As an actor, it’s always important have a repertoire you can pull from for the auditions you choose to attend. Four to six monologues of varying length and genre are typical for the average actor; have both comedic and dramatic monologues ranging between a minute and two minutes. Make sure you always have an arsenal of material, and, if you don’t, start building that cache right away. Read plays to get an idea of the kind of material that’s out there. When an audition notice springs up, you’ll be more prepared to put your best foot forward.

Read the entire audition notice! What is the audition for? College, theatre competition, community theatre production, high school play, professional production, or a class assignment? The kind of material you choose for each of these auditions will be different. You may be able to perform an explicit piece for competition or for a class assignment, but you should stray away from performing anything edgy for a high school, college, community theatre, or professional production. You can still show range and talent without using profanity or shocking the director. Do your research, and…

1. Do I have a monologue ready?
2. How much time do I have to prepare before the audition?
3. What do I want from this audition?
4. Do I have time to learn a new monologue?
5. Is this monologue right for this audition?
6. What do I want the directors to see in me from this audition?

Directors are looking for actors who can be interesting without shocking the audience. Be the actor who can make an owner’s manual sound breathtaking. A performance that is calculated and rehearsed with personal touches is more interesting and reflective of talent than a monologue that uses shock value to carry the material.

Show a director you have emotional range. It’s always important to choose a monologue with a clear beginning, middle, and end; additionally, you should also choose a monologue that displays three emotional beats. Emotional beats are sections where certain emotions are reflected in the character’s lines. For example, you may perform a monologue that uses sadness, anger, and defeat or one that portrays confusion, realization, and wonder. Make sure you choose one that is right for you.

It’s important to choose interesting material as well as material that hooks your listener with a story. Just like a good book or a good play has an arc, a good monologue should have an arc that tells a story about the journey the character is taking. The monologue should have equal parts exposition, rising action/climax, and falling action (or denouement) so you don’t focus too long on one emotional beat.

Something always happens to your character before the monologue they deliver. Choose what that moment is for your particular performance and rehearse with it every time you perform. Directors can tell when you do this because it is reflected in your performance. An actor who hasn’t chosen a moment will often rush into the monologue, and the beginning will often be flat and emotionless. An actor who has prepared with a moment will enter the monologue from a clear emotional place. Choose your moment, and stick with it

One of the most frustrating things as an actor is knowing what to do with your hands. Eliminate this concern by rehearsing your gestures and blocking every time to rehearse your monologue. Physical movements are just as important as the words coming out of your mouth. These gestures and movements deliver additional messages about how your character feels toward their subject. Make sure you add as much variety and detail to your character as you can, and remember to make these gestures the character’s gestures, not your own.

You are in control of many things before an audition; for example, your material choice, how well you prepare, and how you talk to yourself before and after the experience. So, focus on what you can control and forget about what you can’t.

10. Enjoy performing the monologue and love the character you are playing.

You may be playing a character you like; you may be playing a character you despise on a moral or ethical level. Regardless of who you’re playing, make sure you understand them and like them enough to portray them. The more you understand your character, the more you’ll like them, and the more you like them, the more you’ll want to play them. If you’re playing a character who is a protagonist, it may be easier to identify with them, so the process of liking them may be easier. However, if you’re playing a character who is antagonistic, it may be harder to connect with them. To work around this, try to figure out why your character is so antagonistic. Did they experience a trauma? Are they lonely? What kinds of humanity can you ascribe to them to make them easier to connect with? Consider these factors, and you’ll be sure to know and love your characters more.