Dramatic monologue from play3/30/2023 ![]() ![]() Monologue: “I know, right? Grace’s # always talking about running away…Grace is such a mess.”Ģ. ![]() I’ve included the first few words and last few words of each monologue so you know what to look for in each play.ġ. These monologues vary in length and some might need to be cut down. Most of the monologues are active, where the character is speaking to someone for a reason, has something at stake or is in a moment of discovery and not just telling a story. I’ve chosen characters in their late teens to early twenties and tried to avoid offensive language. Read the plays your monologues are from.įor examples of monologues that would be a good fit for your college audition, below are four lists for both men and women featuring dramatic contemporary, comedic contemporary, Shakespearean dramatic, and Shakespearean comedic monologues. Sometimes websites include videos of actors performing monologues and recently I’ve experienced a disturbing trend where instead of reading the plays as part of their preparation, actors copy another’s video performance. There are numerous websites you can use as well, including Backstage, that organize their monologues by categories. My personal library includes “The Actor’s Book of Contemporary Stage Monologues” edited by Nina Shengold, “Contemporary Monologues for Twentysomethings” edited by Jessica Bashline, “One on One, The Best Women’s Monologues for the Nineties” edited by Jack Temchin and “Best Contemporary Monologues for Men 18-35” edited by Lawrence Harbision and Daniel Guyton. There are several fairly recent collections that include “The Kilroys List: 97 Monologues and Scenes by Female and Trans Playwrights, Scenes for Latinx Actors: Voices of the New American Theatre” by Micha Espinosa and Cynthia De Cure, “Multicultural Theatre: Scenes and Monologues from New Hispanic, Asian, and African-American Plays” edited by Roger Ellis, and “Voices of Color: 50 Scenes and Monologues by African American Playwrights” by Woody King Jr. ![]() Related Find Your Perfect Monologue With Backstageįor your contemporary monologues, you can search an anthology of monologues from published plays. I think it’s entirely appropriate for women to perform Shakespearean male roles and there are several characters that are nongender specific. For Shakespeare plays, don’t stress too much about finding material that is less known, especially for women as there are fewer pieces written for women characters than men. I recommend you include in your four monologues two from a contemporary play (one comedic, one dramatic) and two from a Shakespearean play (one from a comedy, one from a tragedy).Ĭheck to see if the specific places you’re applying suggest appropriate plays and characters, or contemporary monologues to avoid. Several programs request that one be from a classical play, usually meaning from a play by Shakespeare and that’s 10–18 lines of verse. Each monologue should be under two minutes, preferably ranging from one minute to one and a half minutes. Most colleges and conservatories require applicants to present two contrasting, fully memorized monologues no longer than two minutes in length from plays of established playwrights. I advise actors preparing to audition for college acting programs to prepare at least four monologues-but which ones should you choose? Photo Source: Photo by Alice Hampson on Unsplash ![]()
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