If you tuned in to our post last week, you are now familiar with the characteristics that make up a quality college audition monologue. Are you ready to learn where you can actually find these amazing monologues? Well, you are in luck! Today we will be exploring that very topic!
Here are some ideas as to where to begin your search:
Playscript’s Free Read of the Week
Reading plays doesn’t have to empty your wallet! Each week the folks at Playscripts (an independent publisher of new plays and musicals) send out an email blast with a free play to read. Many of the plays have featured roles for teenagers and in turn there are lots of potential monologues to be discovered! What’s better than a free play being delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for their email blast here.
Regional Theatres in your Town
If you take a look at any regional theatre’s season, there are usually a handful of new, cutting-edge contemporary plays on deck. For your college audition, you want to find a piece that not everyone else is doing that is fresh, new and exciting. Your local regional theatre may have the perfect new play in their season with a character that fits your type! Let’s say you are from Hartford, CT. You could check out Hartford Stage, Goodspeed Opera House and the Ivoryton Playhouse to see what they have in store for their season. Grab your parents or some friends and go check out the plays that interest you.
Monologue Books (here us out!)
While we strongly suggest that you do not pull your monologue from a monologue book as these pieces can be extremely overdone, these resources can be useful - just not in the typical way! If you read through a monologue book and find a monologue that you really connect with, be sure to jot down the playwright. Once you know who wrote this fabulous monologue, find other plays that this person has written and read them. I guarantee you will find more plays (filled with monologues) that are written by a playwright you connect with but are way less known/overdone.
Freshman and Senior Showcases from your dream school
Love Florida State? Check out some of their showcase videos and “borrow” a monologue from one of the students (but make sure to buy and read the play the monologue is from!)
Finding the perfect piece takes time and patience. Don’t settle on a monologue that is just “alright” – find the piece you can’t wait to perform over and over again. It’s out there! Get reading!
