#118: Dear Julie… monologue search?
DEAR JULIE: Please tell me there is an easy way to find great college audition monologues?
Ah yes, for musical theatre and acting students, this is probably one of the hardest and most tedious parts of the process. This answer will be for ANY monologue search so it’s not just limited to college auditions specifically because it’s mostly the same!
If you are embarking on a career as an actor you definitely need your toolbelt filled with great audition material you feel that you own, that speaks to you, and that you are excited to perform. A few songs, a few monologues. Now, for people who may be more inclined to audition for musicals, it is quite rare that you need to do your own monologue in an audition BUT IT DOES HAPPEN ONCE IN A BLUE MOON or if, god forbid, you audition for a (gasp) play lol. So, having a funny monologue, a more dramatic one, a “middle of the road” (conversational) one, and a classic or shakespeare piece in your back pocket isn’t a bad idea. You never know where an audition may take you. In full transparency, i’ve performed a monologue UNDER 10 TIMES in an audition after college and I graduated in 2005. The thing that made me “find a monologue” was when I decided to go to a community theatre audition in 2011 or 2012 and I found a monologue on youtube I liked, i learned it, and have been using it since.
Long story short: there is no easy way. This requires time, work, research, and sometimes money. The way you consume musicals? That’s how you find music you like. Same rules apply for monologues however plays can be harder to consume because there aren’t slime tutorials or cast recordings lol. Here are my suggestions:
On youtube start your own playlist and save monologues as you find ones you like. After this you may need to transcribe some lines and google them or buy the play. Don’t sleep on this part as youtube videos can disappear! If you find one you really like chances are there are more in that play so make sure to get the play. Also, explore that author! Perhaps they have more plays in a similar style or tone.
Monologues can be put together from a scene. It is probably a good idea to work with someone like me on that activity, but aside from like high school competitions, you can always cut and paste a monologue together! I DO THIS FOR CLIENTS CONSTANTLY.
Watch BFA and BA Acting and Musical Theatre showcases. Since the pandemic it is standard that the senior showcases get recorded. Most schools upload to youtube or have their own link/portal on the schools website. Now, some of the acting students may do scenes instead of monologues so just skip around.
Spend some time at the Drama Book Shop if you are in or around NYC. You can grab some plays, sit at a table, get a drink, and read! They also have books of monologues JUST MAKE SURE those collections are monologues from actual plays. You don’t want a monologue that is just like, a monologue someone wrote. This is because you need to understand the characters through line throughout an entire piece. A standalone monologue is very obvious. ALWAYS run the “title” and author through google to see if it’s from a larger published work.
Get a subscription to NEW PLAY EXCHANGE! It’s about $15 a year and there are hundreds of plays by “newer” playwrights that you can download. I just saw an audition for a play going to MCC and I researched it, found on New Play Exchange! So i was able to read the whole thing before auditioning. And thank GOD bc the description of the character was a bit off and my original monologue choice would’ve been WAY off. In NPE you can type in the genre, character age ranges, themes, etc and you’ll see a ton of plays populate for you!
For college auditions you want to be cautious of the following:
Age range: you want to avoid high school or younger characters. Punch up in age. You don’t want to do a piece about how your 4th husband died and your 6 kids, but characters around 18-30 are great!
Watch for overly emotional material. You don't need to scream or cry.
Make sure the subject matter is something you feel comfy chatting about with professors you do not know. Avoid potentially triggering topics.
Avoid cursing. A “damn” or “shit” or “ass” is probably fine but nothing more aggressive.
Ensure that if the character requires a specific lived experience - culturally, racially, or religiously - that you share those experiences!
Happy Hunting!
Dreams Don’t Die
Julie