No matter what type of theater production you’re auditioning for, you will likely be required to perform a monologue. Such requirements will follow you from community theater to professional Equity auditions. While selecting your audition monologue is half the battle, perfecting this monologue according to the type of production you’re auditioning for is how you will win this battle.
When you are preparing for a theater audition, you must learn how to perfect your monologue according to the character(s) you’re being considered for as well as for the “mood” of the production.
Acting Like the Character
One of the most important skills I was taught as a young actor was to alter my audition monologue according to the type of character I’m auditioning for. You will likely be given a character breakdown when you find out about the audition, which will list the general personality and mindset of the character.
It’s with this information you should alter your monologue. For example, if you’re auditioning for a character who never finished high school, loves to deceive people and has a terrible temper, you need to find a way to alter your monologue to better suit these personality traits.
Selecting the Monologue
While you are now aware of the alterations you will have to do for your theater audition monologue, you must become aware of how you should select your monologue. You can only perfect a monologue if you choose the best monologue for the audition. For example, if you’re auditioning for a contemporary drama production, you should select a monologue from this type of genre. The resemblance in the monologue genre to the one of the actual production will allow the casting directors to have a better idea of how you would fit into the actual production.
One of the biggest mistakes an actor can do when it comes to monologue selection is to select a monologue from the actual production you’re auditioning for. While this may seem like a great idea, it will do nothing but hinder your chances at receiving a callback. Imagine if every actor did this. The casting directors would then spend the entire day listening to the same monologues over and over again. Be original, but be specific with the type of monologue you wish to perform.
