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If you are performing a monologue at an audition, your next job is entirely in your own hands. You can spend all the time you want rehearsing and don't have to rely on the skills of a scene partner. However, many actors approach their monologues in the wrong way, forgetting to "play the room" or breaking the fourth wall during their auditions. To increase your chances of being cast, avoid a bad monologue addition.

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EditSteps

  1. Avoid a Bad Monologue Audition Step 1.jpg
    1
    Choose the right monologue. Not only must it show off your strengths and skills as an actor, but it must show that you are the right actor for a part. Don't choose a monologue based only on its popularity. In fact, you may be better off not choosing a monologue that the auditors have heard hundreds of times before. Most important, choose a monologue that's less than 2 minutes long.
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  2. Avoid a Bad Monologue Audition Step 2.jpg
    2
    Know your monologue well enough that you can perform it without being nervous. Once you begin, you are your character, and you should only be nervous if your character is nervous.
  3. Avoid a Bad Monologue Audition Step 3.jpg
    3
    Announce your name and the name of the monologue you will be performing, then begin. Don't address the auditors except to answer a question. They will thank you for coming in to audition. Thank them in return, then leave.
  4. Avoid a Bad Monologue Audition Step 4.jpg
    4
    Get close to the auditors if you can. If you're auditioning on a stage, stand downstage. If you're auditioning in a large room, stand about 10 feet (3.0 m) in front of the auditors.
  5. Avoid a Bad Monologue Audition Step 5.jpg
    5
    Avoid treating the auditors as your scene partners. Instead, imagine that you're addressing someone who is sitting just behind them. It may be helpful to work with a scene partner before your audition and then imagine that person is sitting in the audience. If you must use the auditors, focus on something besides their eyes while you deliver your monologue.
  6. Avoid a Bad Monologue Audition Step 6.jpg
    6
    Adjust your performance to the size of the room. On stage in a large theater, it will be necessary to project your voice and emphasize your gestures. In a small room you must lower your volume and make your gestures smaller.
  7. Avoid a Bad Monologue Audition Step 7.jpg
    7
    Move around. Movement is always more interesting than standing in one place. Don't avoid gesturing or even a little acting during the monologue. However, you shouldn't perform in costume or with props.
  8. Avoid a Bad Monologue Audition Step 8.jpg
    8
    Stay calm if you forget your lines. If your monologue isn't well known, you can improvise a few words until you find your place. If you're doing a famous monologue, take a moment to remember your lines, but stay in character.
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EditTips

  • The show must go on! If you mess up, keep going!
  • Every actor should have two classical monologues and two contemporary monologues ready to perform at any time. If you get a last-minute notice of an audition, you still want to be prepared.

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Article Info

Categories: Auditioning | Talent Shows | Theater

Recent edits by: RedEagle, Teresa, Lojjik

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