Hi Guys,
I filmed this Monologue for the Mandy Monologue Competition 2020.
Please check it out here and VOTE VOTE VOTE !
HOW TO CHOOSE A MONOLOGUE
When I first started, I would get so frustrated with finding the perfect monologue, i would look at different websites, check peoples monologues, compare them to what I chose. I would spend days trying to find the 'perfect' monologue and have so little time to work on it, memorise it and film it. After practicing lots of monologues, I found a way that works for me , below are the steps on how you can find your monologue, remember there is no perfect monologue, it differs from one person to another.
1. CONNECTION
When choosing a monologue, what matters most is that you connect with it, it doesn't matter if anyone else does, because YOU are the one performing it, you are the one who needs to be attached to it in every aspect of the story and character. So make sure that its related to you somehow. Find that spark.
2. TYPE
Aim for a monologue that triggers your type, gender, looks, personality. Something you feel that suits you when the words come out. You cant perform a teen monologue if you're 40 years old, choose something that goes well with your looks and manners, your strengths, your age.. you get the gist.
3.ACCENT
As actors, you should have some accents under your belt, but for a monologue to be truthful to you, try to stick to your natural accent, it will bring your true self and casting directors will be able to know what to cast you for, its also much easier to perform in your own native language and accent.
4.EMOTIONS
Directors, producers, casting directors, teachers..etc will be listening to you for a minute or two, don't bore them. Choose something that has different genres in it, it can start with some comedy and shift to a dramatic one. This not only shows that you have a range of emotions that you can easily access, but also will keep the viewer hooked to your story and interested to know more. The unexpected is a key to every performance.
5.LENGTH
There are lots of lengths of monologues, you can choose very short ones or very long ones. I prefer short monologues but not too short that you wont have time to capture anything from it. 1- 2 minutes is a perfect monologue for me, and thats usually the length of a lot of well written monologues. Of course it depends on what you're auditioning for, but if you don't have a guideline, try to stick to a short one, again you want people to listen to you, not fall asleep. You also need to memorise it so it cant be too difficult or long to feed it into your brain. so 1-2 minute monologues are more than enough to discover your range of emotions, your looks, your personality and your talent.
6.WRITING
We all know that great acting comes from a well written script. So choose a well written piece, find a play, a tv show where its obviously good writing, of course stay away from overly done monologues, it will be harder to compete.
Where can I find a good monologue?
Thats a question we have all asked ourselves. But thankfully the internet is a treasure for these things. There are lots of websites and blogs https://monologueblogger.com/ that have them where you can even filter your criteria and age to suit you , theres backstage https://www.backstage.com/monologues. Theres http://www.monologuesearch.com/. Or if you like the old fashioned way, go to the library, look for plays and find the perfect character. And of course you can pick your monologue from your favourite TV show (that hasn't been overused).