Does anyone have any suggestions for monologues/songs for college/conservatory acting auditions?

Question

I am looking for both character monologues(based on dialogue) for a mid-20s(I can play down to 23 and up to 30 if I need to) male, especially from 19th-20th century plays, but also classical plays. I also need to find a good song, preferably one from a musical. I plan to audition for Juilliard, NYU, SUNY-Purchase, Boston University, and the North Carolina School of the Arts so I need 4 monologues and 16-32 bars of a song from a musical that is not overused. I have to have one from Shakespeare, but do not want to do the second classical from Shakespeare also, as this would show a lack of versatility. If anyone has any suggestions, please post them. I will take them all under consideration, but please do not suggest anything from MacBeth, Romeo & Juiliet, Hamlet, Julius Caeser, Grease, West Side Story, Rent, Wicked, or The Phantom of the Opera, as these all tend to be overused.

I am looking for both character monologues(based on dialogue) for a mid-20s(I can play down to 23 and up to 30 if I need to) male, especially from 19th-20th century plays, but also classical plays. I also need to find a good song(I am a deep-medium baritone, can hit some high notes, but am better on the bass end of it), preferably one from a musical. I plan to audition for Juilliard, NYU, SUNY-Purchase, Boston University, and the North Carolina School of the Arts so I need 4 monologues and 16-32 bars of a song from a musical that is not overused. I have to have one from Shakespeare, but do not want to do the second classical from Shakespeare also, as this would show a lack of versatility. If anyone has any suggestions, please post them. I will take them all under consideration, but please do not suggest anything from MacBeth, Romeo & Juiliet, Hamlet, Julius Caeser, Grease, West Side Story, Rent, Wicked, or The Phantom of the Opera, as these all tend to be overused.

Answer 1

I find audition songs here: http://www.musicalnotesnmore.com/
After each musical synopsis there is a section called, "Songs of Interest", which lists good songs from that show by voice part, uptempo or ballad, what's going on in the song, what movement is required, etc.

I am sure you are aware that there are very few roles for real basses in musicals, but baritones have hundreds of songs. That said, here are some songs to look into:

For Basses:
"Let's Work Together" from Chess (duet between a bass and a bass/baritone)
"Welcome Home" or "Love is a Very Light Thing" or "Why Be Afraid to Dance?" from Fanny ("Why...dance" is bass with chorus background, I don't know how necessary or interrupting the chorus bits are; other two are bass solos)
"Hector's Song" or "Scylla & Charybdis" from The Golden Apple ("S&C" is bass/tenor duet; "HS" is bass solo)
"Git It" from Little Shop of Horrors (Yes, Audrey II is a bass. Don't really know how this one would work out, but I thought I'd throw it out there. "Dentist" is personally my favorite song from this show, and it is a baritone solo, FYI.)
"Thinkin'" from Pipe Dream (bass solo, sounds humorous)
"A Red-Headed Woman" from Porgy and Bess (bass solo with chorus)
"You've Got to be Taught" from South Pacific (bass solo, less well known than "Some Enchanted Evening" and "This Nearly Was Mine" by same character)

For Baritones:
"A Younger Man" from Annie Warbucks (not traditional Annie, baritone solo)
"Everybody Says Don't" from Anyone Can Whistle (baritone solo)
"Forbidden Fruit" or "It's a Fish" from The Apple Tree (baritone solo; this show is in revival right now, and if it hits it big this might become trite and overused. Look into that before picking this.)
"The Sidestep" from The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (baritone solo, comedic)
"Everybody Likes You" or "Her Face" from Carnival! (baritone solos)
"All of My Life" or "The Late, Late show" from Do Re Mi (baritone solo, "AML" is dramatic, "TLLS" is comedic)
"I'm at the Dangerous Age" from Fade Out-Fade In (baritone solo)
"Plant a Radish" from The Fantasticks (two baritone duet)
"When I’m Not Near the Girl I Love" from Finian's Rainbow (baritone solo, comedic)
"The Company Way" and "Grand Old Ivy" from How to Succeed in Business... (both two baritone duets)
"Agony" from Into the Woods (two baritone duet, LOVE this song, it is hilarious)
"They Go Wild Over Me" from Irene (baritone solo, comedic, "eccentric character")
"Pilate's Dream" from Jesus Christ Superstar (baritone solo)
"Gesticulate" from Kismet (baritone solo)
"I've Got Your Number" from Little Me (baritone solo, comedic)
"I Won't Send Roses" or "Movies Were Movies" from Mack and Mabel (baritone solos, "IWSR" semi-dramatic, "MWM" comedic)
"Nobody Told Me" from No Strings (baritone solo)
"Come Back to Me" from On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (baritone solo)
"A Bowler Hat" from Pacific Overtures (Japanese character, baritone solo with great interior monologues)
"I Still See Elisa" from Paint Your Wagon (baritone solo, poignant)
"She Likes Basketball" from Promises, Promises (baritone solo)
"I'm Back in Circulation" from Redhead (baritone solo)
"The Falcon in the Dive" from The Scarlet Pimpernel (baritone solo, "driving ballad")
"Aggie" from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (baritone solo, bittersweet)
"It's Not Where You Start" from Seesaw (baritone solo)
"Epiphany" from Sweeney Todd (baritone solo, if you can capture the transition from anger to insanity you have this song down pat. Not easy to do, but an amazingly powerful songs, and one of my favorites of all showtunes.)
"Let It Sing" or "You're Different" from Violet (baritone solos)
"I Am Free" from Zorba (baritone solo)

Yeah, so that's a lot... but hopefully at least one of these pieces will pan out as that perfect audition piece! I strongly recommend looking up any of the pieces that interest you on http://www.musicalnotesnmore.com/, as that's where I got them from. Break a leg.

Answer 2

One good song from a Musical? Anything from The Last Five Years (by Jason Robert Brown.)
An excellent choice from that show is "Nobody Needs to Know," but "the Next Ten Minutes" is also beautiful for a strong male voice.

You could also listen to the soundtrack for Brown's Songs For A New World; there's a few great pieces in there too.

Answer 3

A friend did on monologue of Starbuck's in The Rainmaker. It was fantastic and can really so off your skills. Check it out.

Answer 4

Monologue suggestion:

Jean-Paul Marat from Marate/Sade

Answer 5

puck from a mid summers night dream it shows everything and is hard but great if done right unforgettable