College Monologue

Posted: 11/5/04 at 10:47am

I'm auditioning for NYU Early Decision for it's Educational Theatre program. I need a monologue that's up to 2 minutes.
I would love any feedback or recomendations on how to go about presenting myself, as well as a monologue. Are there any books that I should look at that would be really great?

Btw, I'm a 16 year old female, so if you know of any monologues that are fitting, I'd GREATLY appreciate it.

[TheaterChick04]

Posted: 11/5/04 at 11:24am

There is a book of Neil Simon Monologues that are really good. Try Nora's monologue from "Brighton Beach Memoirs." It's perfect because she is a 16 year old girl who wants to try out for a broadway show. Break a leg with your audition!!

[Mr. TN]

Posted: 11/5/04 at 2:14pm

There is also a book called "The Modern Monologue." I have the male edition but I'm sure there is a female edition. Since I don't have it I can't tell you what would be in it. However, I find my edition very useful. It gives you one, two, or three page monologues from popular "modern" shows. (Ionesco, Pinter, Miller, Shaw, Simon, and the likes.) Barnes and Noble sells the series.

[Westopher]

Posted: 11/5/04 at 2:25pm

I've always had a penchant for Tennesse William. But you may feel that a known monolouge might not fair too well.

Posted: 11/5/04 at 5:03pm

I was wondering if you're sure that Nora's "broadway" monologue is 2 minutes? Because I read it, and it seems like 1 minute-ish. I guess I could add lines that she says afterwards in the script...?

Any other suggestions?

[Mr. Tuttle]

Posted: 11/5/04 at 6:12pm

Just don't do anything from "P.S. Your Cat is Dead".

[grownupgroupie]

Posted: 11/5/04 at 6:24pm

My only thoughts are to make sure you choose something:

-age appropriate
-from a play you've read, liked, and understood
-something not totally overdone
-something active...something in which your character needs something from whomever you're addressing. NOT just telling a story.

Also, you should feel free to cut/paste a monologue as you see fit--like you were mentioning with adding additional lines of Nora's to the piece--as long as it fits with your action, some extra lines should be fine.

And don't feel obliged to make it an exact 120 seconds. You're much better off with a really strong 90 seconds than a strong minute followed by a mish-mashed 2nd minute, you know?

You could also check out Paula Vogel's How I Learned to Drive, Neil LaBute's Bash, Kenneth Lonergan's This is Our Youth, or even Wendy Wasserstein's Uncommon Women and Others.

Break a leg! Updated On: 11/5/04 at 06:24 PM

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/5/04 at 11:50pm

As a musical theatre college student I can tell you this - absolutely DO NOT do a monologue from a monologue book. That's the worst possible idea - they're heard them all millions of times and most of them SUCK. There's a GREAT dramatic monologue for a young girl from THE WOOL GATHERER about a girl in a zoo witnessing young boys murder all these endangered swans - it's amazingly sad and beautifully written - atleast for me, it's very, very upsetting. I'm an animal activist, so maybe that's why but regardless, it's wonderful. No matter what monologue you do, make sure you read the entire play several times and analyze everything about it. Even if you don't notice a difference in your work, I guarantee that they will.

[grownupgroupie]

Posted: 11/5/04 at 11:55pm

The Woolgatherer (William Mastrosimone)--great play, great monologues, great writing. BUT--this one really does fall into the often-done (if not overdone) category.

Posted: 11/5/04 at 11:56pm

There's a Jon Jory play called "Love, Death, and the Prom" that has a lot of good material. I took a monologue out of it to audition for Tisch Undergrad Drama and it worked for me! :) Different auditioners btw, but the ones that I auditioned for congratulated me on finding an uncommon monologue and running with it.
I agree with everything said before though... if you DO get a monologue out of a monologue book, make sure there's a play to go with it and that you know that character as thouroughly as though you were doing the entire play.
BUT!! If nothing else, make it a monologue you enjoy. Know it, love it, act the hell out of it :) Good luck!!

[greenifyed]

Posted: 11/6/04 at 12:08am

I don't know if you've ever heard of it, but there are some beyond-words-brilliant monologues from a play called Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon. It's originally a book by Marjorie Kellogg.