Need help choosing a monologue that is right for you? Selecting and preparing a monologue for an audition can be nerve wracking. To aid in the process, we asked for some advise from Joe Price, BFA Program Director at The University of Minnesota - Guthrie Theatre, Dept. of Theatre Arts and Dance.
Anything to look out for when looking for monologue material? Topics to avoid?
When searching for monologues, do your best to stay away from monologue books. This is probably the best way to avoid doing a piece that is overdone. Monologue books can be a useful resource. If you discover a piece you like in a monologue book try to find other plays written by the writer. I recently worked with a high school senior who was working on a piece that was quite overdone and I encouraged him to look at other plays by this playwright knowing that he could find similar pieces that I rarely see in auditions.
I always encourage students to look for at least one piece that is close to them – age appropriate and something that they can relate to. That could be a classical piece. There are plenty of young women and men in Shakespeare’s plays.
Some auditors are not fond of strong language. I’m not quite as concerned about swearing in a piece. It gets more problematic if there is excessive swearing in a piece. There are exceptions. We have a current BFA freshman in our program that did a piece with a lot of strong language and it was one of the best auditions we saw last year. My general advice is to use caution when choosing pieces with excessive swearing.
Any tips on how to prepare monologues? Ways in which to approach text?
READ THE PLAY! I’m amazed at how many times I ask a simple question about the monologue and an actor responds with “I didn’t read the play”. It seems to me that reading the play that the monologue is from is a crucial part of preparation. Reading the play will provide much of the fuel that they will need to act the piece. If a student chooses a monologue that is a stand-alone piece, they should use their imagination to create vivid circumstances.
One of the things I see most often in auditions is weak beginnings and weak endings. When coaching a piece I often start with this question: “What happened in the moment before you start to speak?” It is completely appropriate for an actor to take a beat after their introduction and FUEL that first moment. I see many actors rush this very important first beat. It is your job to capture our attention with the depth of your connection to the circumstances. The same is true with the ending. Take a moment at the end to make sure that last thought or line has landed.
HAVE A STRONG PARTNER. Know whom you are talking to in the piece and WHAT YOU WANT FROM THEM? Put your attention on what you want from your partner. This can be effective for a soliloquy as well. If you have a piece where the character is talking to herself/himself think about your partner being the universe. Seek the answer from the universe.
What are a few things that you think make for an excellent college audition monologue?
Make sure you’ve done the necessary monologue preparation: read the play, memorize the text, know what you want and whom you’re talking to and know what happens the moment before the piece begins. Getting some coaching can be useful. Once you’ve prepared, come into your audition with courage, conviction and EASE. Those things should set you up well.
Can you tell me something exciting about the UMN Guthrie Actor Training program that I wouldn't be able to find on the website?
One of the true strengths of the UMN/Guthrie BFA is the fact that we are student centered. We get to know our students individually and encourage them throughout their training to find a deeper understanding of themselves in the work. Our students leave with incredible training, but we feel strongly that they should also leave with a deeper sense of who they are. The dynamic partnership between the University of Minnesota and the Guthrie continues to be a force in actor training. We’re preparing our future colleagues and we’re proud of each and every alumnus that has been part of our BFA family.
To learn more about the UMN/Guthrie BFA and start an application visit them here
