by Jean Sidden

Created on: September 26, 2009

An actor's monologue can make or break an audition from the inside out. By satisfying several technical points - selection, preparation and execution - an actor increases their level of comfort and gets a much needed boost of confidence during one of the most nerve wracking experiences in life. After years of auditions with monologues it is clear to me now that despite how your nerves are sabotaging you, an actor has to fall in love with their monologue, embrace it and be proud of it. Auditions have the power to make strong men cry so don't minimize the necessity for a well-delivered monologue.

The selection of the monologue is a painstaking process. No short cuts should be taken to arm yourself with the very best monologue you can find. Any acting class worth the money and the time usually requires actors to go on the hunt for monologues. Unfortunately, one isn't enough. If you are auditioning for a contemporary play you won't want to use your Shakespeare monologue; conversely, if you're auditioning for Shakespeare don't use you contemporary piece. Auditioning for a comedy? You need a good comic monologue. A drama? An interesting dramatic monologue is required. As an actor ages they need to find new monologues to suit their age range. Sometimes it's good to have a monologue prepared that suits the specific character for which you're auditioning. For instance, in auditioning for Amanda in The Glass Menagerie I used a monologue for the mother in Look Homeward Angel who is a similar character to Amanda. Unless specifically called for in an audition notice you should not use a monologue from the play for which you are auditioning.

Find a block of time, or rather several blocks of time, to do nothing but sit in the library and research. Ask your teachers and actor friends and theatre mentors, pay attention while watching plays, pay attention while watching films. I have rented a dvd of a film, found a wonderful monologue in it, and stopped and started the dvd until I had the whole thing written down. There are books of monologues published, there are monologue websites and there are shelves and shelves of play scripts in every library. Always keep your ear open for a good, juicy monologue. Actors are always on the prowl for a special, distinct monologue that hasn't been heard over and over. Remember that even if a play is new, every actor who's aware of it may have snapped up the material and made it obsolete before you ever got to it. This is why an actor should

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