AUDITION ROOM TIPS

1. Choose material that fits you.

“Select a monologue that is age appropriate, allows you to express the uniqueness of who you are and speaks to your strengths or is in your ‘sweet spot.’” – Amy Potozkin, Casting Director.

2. Choose a monologue that’s active.

“Look for pieces where the action is going on right now, right here, and where the character has something at stake. Pieces where your character wants something from the scene partner or is having an in-the-moment discovery are the most dynamic.” - Meryl Shaw, Casting Director

“Choose a monologue in which the character is clearly pursuing an objective with another character as opposed to just telling a story. What are you trying to get the other person to do, to feel or to understand? Do you succeed or fail?” – Josh Costello, Casting Director

3. Choose pieces that has a clear arc. Don’t choose pieces that are one note.

“Choose a monologue that gives you the opportunity to show off your skill with transitions, beat changes, those moments in which the tactic you’ve been playing in pursuit of your objective either fails, in which case you have to switch to a new tactic, or succeeds, in which case you move on to the next tactic. Transitions are where good acting happens, and if you don’t have a couple of good ones in your monologue, then we can’t tell that you’re a good actor.” – Josh Costello, Casting Director

4. Be cautious of stand-alone monologues you find in a monologue book or on the internet.

The rule used to be that you should never do a piece that wasn’t from a published, full- length play. However, attitudes are shifting about what is and isn’t appropriate source material. Make sure to read the audition notice carefully for any requirements.

Unfortunately, many stand-alone monologues, especially those easily found on the internet, are poorly written with one-note characters and non-existent stakes. A lot of them are “memory” pieces where the character recounts something that happened to them in the past.

There are stand-alone monologues that are fantastic, they are just harder to find.

The most important things are that the piece has an arc and that the character has a clear objective they are fighting for.

5. Avoid monologues that are overdone.

There are certain monologues that get done all the time. Frequently that’s because the piece is easy to find online or in a monologue book. Directors can get tired of seeing the same monologues over and over again.

However, if a popular or well-known piece speaks to you, or if you know you have a different take on it, then it might be worth exploring!

6. Avoid doing a monologue from a production you’ve performed.

“Using a piece from a production you’ve performed is challenging. You need to start all over again, and the monologue needs to become its own mini-play, as opposed to a moment in time in a larger arc. I discourage this choice; it’s often hard to override the memory cells!” – Meryl Shaw, Casting Director

7. Don’t do dialect unless the play for which you’re auditioning calls for it.

The moment you start speaking in dialect, your focus turns away from your acting and instead goes into maintaining the accent.

Accents are distracting to directors, because they start to focus on how well you are executing the accent and away from any other choices you are making on stage.

8. Don’t do a piece that relies on props.

You should take as little as possible with you into the room. Props become a distraction for both the performer as well as for the director.

9. Know your audience.

If you are going in for a comedy, then don’t do a really serious piece and vice versa!

If you are auditioning for a children’s theater, then don’t do monologues that contain graphic imagery or lots of cursing.

In general, you should avoid pieces that have excessive violence, lots of expletives, or shocking material. You want the focus to be on your acting, not your subject matter.

10. Have more than one monologue at the ready.

Even if the audition only calls for one audition piece it is always possible that the director will ask if you have any other monologues to show.

At the minimum you should have two contrasting monologues ready to go. Contrasting can mean time period (Classical and Contemporary) or tone (Dramatic and Comedic.)

(Excerpts from In Performance: Contemporary Monologues for Teens by JV Mercanti) 

What is your objective?

An objective is a simple, active, positive statement that defines the journey your character is on.

You never want to define your objective in the following ways: (1) I want “to be something,” or (2) I want “to feel something.” These are passive, inactive statements in which you will not make any forward progression. Emotion does play a role in acting, but not when it comes to defining an objective.

Objectives should hold life-or-death stakes: companionship, shelter, protection, nourishment, fight, and flight.

What are the beats and actions?

A beat is a transition: a change in thought, action, subject or tactic.

Not every line is a new beat. Try to find it organically. When it feels like there is a shift in thought, there most likely is. That is your beat. Trust your instincts. Are you accomplishing what you want? Are you winning? If not, it’s time to shift your tactic.

Actions are active verbs that define what you are doing in any particular moment. Meaning, you attach an active verb to every line of text: to sway, to punish, to defend, to challenge, and so on.

Check in with your (imaginary) scene partner. Make sure your actions are landing. This is where your imagination comes into play. When you look at the empty space you have to see how they’re reacting, how they’re looking (or not looking) at you.

Who is your character?

1. What do they look like?

2. How do they dress?

3. How do they stand?

4. Where is their center of gravity?

5. How do they take up space?

6. What is their posture?

7. Where does their voice sit (i.e., head, throat, chest, diaphragm, etc.)? 8. Where do they hold tension?

9. How do they walk, sit, and stand?

It’s up to you to find this person in your body – experiment with them. Holding on to what you know about them from the script, and your very strong objective, you’ll be able to find physicality for them through your knowledge of them.

