All this month, we are exploring some essential questions to ask your character when preparing for a monologue audition. Join me online during the Coronavirus pandemic to find and prepare your monologue. Get ahead while all the things are closed!
Check out previous installments: What Do I Want? Do I Get What I Want? Who Am I Talking To? How Do I Feel About the Other Character in the Monologue?
Remember back to our first question: What do I want? So, did you – or rather, did your character get what they wanted?
Maybe your big want changed as the monologue progressed.
Or maybe your character failed to get what they wanted – how do they feel about that?
Every moment you are on stage, you need to be in the moment as the character, living that moment as though the situation and the stakes were completely real – and that includes the moment before you start speaking, as well as the moment after you finish speaking.
The beginning (what do I want?) and the ending (did I get what I wanted?) are the two weakest links in many monologues. And for good reason! It’s hard to dive straight into an imaginary situation, especially with all the feels around auditions. It’s also hard to end things, to really stick the landing.
Unfortunately, you don’t have a few lines to warm up to your performance. In an audition, every moment counts. You want your first and your final acting moments to resonate, leave them wanting more. To do this, you have to have strong acting choices. Strong acting choices arise from being inquisitive about your character – from start to finish.
Answering these, and other essential questions about your monologue and characters, is the cornerstone of a successful monologue audition.