In a perfect world, there would be an algorithm – or a spell, or something – that would help an actor choose the perfect monologue for each situation and every audition. But in the meantime: quit trying to be perfect.
There, you’re off the hook.
Does that feel better?
Sometimes, all we need is permission to chill out and move on. If you have a spark of the perfectionist in you, quit trying to find the perfect monologue. If you have a spark of procrastinator in you, quit putting off finding a monologue.
Find a monologue and work on that one. Rehearse it. Audition with it. And keep reading and looking for something else. Maybe you’ll find something amazing next week. Okay, great! Now you have two monologues. Or maybe it will take a few weeks, or months, until you find something else you like. But print out something and start your work.
The fact is, there is no perfect monologue. We are constantly changing creatures, we humans. Our interests can wax and wane. Our hair may be long and then short, or blonde and then blue. We are actually 23 years old but could pass for 16. The projects for which we audition are also always unique. One theatre may be producing As You Like It as a post-modern apocalyptic piece where everyone is a robot alien, while another theatre is doing a minimalist take on the same script in theatre blacks with folding chairs as the set. There are so many variables to each person in each situation, finding that one right monologue is an exercise in futility.
Instead, we strive to find monologues that speak to something within us. We look for something interesting to work on, something that gets us excited to perform it. We look for monologues that suit who we are now, at this point in our lives. And in a few years, that will be different and – yes – you will need a new monologue.
This summer, I am offering several opportunities to work on monologues, your audition technique, and the craft of acting, in general. If you are near Louisville, KY, join me!