Choosing a Monologue

Finding a Good Audition Monologue is apparently tricky business.  My own belief is that you want to be good at monologues, you need to be good with material that isn't your favourite, so ANY monologue could be a potential audition winning piece. 

The biggest problem is that many monologues are painfully overdone, this makes it difficult to choose something that will surprising for the director, casting director or audition panel.

In the spirit of assistance, I've provided a new resource, a list of great monologues  that are less well known, but still good, plus a note about where you can get your hands on them.  I always advise that you read the play from which the monologue comes, otherwise the context is usually lost.  Nonetheless, don't entirely write off those compendiums of audition monologues, some of them are great.

Ladies, you always have the harder task, there are so many more of you and so few excellent pieces for women.  But times are changing and where possible when I put a guy's monologue up here, I'll post it with two women's monologues at the same time.  That should help redress the balance.

 Best of Luck, Mark Westbrook - Acting Coach Scotland

MALE

Download a PDF of Audition Monologues from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Arts.

 Barry  (16) from D C Jackson's  The Wall p42 - Premiered in Glasgow at the Tron Theatre

 Dieter (young man 20-25) from David Hare's The Reader   (Available on SimplyScripts as a PDF download pp50-51) 

 Jeremy (young man early 30s) from Aaron Sorkin's tv series Sports Night. (Click to Read Monologue) 

 Man (33) from Neil Labute's Some Girls - pp82-83

 St. Peter (30+) from Stephen Aldy Guirgis' The Last Days of Judas Iscariot pp35-36

 Les (40+) from Steven Berkoff's Decadence pp35-36

 Don (45-50) from Sexy Beast  (Available on You Tube) starts 'Have you ever been sexually assaulted?

 Robert (50s) from Proof by David Auburn pp56-57

 Col. Nathan Jessep (50s) from Aaron Sorkin's A Few Good Men Act One - pp26-27

Arthur Eden (early 60s) from Tony Gilroy's Michael Clayton pp1-4 (Read it Here)

  Seberbryakov (70+) from Mamet's adaptation of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya - p54

 Alex (70s) from Don Delillo's Love Lies Bleeding p58

FEMALE

Download a PDF of Audition Monologues from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Arts.

Rumour (Any Age) from King Henry IV Part II - Available Online

Ilse (14-17) from Wedekind's Spring Awakening. Read it online.

Amy (16-18) from Kellie Powell from And Turning Stay. Read it online.

Michelle (16) from D C Jackson's  The Wall p43 - Premiered in Glasgow at the Tron Theatre

Michelle (16) from D C Jackson's  The Wall p43 - Premiered in Glasgow at the Tron Theatre

Young Woman (18-25)- from Neil Labute's Wrecks and Other Plays (p71-72)  

Actress No. 1 (18-30) - from Neil Labute's Wrecks and Other Plays p48-50

Hannah (22-24) - from Bargaining from Kellie Powell.

Katie (young woman 21-24) from Mark Westbrook's The Emotional Life of Furniture (Click Here to Read)

Steph (woman mid 20s) from Neil Labute's 'Reasons to be Pretty' (p93 Choose a Segment)

Carly (woman late 20s) from Neil Labute's 'Reasons to be Pretty' (p32) Choose a Segment)

Tyler (woman 27-31) from Neil Labute's Some Girls pp39-40

Lia (early 30s) from Don Delillo's Love Lies Bleeding pp82-83

Medea (30+) from Liz Lochhead's Medea pp9-10

Medea (30+) from Liz Lochhead's Medea pp17-19

Medea (30+) from Liz Lochhead's Medea pp37-38

Medea - Medea Redux (woman 30-35) from Neil Labute's Bash - Latterday Plays

Helen - (40+) in Steven Berkoff's Decadence pp17-18

Helen - (40+) in Steven Berkoff's Decadence pp22-24

Joan - (Mid-40s) A couple of female monologues from Anne Nelson's The Guys (Click Here to Read)

Henrietta Iscariot (50+) from Stephen Aldy Guirgis' The Last Days of Judas Iscariot pp9-10

Photography by ampersandyslexia (c)