How to Practice a Monologue

Video Transcript

"Good day. I'm Dr. Charles Grimes. I'm speaking today on behalf of Expert Village about finding a theatrical monologue for use in auditions. One suggestion for starting to work on your monologue is to start by looking into a mirror. This sounds silly, but it's eminently practical. In this business of acting, you're not who you think you are, you are who others perceive you to be. You may have an image of yourself in your head, it's probably wrong, so begin by looking into a mirror and trying to figure out how other people see you. Be blunt. How old are you, really? You may try to look younger than you are. Ask other people how old you are. For instance, I'm 44, I think I'm younger than I am. I would not be cast for roles outside the age range of 37 to 45. Know this, don't waste your time going out for a role that you would never get because you're too young or too old. Think about what kind of a type you are. Are you a leading man, a leading woman? A soldier? A buffoon? A salesman? A president? You're going to have to be seen the way other people see you. Here's a friend of mine, Hank Blanton, who's a young actor, thinking about how to get into the theatre. Hank is 18 years old, which you might guess. He looks a little bit older because of his stature. He's tall and thin. Because he's tall and thin, he's going to be cast most often in a character role or a secondary role, not a leading man part. But there are lots of character actor parts out there, and as Thanaslovski said, every actor is a character actor. With the energy in Hank's eyes and his kind of odd frame he might also be a good choice for physical comedy roles. So know when you go in for an audition what you have to offer and how other people are going to see you."