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Introduction

As an author, I have written several monologue books including ART OF THE MONOLGUE, HOW TO SELECT AND PERFORM MONOLOGUES and SHORT MONOLOGUES FOR AUDITIONS – all three have focused on the performance of a monologue as a creative presentation with a specific environment and situation. This current volume focuses on the presentation of monologues specifically for acting classes. The difference here is that the actual selection and presentation of the material is focused more upon the development an actor’s abilities in an audition rather than a performance an acting class. Why short monologues? As an acting teacher, I have always advised my students “less is more.” What does that actually mean? In this case, I want the student actor to focus specifically on a given purpose in the presentation of the monologue as it relates to the development of acting skills. The given purpose of a monologue for an acting class is to provide the teacher a sample of your acting abilities, your demeanor, ability to take direction and ultimately to determine what you will focus on in the class. It is very different from using a monologue for an audition. A casting director is rarely if ever going to have you perform a monologue if they are reading people for a specific role. They will just have you perform the actual lines of the character that you are reading for. A director of a theatre company, a university theatre school, an agent or manager might want to see how you perform prepared material. They would want to see how you create the moment on your own so they can have an idea of the kind of actor you really are and how you would fit into their company or agency. But let’s get back to the acting class. When you select a monologue, select something that’s brief, to the point and gives your acting teacher an idea of who you are and what you can do. An actor should have at least two short contemporary monologues (one comedy and one dramatic) ready to go at all times. A contemporary monologue is one that derives from the 1950’s to present day. Most of the of the monologues contained in this book are contemporary. If your acting class covers the classics, you want to be totally prepared and can add at least one or two short classical monologues to your acting arsenal. Classical” monologues are speeches taken from plays that can derive from ancient Greece, Shakespeare to the early twentieth century depending upon how they are defined by your acting teacher.

If you select a contemporary monologue from a popular movie or play found on the internet, you will present yourself at a slight disadvantage. The danger in presenting familiar material will invite comparison. Most acting teachers will have seen and heard other student actors do these same monologues. As you perform, your teacher and the class will be thinking about the last student that presented the same material. How did they do it? How does your interpretation differ? Which one is better? You don’t want them thinking about another student performance. You should select monologues that are new and fresh to their ear. Show them something new that is a perfect fit for just you. Something, that they can only imagine you performing. It should show what you can do emotionally, intellectually and physically and most importantly be brief and to the point. Brief and to the point means about one to two minutes. Remember, your performance is a sample of what you can do, not the whole performance.

Presenting a monologue in front of a whole class is also like an audition, you want to bring into the group a short sample of your acting ability or to showcase a specific aspect of your talent. If your strong suit is emotional roles, prepare a short emotional monologue. If it’s physicality, then prepare something that relies centrally upon your ability to move within the space. This is no secret. Acting teachers and students prefer shorter monologues for class presentations. Why? This allows both the teacher and the student the ability to focus on specific acting issues rather than restating them over and over again within a cumbersome presentation. Usually, your acting teacher (just like a casting director) pretty much knows what they need to work on with you after the first minute of your presentation. So, why not dazzle them with a presentation that’s short and sweet. Give just enough to make them interested but leave them wanting for more. If you can do that, you are where you need to be.

This book contains eighty individual monologues that can be performed by both male and female characters. There is an equal mix of comedy and drama and all are within the one to two-minute time range. You might be thinking, which one is right for me? Find a monologue that you can closely connect to either on an emotional or intellectual level. Put yourself in the space as the character and let the monologue do the rest of the work. Ultimately, the right monologue for you is one that showcases your unique talents and that can be only attributed to you. It becomes your monologue in the eyes of your teacher and class. Think of an acting class monologue as a means to end that is going to exhibit what you can do and where you would fit into the composition of the class. As a class exercise it’s going to give your acting teacher a specific insight about who you are, your talents and what areas of acting you need to work on.

Lastly, monologues like everything else, are subject to your tastes and needs at any given moment. Don’t be afraid to try many different monologues as your creative growth progresses or you feel you need to do something different. Make this book your source for the magic that you will do. Go back to it again and again whenever you feel there is a need for it.

What is a monologue?

