Monologue Mistakes
* Selecting material that is too old or too young for them. It's very
important to find material that is somewhere in your age range. It only
makes the casting directors job more difficult if you've selected a
monologue with a character that's too young or too old.
* Editing several bits of a character's dialogue from the play and
then trying to "force" it to work as an audition monologue. You must
remember, this material was not written to be performed for auditions, that
wasn't why the playwright wrote it. So your slicing and dicing of his
dialogue should be done carefully and judiciously. You may need some help
with this.
* Selecting material that doesn't have any dramatic (or comedic)
impact. Remember, this is an audition, not only do you want to be able to
show your wares, you should find material that will "engage" the casting
director, make them want to watch.
* Selecting monologues that are too heavy on exposition. I really
don't care about a characters entire background, I want to see characters
that are alive and active right now in front of me.
* Selecting a monologue that doesn't have any transition. You don't
want to do a monologue that only expresses one emotion over and over. In the
short period of your audition, you want to be able to express some
emotional variety. Always remember, this is an audition for you, the actor.
Although the writing may be wonderful, I want to see a monologue that tells
me something about you as an actor.
* Selecting monologues that can't stand on their own, without having
to know the rest of the play. So often an actor will select a monologue from
a play that he's worked on. The advantage is that he knows the character
very well, a good thing. But you also have to look at the monologue as
"audition material". It's important that it is able stand up on it's own. If
the monologue is mostly expositional, or, if every thing you're speaking
about , can only be understood only if you've read or seen the rest of the
play, this is not a good audition piece.
* Selecting material that has been "done to death" by other actors.
Yes, some of those great monologues really move you, excite you. Well guess
what? They move and excite thousands of other actors, who do them every day,
at countless auditions. Many of the casting directors that I've spoken with,
constantly complain about how they seem to see the same material over and
over. They can almost recite the lines out loud themselves. It can only work
to your advantage to find material that is new, original, and engaging.
* Doing the same monologue so often so that it becomes "stale". Yes,
you loved that monologue when you first started doing it three years ago.
But after you've done it a few hundred times, you'll notice that you seem to
go on automatic pilot every time you do it. You feel nothing. So what do you
think the casting director will feel at the end of your audition? Rotate
your material constantly. Find material that constantly keeps you involved,
and you'll soon discover that you'll be giving better auditions, getting
more call backs.
* Choosing material that is inappropriate for the play that you're
auditioning for. For instance, if you're auditioning for a new Neil Simon
play, doing dramatic material from Sam Shepherd or Eugene O'Neil is not a
smart choice. No one says that you should only use other Neil Simon material
for your audition, but it behooves you to find material that's in the same
ballpark. Try to find things that are similar in genre and sensibility.
* Selecting material that runs too long. If the casting breakdown
says two minutes, don't bring in material that runs over four minutes. And
don't cut that four minute monologue that you sometimes do, down to two.
More often than not you'll cut the life, the muscle out of the monologue.
Just find an appropriate two minute monologue that is suitable to this
particular audition. It's not like there's a shortage of good material out
there.
* Selecting inactive, past tense monologues. Remember when you were a
child how your parents used to read you those fairy tales that were mostly
told in a narrative form, and mostly in the past tense? If you'll recall,
they told you those stories to put you to sleep. Doing past tense,
narrative, expositional monologues will have the same effect on a casting
director. Try to select emotional, present tense, active, conversational
material.
* Choosing material that is offensive. Curse words, offensive
language, and sexually explicit material is rarely appropriate for most
auditions. There are some plays that using this kind of material is
appropriate, say some David Mamet plays, for instance. By and large, you'll
only lose points by offending the casting directors with off-color language.
* Selecting material that "stretches" you. Auditions are not the time
to show your range. Actors should select material that best shows off their
strengths right now. There is no point in showing them that you can play a
seventy year old character if you're only thirty.
* Selecting a monologue that's written in a very distinct dialect.
Generally, it's not too smart to do an audition piece in a dialect. There
are exceptions. If the play that you're auditioning for is written in that
dialect, and you are adept at it, it's okay. Time and again I've seen
talented actors ruin a good audition because their dialect kept slipping,
calling attention to itself.
* If possible, try to find monologues where a character overcomes
some diversity. Finding monologues like this are not always easy, but if you
have a choice of playing a self pitying, whining loser or someone who has
overcome some major trauma in their life, go for the latter. Everyone loves
a winner.
The Ten Steps To Successful Monologue Auditions
1. The first step actually begins before the actual audition. Before
you leave home try to get yourself in the right frame of mind. Relax,
perhaps do some breathing and stretching. Some people use visualization and
imagine what they would like to happen at the audition. See it in your minds
eye.
2. Arrive at the audition at least twenty minutes early. Make sure that
you are relaxed and ready to work. Sometimes it's good to go off in a corner
and do a quick speed through of the monologue(s), followed by a run through.
Don't waste valuable time chatting with other actors or socializing.
3. When it's your turn to audition, make sure that you are in positive
state of mind, relaxed and ready to act. As part of your preparation, you
want to be in character for the first monologue. Enter the audition room in
a confident and professional manner. Remember, you are being judged from the
moment you enter the room.
4. Smile directly at the people auditioning you, say hello, and find
the playing area that you will be auditioning in. If they wish to engage you
in conversation you must be willing to talk with them. Most casting
directors save conversations for after you perform.
5. Announce what the monologue is from and the characters name. There
is no reason to give a description of where in the play the monologue takes
place.
6. Give yourself a moment, and then perform it as best you can.
7. When you've completed performing the monologue, if they've requested
a second one, prepare to make the transition from the first character to the
second. Once again, give yourself a moment before you begin. Again, give it
all you got.
8. After you've finished, smile, let them know you're through, say
"Thank you". If they wish to talk with you, you must be ready and willing to
converse in a friendly and professional manner. They may want to get a sense
of you as a person, as a potential actor in their play or company. They may
ask you what you've been up to lately. You should have the answer to this
question prepared in advance.
9. When they've finished talking with them, tell them it was nice
meeting them, again say thank you, and leave in a confident, unhurried,
professional manner.
10. Once you leave the room, the only thing left to do is to let go of that
audition and move on to the next thing in your day.