selecting an audition monologue - arvold ASK

How should you pick a monologue for an audition? What is a casting director looking for? Casting director/producer Erica Arvold, CSA, and acting coach Richard Warner give some tips on what to look for and where to look for the perfect choice.
We love getting your questions and topic suggestions! If you have anything you’d like answered, please send us an email at [e-mail].
Connect with arvold
Visit the website: bit.ly/1jnQbGC
Like arvold on Facebook: on. 1lZYGI5
Follow arvold on Twitter: bit.ly/RRQzTe
Follow arvold on Instagram: bit.ly/1lZZKvx
Music Courtesy of Abel Okugawa Music LLC
Composed by Abel Okugawa
www.abelokugawa.com

[@wendycarter]

I've written monologues for folks before, and have had terrific response. This is a really informative piece. I also have found that choosing or writing something dynamic that is happening in the moment right now, is a lot more compelling that relating a story from the past. It makes it easier to go for what you want. So love these videos, Erica. Thanks!

[@StephenGeorge]

Great advice.

[@IanMcGarrett]

A few years ago I found a monologue in a book of monologues that I read completely cold in front of an informal acting workshop that I attended. The piece was from "Miller's Crossing." I had really enjoyed the movie but could not remember the particular monologue from the movie. Nevertheless my fellow aspiring actors told me with all confidence that that was the audition monologue for me. The first time I used it was about a week later and I flubbed it, but I flubbed in character so that was enough to get me a callback. I didn't get a part but that didn't really matter because I had lined up other auditions so I had a fallback and experience with the monologue in front of auditors so the next time I was able to approach it with more confidence. This was just community theater but community theater in Toronto has a fairly high calibre of talent so when I managed to score a major role (the prosecutor in "Nuts") on only my second attempt it was a pretty big deal for me. The next time I used it it was for an Irish play, for an Irish amateur company in Toronto so I reworked the character and gave him an Irish accent one that I had studied. There were two auditors, the director and the producer. I hadn't worked up a story explaining the context of the monologue because it is delivered in the movie without context and works that way but i had been told by my mentor at the workshop that auditors like to hear context so this time I prefaced the monologue by asking the auditors whether they were familiar with the movie "Miller's Crossing" because then I figured I would be exempt from having to explain who my character was etc... The director said no, that he wasn't familiar with the movie. The producer on the other hand said yes, and that in fact it was his favorite movie, which made sense because it was all about Irish mobsters in America and starred Gabriel Byrne. The particular character I was playing though was Italian in the movie so here I was performing the monologue in my perfunctory Irish accent in front of two auditors with very real Irish accents and the producer who said that "Miller's Crossing" was his favorite movie was apparently not kidding because his lips were moving as I spoke my lines which caused me to almost blank. In fact I had to turn away from him not to be distracted. There is a point in the speech where my character says "So it's clear what I'm saying," and the person I'm talking to says "As mud." and my character continues his rant but the "As mud." response isn't crucial so when I deliver the monologue I just run the two parts of the speech together. In this instance I knew the producer was going to be mouthing "As mud." so then I took the opportunity, turned to him, and addressed the rest of the lines to him directly. It worked very well, they gave me sides to look at in the anteroom and while I was looking at the sides I could hear them discussing my audition piece. The producer sounded a bit skeptical because he remembered the role in the movie as being played by Jon Polito and not as an Irishman. I scurried back into the audition hall even though I hadn't finished reading the sides figuring it was just best if I got it over with. As luck would have it, not actually having finished reading the sides gave my audition a freshness which they really liked and I got invited to the callback then and there. Apparently I had done better than I thought. I don't get to audition much anymore. I began acting rather late in life and I find myself limited to community theater and generally people I've known from past productions just call me up and ask if I'm available - I even got an award last year for a play I didn't have to audition for. Which is a bit of a shame because I like auditioning.

[@bk-tcb]

I never thought about watching films for the purpose (one purpose) of getting a monologue... I love the videos you two do.! Thank you!

[@jinglehrse]

Could you do an acting critique sometime? With the actor’s permission of course.Or perhaps you could do a video on what makes a great performance, great. it would be nice to hear what specifically you look for.

[@efe8085]

Very helpful thank you