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a monologue as a long speech made by one person, often monopolizing a conversation. You may be thinking, I already know that, tell me something I don’t know. Okay, a monologue when spoken can reveal a small part of a character’s soul. Think of those thoughts in which you have spoken aloud to someone or yourself. The words you speak come from within you and have special meaning. Unless, you count as monologues leaving phone messages, placing your order at the automated machine at Jack in the Box or trying to talk on the phone to customer service at your bank. It is true that a monologue is a speech made by one person but really it is a lot more than just that. What the person says in his/her speech should be worthy of speech itself to be considered a monologue. What am I saying? It should be a speech connected in some core way to your character’s intellectual, emotional, spiritual and physical state. If it is not that, then it is not a monologue. It is whatever it is: leaving a phone message, ordering a cheeseburger or trying to find out why your check has bounced.

Within the framework of a performing arts presentation, a monologue is one person speaking for an extended period alone or with other characters upon the stage or within a camera shot. The speech can be the character’s thoughts spoken aloud to himself or herself, to another character, to the audience or an object or entity. How a monologue is presented has a lot to do with the reality of the universe the character lives in and to a greater extent the point of view or creative framework of the presentation. I am defining point of view as how a creative work is presented to its audience. Several years ago, I attended a production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet at small theatre in Los Angeles. I sat in the first row about three feet from the actor who played Hamlet as he uttered those famous lines “To be or not to be…” I had experienced this soliloquy dozens of times before within a representational framework where the Hamlet character reveals his inner thoughts by speaking to himself out loud. In this particular production, the actor who played Hamlet turned toward me and asked the famous question, “To be or not to be?” At first, I wanted to blurt out like Robert Di Niro in Taxi Driver, “Are you talking to me?” But, somehow thought it might not be appropriate. So I said nothing. But I did give him a look of acknowledgment. As if to say, “I heard that… and that is definitely a question to consider.” For the rest of the show, the audience kept looking at me as if they wanted me to do or say something. I never did. I am not saying that it was wrong to present the Hamlet soliloquy in this manner. The creative framework of that particular production of Hamlet was “presentational” meaning it had the characters (including Hamlet) acknowledging the presence of the audience. At that particular performance, I unwittingly assumed that role. I could have chosen to respond verbally to Hamlet, but I chose just to acknowledge his look. However, we can say that Hamlet acknowledging the audience in the middle of his soliloquy was done on purpose and was part of the creative framework of the presentation. The creative framework, which defines a presentation of a play or film to an audience, usually falls within the point of view of the Director.

The Director of a play or film sets the framework and tone of how the material will be presented. When you choose to perform a particular monologue, just like a director, you must choose how you will convey the reality of your character and situation to an audience. You must ask yourself, what do I want to achieve within my creative framework and what is the desired outcome? I am not suggesting that you perform your acting class monologue directly to your teacher or classmates. I think it is best to create a framework that keeps them separate from the reality of your character. This allows the teacher make notes on your performance, sit back and see what you can do and it enables your classmates to observe you without being part of the presentation. You don’t want them; feeling forced to react to your gaze or directed line toward them. It will make them uncomfortable and lessen your chance to showcase what you can do. Your creative framework in presenting your monologue should be focused on how to best present the reality of the character you have created within a given universe and to connect that character to your individual talents. The purpose of an acting class monologue is not to solely show your acting ability, it should also illustrate how you create a character, interpret lines and present them to an audience.

Now that we have discussed what a monologue is and how it should be presented, let’s get back to our original question. Why do we have to do monologues in an acting class anyway?

What kinds of acting classes are there?

There are a variety of acting classes you may consider taking. If you take an Introduction class as part of a college program, you will be introduced to the basic skills required to be an actor which would include: Introduction to theories and development of acting skills through drill in fundamental stage techniques, character building, and in class performance of memorized prepared monologues, scenes and analysis of dramatic literature with emphasis upon developing performance skills. Other classes may focus on character development, physicality, working on camera, improvisation, commercials, cold readings, voice acting or career preparation. Other classes, mostly private ones, do a little bit of all of these things on an ongoing basis. Some invite casting directors or agents as part of their curriculum. The important thing to remember is that you must always have a clear-cut idea of what the goals of the class are and make sure they fit within your own personal targets. Failure to do this will result in you wasting your time. Also, check out the teacher philosophy and class composition before you sign up. If the class has a lot of undisciplined noncommitted students or a poor teacher, this is not the class for you. Sometimes the teacher might be knowledgeable but their teaching philosophy is not a good fit for you. There was one acting teacher who had the practice of berating students every time they presented a performance in class. He would tell the students they were worthless, had no talent and would never be successful unless they studied with him. This is an acting class you don’t want to take. The best way to see if an acting class is the right fit for you is to “audit” the class.

This usually means you would be allowed to sit in the class (not participate) and observe. If the teacher doesn’t allow audits, then find another teacher. If it’s a college class, drop it and enroll in another acting class.