How to Pick a Monologue for an Audition

Series Summary

An acting audition is a sample of a piece of work that an aspiring actor/actress performs in order to get hired for a role in a movie, play, or show. Casting directors hold auditions in order to view the range of an actor’s talent in the form of a memorized monologue or reading an act of work that the actor has never seen before. Often times, casting directors want to see emotion, body language and assumption of a particular part in the actor’s performance.

Are you auditioning for the first time and don’t know what to expect? Do you need a refresher course in auditioning for a part? Well, look no further! Our drama expert, Dr. Charles Grimes, teaches you the important first step of a audition- finding the monologue! With a good monologue, you can land the part of your dreams! Get tips for finding the right monologue for the audition. Learn how to practice and pace your monologue. If you are looking for funny monologues, Dr. Grimes gives you tips for great authors for monologues. So, what are you waiting for? Learn how to find a monologue today!

Video Transcript

"Good day, I'm Dr. Charles Grimes, and I'm speaking today on behalf on Expert Village about finding a theatrical monologue for use in auditions. We're talking today about finding the right monologue for use in a theatrical auditions. Many actors need to spend more time looking at exactly the right monologue for them that will feature them to their best talents in an audition. You need to be able to be talented and to shine in that one moment that the director is going to see you. First, find the monologue that instinctively appeals to you as an actor. You like it, you're excited by it, it makes you want to get up and begin performing. You don't have to understand it at first glance, you simply have to be excited about performing it. Keep reading plays all the time, so that you can find exactly the right monologue that's going to help you perform at your best. Find monologues that work for you as an actor. Ask other people what makes you good as an actor. You don't have opportunities to stretch, to challenge yourself, do your exact best work by picking something you know you can do well at. Finally, remember that you need to find monologues that are about roles that you would be cast in. The director want to see that you can do a specific job for him, that you can do it easily and quickly and without fuss. That's your job in the audition. If you fail to do that, you'll go out and be disappointed. And one more point. Try to minimize plays that you've done before. Most directors will think it's a little bit of a cheat if you perform roles in an auditon that you've done on stage before. You have to do new work for your monologue."