how many monologues "types" should i know for auditions?

Question

Iknow one category: contemporary but what are some others?

Answer 1

I auditioned recently for agents from NY City and LA, Calif. They want you to have two monologues....One a comedy, and one a serious piece. If you do this, and they want to represent you, you must move to their location for auditions.

P.S. They don't want Shakespeare or anything deep and heavy. No one does, really......

Answer 2

I agree with everything Shkspr said, but will add this: it depends on the auditions/kind of acting... in addition to the four types Shkspr mentioned, I've also needed "modern but before 1900" pieces for certain auditions. And sometimes for Shakespeare they can be specific about whether they want something in verse or in prose, so I have at least four Shakespeare I can pull out - comic verse, comic prose, dramatic verse, dramatic prose.

I have an audition this week that asks for a "monologue appropriate for on-camera" - meaning something contemporary that works in close up, intense but not over the top.

I've been asked for something softer, something tougher, something more innocent, etc after seeing the one or two I presented in the first place. A wide variety of character types is important.

I've also been told to prepare a monologue by the same playwright as the play I'm auditioning for - this is often asked when auditioning for Miller, Inge, Williams and O'Neill, as well as Chekhov/Ibsen.

Having a classical comic piece that is not Shakespeare is useful when auditioning for Restoration, Moliere and Oscar Wilde.

I personally, in addition to the four Shakespeare, have three serious contemporary pieces, two comic contemporary pieces, a Shaw piece, and a Restoration comedy piece, all of which I use on a regular basis. I also have other monologues that I know well enough that with a couple of hours of rehearsal I could do in an audition if it was the most appropriate choice.

I guess this is a long winded way of saying you can never have enough!

Answer 3

An excellent question. In my classes, I always made sure that my student-actors ALWAYS had at their disposal an "A-List" consisting of four monologues, none of which were to exceed two minutes in lengths.

Basically, an actor should have the following four monologues:

1) Classical comedy
2) Classical dramatic
3) Contemporary comedy
4) Contemporary dramatic

These can be mixed and matched, depending on the requirements of the specific audition. But, 99 times out of 100, an actor who has these four pieces ready to go will be prepared.

It's also important to remember that this is ONLY the "A-List"...actors should, ideally, have many more pieces available to them. Why? Well, let me give you an example:

Several years ago, I was at an audition for a repertory season for a professional company up in Sacramento. I had been asked to do two contrasting pieces, so I went to my "A-List," and gave the guy my best shot. I got the sense that he was VERY interested. And, sure enough, he asked me to stick around at the conclusion of my performance. He called me over, and said: "Very nice...but, do you have anything like....." and he proceeded to describe a PARTICULAR type of character that he was looking for. And, I had to admit: "No, I really don't." He thanked me, and that was the end of the audition.

When I left that room, I vowed to myself never again to be the actor who'd have to say "no" to that kind of a question in an audition context. At any given time, I have at least a dozen monologues ready to perform, covering the entire spectrum of theatrical styles and genres.

When it comes to auditioning, PREPARATION is the actor's best friend, by far.

Answer 4

You should have a classic (ie. Shakespeare) and a contemporary. One should be comedic and one should be dramatic. It's also good to have a short one (like a minute) and a longer one (two minutes)

Answer 5

try checking out shakespeare monologues. there is a contest that is usually out. I did a section from Julius Caesar where Portia is speaking.