If you can imagine them you can become them.

Whom is your character talking to?

1. What are they wearing?

2. Are they sitting or standing?

3. What is your relationship to them?

4. What do you need from them? (This ties into your objective.)

5. How is delivering this monologue bringing you closer to achieving your goal?

6. By the end of the monologue, did you win? Did you get what you wanted? Are you closer or further away from achieving your goal?

If you can imagine the acting partner vividly and specifically, we will see them.

What’s so urgent?

Remember the character is dealing with life-and-death stakes! Urgency doesn’t mean “do it quickly.” Urgent means: why do you need to say these things right now? Why do you need to achieve your objective right now? What happened that makes every word in this monologue so important.

Emotional Connection

Acting is not about emoting. Young actors tend to find pieces with very high emotional stakes that often require crying or screaming in order to accomplish the storytelling. Please shy away from these. We want to see that you are emotionally connected to the material and that you know how to control your emotional life. We do not want to have your emotions unleashed upon us in a flood that you cannot contain.

Language and Point of View

Words and punctuation, as provided by the writer, can sometimes unlock the key to your character. Language is how these characters express what they need. Please use words to your advantage.

Remember that acting occurs on the lines, not in between them.

If the playwright wants you to take time somewhere, they will provide the clues. It can be as specific as them writing pause or beat. There are other clues though:

An ellipsis (...) often signifies a trailing off of thought or a search for the right thing to say.

A hyphen or dash (-) often signifies a break in thought, a cut-off thought or a new idea.

A word or line written in all caps means the author wants you to highlight that particular section, but it does not necessarily mean you need to yell and scream it.

Be aware of repetition. If a writer uses the same word or phrase repeatedly, they’re trying to tell you something. How you shade that word (or don’t) each time it comes up says something about the character and what they’re after.

Also pay attention to periods, question marks, exclamation points, and other basic punctuation marks. These are not arbitrary. Something delivered as a statement has completely different meaning if it’s intended to be delivered as a question.

Point of view is how you (your character) see the world, relate to the people and objects around you, and relate to language. This is where artistry occurs. Anyone can say the words. How you give them meaning, how you filter all of this through your perspective, is what makes your interpretation unique.

Also what is your point of view on the person to whom you’re speaking? Can this person help you achieve your objective, or are they standing in your way?

Point of view is what makes the character yours. 

Sometimes you will not be provided with material ahead of time, but you will instead be given the sides when you get to the audition; this is known as a cold reading. Here are some tips for making the most out of a cold reading opportunity.

1. Practice reading out loud whenever you can. A great source of practice is to read children's books; making sure you do all the voices! Practice looking at a line and then looking up and delivering it out loud. Try larger sections as you get more comfortable.

2. Read the play or musical before the audition. As you read, look for sections you think might make for good sides. If the script isn't available, make sure to look for a thorough synopsis.

3. Arrive early in case the sides are already available for you to read. You don't want to be the only person at the audition who didn't get a chance to read through the sides.

4. Take your time to read the scene carefully. Answer the questions

a. What is your characters objective?

b. What tactics are they using to get what they want?

c. Who are they speaking to and what is their relationship to them?

d. What are the stakes if your character doesn't get what they want?

5. Remember your acting skills! It is easy to get so nervous that we forget the basics like speaking slowly and clearing, projecting, cheating out.

6. Hold the paper at chest level. You don't want to block your face.

7. You don't need to memorize the side. It is not a memorization test, it is an assessment of how well you can bring a character to life on short notice. It also shows how well you are able to connect with your scene partner 

8. Don't spend your whole time looking at the paper. Use your thumb to keep your place in the scene so that you can focus on your scene partner. Look at your next line as your partner finishes speaking and look at them while you are delivering it.

9. Listen carefully to any direction that you might receive. Sometimes the director will give you a clue as to what they are looking for; other times they will leave it up to you to make a choice.

10. Make a choice! Don't be afraid of getting it right or wrong, it is worse to make no choice at all. When you commit to a character choice, the director will see that you are willing to take risks.

11. Sometimes you will not have another actor as a scene partner, but you will instead be asked to do the scene with a reader. That person is usually seated next to the directors table. Do not approach them, but, do look at and interact with them. Use them the same way you would an acting partner, even if they are speaking the lines for multiple characters.

12. Hold the paper in your non-dominant hand so that you aren't tempted to gesture with it.

13. Be prepared to make changes based on the director's notes. It is quite common for a director to give adjustments to what you have just done. Listen carefully and ask for clarification if you need it. Make sure your adjustment is clearly different from what did before.

14. Have fun! You are getting the opportunity to tell a story, revel in that!

• Audition book (high school auditions traditionally will not require either)

  • multiple songs

  • multiple monologues

• Plenty of snacks

• Water (refillable)

• Extra headshots and resumes (high school auditions traditionally will not require either)

• Pencils, highlighters, notebooks

• Hygiene supplys 

• Hairbrush, hairspray, hair ties

• Headphones, earbuds

• Things to keep yourself occupied