Contemporary Monologues PLEASE!!

[edenlovesbroadway]

Posted: 1/7/08 at 8:43pm

Hello all,

So I'm kind of freaking out because I can't find a monologue... It has to be from any major modern play by a recognized contemporary playwrite, 2 minutes, and appropriate for my age (17).

ANY ideas at all would be amazingly appreciated.

[fabala4077]

Posted: 1/7/08 at 11:57pm

I'm having the same exact problem; I wish I could help! I have my own beg for monologue thread going, but adding here just in case...

eden - you'd think with all the plays we read we could find SOMETHING... not to be.

[dramatothemax]

Posted: 1/8/08 at 3:50pm

The Gingerbread Lady by Neil Simon, character of Polly. She has some good chunks you can put together.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 1/8/08 at 4:45pm

"Happy Birthday, Wanda June" by Kurt Vonnegut, circa 1970

Wanda June, who is 10 but played by a mature teenager, has been hit by an ice cream truck and addresses the audience from heaven. She tells us who is there and how they spend their time.

Comedy. Take your time telling the tale.

[lovelyspotlight]

Posted: 1/8/08 at 5:11pm

I was under the impression that the Wanda June monologue is horrifically overdone. But, I suppose the relevance of this depends upon what you need the monologues for.

If things like being overdone and being recently done on Broadway, etc., don't matter too much, I'd recommend the teaspoon monologue from Eric Bogosian's "Talk Radio." Love it. And there are a few in George Herman's "A Company of Wayward Saints." Also some from Paula Vogel that I'd look into. If you haven't already found some, I can PM you a couple of the ones I just mentioned.

[dramatothemax]

Posted: 1/8/08 at 6:02pm

Just don't do anything from Star Spangled Girl.

[Shakespearean]

Posted: 1/9/08 at 12:44pm

A defnitive list of overdone monologues can be found at www.monologueaudition.com, which also has some great advice on where to find a variety of monologue types. While you're there, be sure to read the 'Why You Need 20 Monologues' article as well. I recently took Karen's course and it was some of the best money I've spent in a long time. If you're not in NYC, buy the book. It will change the way you look at monologues forever. I've gone from a hater to a lover.

[fabala4077]

Posted: 1/9/08 at 6:18pm

I know monologues from Brilliant Traces, By Cindy Lou Johnson (especially the "Extraterrestrials" monologue) are considered excessively overdone, but would doing one of the lesser known Traces pieces be all right for BFA auditions? I know there are some nice long ones, and Rosannah is a character I have worked with in the past for scene study.

[blissfulbeauty]

Posted: 1/9/08 at 6:58pm

Check out William Mastrosimone (The Woolgatherer, Extremities). A few years ago the swans Woolgatherer monologue was overdone, but I think it's out of vogue and it's so good it's worth it.

But honestly, "overdone" is such a judgement call. Pick something you are good at and feel confident with and that's the most important thing. Just don't do any Neil Simon .