Monologues

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 8:48pm

Anyone know of any good monologues to use at auditions that maybe they would like to send me through PM or email. (female monologues).

thanks.

[POLisPOL]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 9:01pm

You can turn the song "nothing" from "a chorus line" into a GREAT monologue just reading the text of the song...
Here is:

I'm so excited because I'm gonna go to the High School of Performing Arts, I mean I was dying to be a serious actress. Anyway, it's our first day acting class and we're in the auditorium and the teacher, Mr. Karp,puts us upon the stage with our legs around everybody, one in back of the other, and he says: 'Okay, we're gonna do improvisations...Now, you're on a bobsled and it's snowing out and it's cold... Okay, go!'
Ev'ryday for a week we would try to feel the motion,
Feel the motion down the hill.
Ev'ry day for a week we would try to hear the wind rush
Hear the wind rush, feel the chill And I dug right down to the bottom of my soul To see what I had inside.Yes, I dug right down to the bottom of my soul And I tried, I tried!
And everybody goin' 'Woosh... woosh ...
I feel the snow, I feel the cold,
I feel the air...'
And Mr. Karp turns to me and he says:
'Okay, Morales, what did you feel?'
And I said...
'Nothing, I'm feeling nothing,'
And he says 'Nothing could get a girl transferred.'
They all felt something,
But I felt nothing
Except the feelin' that this bull**** was absurd!
But I said to myself,
'Hey, it's only the first week. Maybe it's genetic,
They don't have bobsleds in San Juan!'
Second week, more advanced,
And we had to be a table,
Be a sportscar, Ice-cream cone.
Mister Karp, he would say,
'Very good, except Morales.
Try, Morales, all alone.'
And I dug right down to the bottom of my soul
To see how an ice cream felt...
Yes, I dug right down to the bottom of my soul
And I tried to melt!
The kids yelled,
'Nothing!'
They called me 'Nothing'
And Karp allowed it, which really makes me burn.
They were so helpful, they called me 'Hopeless',
Until I really didn't know where else to turn.
And Karp kept saying,
'Morales, I think you should transfer to Girl's High,
You'll never be an actress, Never!'
Jesus Christ!
Went to church, praying, Santa Maria,
Send me guidance,
Send me guidance on my knees.
Went to church praying, Santa Maria,
Help me feel it,
Help me feel it pretty please.
And a voice from down at the bottom of my soul
Came up to the top of my head,
And a voice from down at the bottom of my soul,
Here is what it said,
'This man is nothing! This course is nothing!
If you want something go find another class.
And when you find one You'll be an actress.'
And I assure you that's what fin'lly came to pass
Six months later I heard that Karp had died.
And I dug right down to the bottom of my soul And cried--
'Cause I felt nothing...

[BroadwayDiva]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 9:20pm

POLisPOL- you're right! That would make a really good monologue piece! Thanks for suggesting that- it might be really cool to use.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 10:11pm

i actually have sung the song before. thanks for the good idea.

anyone else got more?

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 10:20pm

How about Roxie's monologue before the song "Roxie"? I don't have the words though...if I find it, I'll PM you (that is if you are interested, or you can search yourself). I'm wondering if I did post it if they would "edit for copyright purposes."

[fae]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 2:53am

do you feel your strength is in comedy or drama? are you going for a specific character type?

[BalletGirl85]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 3:55am

I think the "Chorus Line" thing is a good idea, but I'd be iffy about it because a lot of casting directors only go for actual monologues and not songs turned into monologues, book passages turned into monologues, etc. I used to take pieces of plays and make my own monologues when I was about 13 or 14 and a director of this big regional theater (I was only auditioning for experience, haha, it was an open call for adults, I don't know what I was thinking...) told me I should never do that. So unless it's for school or community theater, I don't think that would be wise, although it would make a great monologue.

For a young female, you might want to check out "Anne Frank" or "Brighton Beach Memoirs" although they are both overdone. Maybe look at Frankie's stuff in "A Member of the Wedding" ... there is a funny / morbid monologue from "Happy Birthday Wanda June" ... "Alice in Wonderland" is good... "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds" has a few teen girl monologues ... "How to Eat Like a Child" ... "Children's Letters to God" ... Trish's monologue about having a crush from "Album" ... Lucy's Queen monologue or Sally's coat hanger monologue from "YAGMCB" (although they too are way overdone, and should really be done by young teens and kids) ... one that is rarely done and has lots of ad libbing is Madame LaFleur's monologue from "Nine" that she says before and during her song "Folies Bergeres" and it has lots of audience play, that could easily be tailored for auditions ... and to go back to the turning a song into a monologue idea, there's a song called "Just One Step" from Songs For a New World that would work great as a monologue, as it's all sung to the husband Murray in the song, I could totally see that being done as a monologue ... of course there are tons of things from Shakespeare, especially Ophelia's stuff from "Hamlet" and lots from "Midsummer."

And a billion more suggestions.

I really can't decide FOR you because I don't know your type. You have to do a monologue that a character you could physically play would say. Like, if you usually play young teens or kids, you might want to do the "Happy Birthday Wanda June" one or "Alice in Wonderland" or "YAGMCB." But if you are a teenager going for a more adult part in your high school, then do a more adult monologue. You can't just pick any female monologue and make it work.

I'd suggest picking up a monologue book from a drama bookstore (or Barnes and Noble) and reading through and seeing what works for you. When you pick a monologue, you should also buy the play and read that so you know where your character is coming from. I saw one girl do a monologue completely in the wrong way because she didn't read the play and had no idea what was going on. She was a great actress...but the emotion and feel was totally not what that scene was really about.

[~*Triple Star On Broadway*~]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 4:13am

Its going to completely depend on what type of audition you're going to do. If its for a dramatic role, the auditioners aren't going to want to see you doing a comedic monologue...and vice-versa.
I have a website that there are many different monologues from plays AND musicals that you can chose from. If you would like to see them (this goes for anyone) you can just PM if you like.