Often during an audition, an actor may be asked to read with another actor or reader which can often be an assistant. A monologue is one way to figure this out. It allows the casting team to feel your psyche, note you talent and see your potential. It is also another way to decide whether you are right for a role or not. It showcases their ability to connect with an audience to connect with the script their overall skill and delivering dialogue. If you have a drama coach, help them work with you when they can.Īctors need to prepare a range of monologues to perform in front of producers directors and casting directors. If you can work or rehearse your monologues with a trusted colleague and or a skilled fellow actor. So, be prepared and learn at least four monologues, read the plays or films they are from and make good solid choices throughout. And if you are unable to produce another, you may be judged as someone who is not prepared. You’ll never know when a casting director or team will ask you to perform another monologue from your repertoire. However if you are auditioning professionally, it is a good idea to have four up your sleeve. Typically you’ll have at least two, one contemporary dramatic and one comedic. As long as you make a choice, are authentic and confidently do it justice, there is no reason why you should avoid using them. If auditioning, it’s up to you whether you choose a solique for an audition. A monologue is a long speech delivered to other characters, while a soliloquy is a long speech where a character talks their thoughts aloud to themselves. Monologues and soliloquies are two types of long speeches that occur in plays. What is the Difference Between A Monologue and a Soliloquy? Characters can use an aside, where they whisper to the audience their thoughts. For example My Last Duchess by Robert Browning.Ī soliloquy is a passage where a character directly addresses an audience or speaks his or her thoughts aloud. He goes into a rage and kills her.Ī dramatic monologue involves one character speaking to another character. In Shakespeare’s drama Othello, the character by the same name shows active rage when he realises that Iago the cunning conniving friend lies about Desdemona, Othello’s wife having an affair.
This character has a clear intention and often describes the action they are going to take to fulfil their ultimate desire.
The Interior Monologue have characters who externalises their thoughts so that the audience can witness these experiences which would otherwise be internal.Īn Active monologue involves a character who wants to achieve a particular goal. Many actors and actresses use these specifically written monologues as these are less likely to be ‘over-used.’ There are also many monologues written by playwrights and writers specifically for the audition process. Actors today often use modern playwrights’ monologues from David Mamet, Neil LaBute, Richard Greenburg, Neil Simon, Tom Stoppard, Eric Bogosian and Teresa Rebeck to name a few. Modern or contemporary monologues are deemed as such from the date 1956 to the present day. These classical monologues are often embedded by actors within their audition repertoire.
Another example is ‘John Webster’s’ 1610 play ‘The Devil’s Law Case’ with monologues which are often recited in theatrical auditions today. During the Renaissance period ‘Shakespeare’ (late 1500 – to the early 1600), wrote many soliloquies and monologues for his dramatic and comedic plays.