This week is Monologue Week in my life. You may be wondering why those two words are capitalized. Monologue Week is a practice I have decided to start implementing once a month. For one week a month, I will find two new monologues to learn, one classical and one contemporary. I will also touch up the other monologues in my book, alternating contemporary and classical by month.
Seems simple right? Right, in theory. It’s all well and good to pick up a play and decide that you want to do a monologue from it. Sometimes that works. But it isn’t a foolproof method. And when it doesn’t work, it can be disheartening. I know that for me it’s put me off finding monologues for a time period. How does one get over this? I don’t believe the answer is giving up and picking whatever is popular. But I also do not believe in typecasting yourself and only doing pieces that fit how you have been cast in the past. So what do I look for when choosing a monologue for myself? Let’s dive into it.
How does it read?
A monologue should feel good for you to read. The best monologue when you’re beginning is a monologue you can cold read and connect to. That connection could be emotional or physical or just that it feels good coming out of your mouth. If it sounds unnatural coming out of your mouth (minus classical work, see my other blog posts on classical theatre for more information) even after a bit of practice, it may not be the right piece for you.
Do you relate to the monologue?
This doesn’t have to be a direct one-to-one relation. I doubt many people can relate to the idea of being a dead ghost of Ophelia, but I can relate to her annoyance with how her afterlife is turning out. Pick pieces that you can find a way into emotionally and physically that you are able to maintain for the whole piece.
Does it grow?
Does the monologue have definitive beats and growth for the character in it? Shakespeare monologues especially will have a line where the character reaches a decision or new conclusion or answers a question from earlier. But even in contemporary monologues, does the character change through it? Having growth in the monologue allows you to play with the piece instead of feeling trapped into one choice.
Can you make strong choices?
Acting is all about making choices that fit the character. Pick a piece that gives you options on how to play your choices. Once again, getting trapped in one way of playing it will kill your monologue. Choose one that allows you to explore different approaches to its argument.
I really relate to this monologue, but it’s for a guy and I’m a girl. Can I still do it?
Yes! I recognize that I speak from the place of an actor who loves to play roles across the gender spectrum as I do not assign myself to any one gender (see my blog post on being a non-binary actor), but the option to play outside your gender isn’t limited to just trans people. As long as you feel it meets the earlier points, go for it. Personally I like to keep the gender split about even in my repertoire, but everyone will have their own preference.
What will this monologue say about you?
You will never be able to fully control how you appear to the casting team. However, you can help this by your choice of monologue. Some monologues can be the wrong choice because of how they make you appear. These could be doing a monologue from a character that is not the same race as you, especially if their race is central to the character’s arc, doing a monologue that is too violent or aggressive, or a monologue that is objectively bigoted. While you may think they are good pieces and do not represent you, the casting team may not know that about you. Unless asked to do them specifically, I would stay away.
Other Basic Things to Watch For
Is it from a style of theatre you are familiar and comfortable in? If you don’t like or know Checkov, a Nina monologue may not be the best for you.
Is it from a published work? I don’t just mean plays, films, or musicals. I also mean articles, podcasts, sonnets, etc. The main rule is not to do original work for an audition unless asked. These other options can be kept as wildcards and weird pieces for your repertoire.
Is it in your age range? This can be something less important for some people. I personally look for pieces that fit me now or I can age into. I cannot play child roles anymore and so I avoid those monologues.
Is it long enough? Most auditions will ask for a 60 or 90 second monologue. Some may go as low as 30 seconds, some may go as high as 2-3 minutes. Try to keep a range of monologues in your repertoire book. But bring the right length to the audition when asked.
Of course, just like anything related to actors, all my advice means nothing if it doesn’t fit into your process. But these may be some building blocks for you going forward.
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