympathy and Chapter Two.
Step2
Pick a monologue that was written for your gender, age and type. Don't add the challenge of trying to create a persona that does not come naturally to you.
Step3
Find a monologue by reading the play in its entirety. Don’t just choose a monologue from a monologue book without being completely familiar with the play. Knowing the character’s background and circumstances are crucial to knowing how to play the character.
Step4
Unless told otherwise, choose a monologue that is one to two minutes long. More than two minutes is too much.
Step5
Pick a monologue from a play and not some other literary form. While there may be great monologues from novels, you will likely be auditioning for a play, television series or movie. These areas are all in the live performance arena, not the reading realm. Monologues from plays are designed for performance whereas monologues from novels or speeches are not.
Step6
Memorize the monologue. Don’t read it from the book when auditioning. The agent or casting director will wonder if you can memorize a whole part if you can’t even memorize a monologue.
Step7
Consider having a few monologues ready for different types of auditions. The well-prepared actor has a dramatic, comedic and classical monologue ready.

Tips & Warnings

  • Get a copy of the Samuel French Basic Catalogue of Plays and Musicals. It lists hundreds of plays with descriptions of them. It’s an excellent source for choosing the most appropriate audition pieces.

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eHow Article: How to Pick an Audition Monologue

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