So now you know what to look for in a monologue. It should be:
- An active monologue
- Have a clear objective
- Have the opportunity for different tactics so you can pursue you objective (and show off your versatility in a short performance!)
The above is just the tip of the iceberg. We'll talk more about Working the Monologue a little later. Right now – you have a piece and you are searching for more. It meets the above requirements. Let's add some more to that above bullet point list.
What are you auditioning for? A General (Like Theatre Puget Sound General Auditions), a theatre season, a specific show, or a college?
For all of these auditions – Do your research! Know what you are auditioning for. This helps you choose your monologue – or two. If you are singing it helps you choose your song.
The General Audition – Multiple theatres.
These are my favorite. You get to pick a monologue or two that show you off. This/these should be a monologue(s) that play to your strengths. Are you funny? Find a great comic piece. Do you excel at Shakespeare – great! Quirky, lovable, dramatic, vulnerable? Great! Find a piece that serves this purpose. The world is your oyster!
The Season Audition
Let's say a local musical theatre company is holding their season auditions. Their season is Damn Yankees, Guys and Dolls, and The Sound of Music. Choose something by one of the writers from these shows if possible BUT – not from one of these shows. Do not walk in with A Jason Robert Brown song. I might also suggest a comic piece. You could do drama – but David Mamet or dropping the F bomb throughout the monologue (um yes Mamet and F bomb do go together –quite often) is probably not a good choice to audition for this particular season. If you can't find something from another show by the playwright, lyricist or composer try to find something similar to the shows you are auditioning for. Do your research! KNOW the material you are auditioning for.
With the season audition you may become a little more specific in your selection. The Non-Musical Theatre Company A has announced their season.
Eleemosynary by Lee Blessing, Doubt by John Patrick Shanley, Trust by Stephen Dietz and Spike Heels by Theresa Rebeck - Some of my favorite playwrights and favorite plays – I am so lucky! J
There are many character clumps I could make but I'll focus on the young women for this post. Don't worry above 30 year old gals and all guys – I'll get to you eventually.
Eleemosynary has a teenage girl – smart, quirky, different; Doubt a young 20 something nun, Trust a 20 year old hip, sexy funny gal, and Spike Heels a 20 something girl with very little education – but street smart. These are all different young women that if you fall into the age category you may be called back. So how do you choose a piece?
Research – read the plays. Identify the character type in which you are normally cast.
- Pick a monologue from another play that has a similar character
- Hopefully the character has similar objectives, vulnerabilities or other character traits.
- If you get to do two monologues - pick two very different pieces that show your range – if you have that range! If not – stick to what shows you off the best.
- If you don't have the range to play all these women then get some more training so you can increase your range – but I digress….
Personal example:
I was 23 and way too young for any of the roles I thought I might be considered for "Type" wise in Falsettos by William Finn at The Group Theatre. At that time I didn't feel I had the vocal range to play the character that I was probably old enough for. Still…I wanted to audition. I was in love with the show. In my dream world I wanted to play Doctor Charlotte. I picked a monologue from another show. The character was a lesbian, more on the butch side. That is how I saw Doc Charlotte. I picked a song that felt like Trina who is a housewife that has lost her husband – to another man. She also discovers new love during the course of the play. I picked a section of the song Life Story from Closer Than Ever. The character in this song has also lost her husband but to another, younger, woman. She has also discovered new love – a lot. So I did the song – with two small twists. There was a lyric that referred to a young male lovers and one that referred to being 49. Now – I did and always have looked older than my age- but I was 23! Not 30 something and now where near 49. So I was breaking the age range rule – but new I felt older than my actual age. I changed the lyric to reflect young female lovers, even though it was a Trina feeling song regarding circumstance and objective. I changed 49 to 39. I was told by the director that I could not have chosen better pieces. In his words "they were perfect". In my mind I was way too young to play Dr. Charlotte or Trina– but he called me back. He cast me as the understudy for Doctor Charlotte – I went on – it was an amazing experience.
Now – I could have talked myself out of auditioning. I could have stopped myself from choosing pieces with any sort of direction or specificity in mind. If I had – the seed would not have been planted in his head that I could play older. Or maybe he decided Doc Charlotte didn't need to be much older than I felt. Who knows? Also – he was casting other shows in the area that year. This gave him an opportunity to see me audition. I was also planting ME as a seed in his head!
Help your auditor. Help them see what you THINK they may be looking for. You might be wrong- but – If you have picked strong pieces that you do well – that is ok. In the end auditors are looking for actors who know how to act, great to work with and take direction well. The first audition should show them that you are a Great Actor!
Alright- I recommend you try to find pieces in your age range or type range….obviously I broke that "Guideline" More on that later! Onto the end of this blog post!
College Auditions
I teach at the college level. I have coached High School and Transfer students for over 10 years when they are preparing for their college auditions. There is so much information for this section that there are blogs and websites dedicated to only this. I teach a workshops, I coach privately – contact me if you are interested. Although I will post more info on this subject, for now and to keep it short I will say:
- Look at the requirements the school publishes
- Follow the requirements the school publishes
Tomorrow: Building Your Book
No comments:
Post a Comment