Tips for Rehearsing Monologues

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 step in auditioning- analyzing your monologue. How can you give a great monologue if you don't know what you are saying? Acting is all about conveying emotion, and you need to know what your character is trying to say in their monologue. So, if you want tips for your acting audition, learn how to analyze the text of monologue today!

Video Transcript

"This is Dr. Charles Grimes. I'm speaking on behalf of Expert Village about analyzing a text and beginning to rehearse your monologue. I like to give you an overview of what you're going to be involved in as you're analyzing your text and rehearsing your monologue. First, remember that this is a left brain and a right brain exercise. You're going to analyze and be rational and logical and you're also going to be creative. You have to do both of these things to come out with a successful monologue. You're considerations are going to be practical, aesthetic and psychological. Practically, you have to think about cutting your monologues down to size, as we discussed, getting the right kind monologue. You're going to have to figure our where to work, who?s going to help you and you're going to have to get a system, a procedure, that allows you to work. All that is very practical. There's no director there helping you, there's no scene partner, this is all about you. You're going to make aesthetic choices. What does your character look like, sound like, feel like? You're going to be interpreting a play, and if you're in a play, the director would help you. But right now, again, it's all about you. Finally, this is a psychological challenge for all actors--you have to work by yourself and then you have to do that awful, terrible thing of get there on the middle of a bare naked stage and just do your monologue, only you and the words you have in your head. This is a process that can release all the psychological demons that are there. You're job is to make sure you don't spend time worrying about how good you are, you're job is to spend time making yourself better."