<p>Okay, so I've started prepping for my college auditions already, mainly with just finding monologues and such...but I came across a couple questions on monologue choices. I;m a guy, and my top school choice is UNSCA. So far here are the monologues I've put together:</p>
<p>Modern:
Chris from The Ritz
Satan from The Last Days of Judas Iscariot
Alan from Equus
Edmund from A Long Day's Journey Into Night
Dakin from History Boys
Grouper from Out of Gas on Lover's Leap
Jeffery from Jeffery
Prior and Louis from Angels in America
Leob from Never the Sinner
Ken from Red</p>
<p>Classic:
Puck from A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ariel from The Tempest
Dr. Faustus and Mephistopheles from Dr. Faustus
Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing
Tranio from Taming of the Shrew</p>
<p>Now, as you can tell, I'm preparing more, way more than necessary, but I have a photographic memory, so I have no problem memorizing. One of my questions is about whether or not to prepare The Weird Sister's monologue (Double, Double, toil and trouble...), as I am naturally drawn and have a really strong grasp on supernatural characters. I was also wondering if anyone could suggest any classic characters that sound like they would fit (based on the list, you have an idea). Also, I am openly gay, and I have a tendency to use my sexuality and its fluid nature in my characters (I am capable of playing it straight-ish, though) and was wondering if anyone could recommend a modern character that my go well to contrast that! Thanks!</p>
<p>Okay, looking at your classical first. I would suggest going with the Christopher Marlowe. Because everyone else will be doing Shakespeare. And pretty much EVERY speech for young actors from Shakespeare has been done to death at auditions. The auditors will be impressed that you even have heard of a classical playwright other than Shakespeare! Of course, some schools say in their instructions that they “prefer Shakespeare”, for those schools you should definitely have a Shakespeare for them, and they understand and expect to hear a monologue they have heard a zillion times before.</p>
<p>Now usually Shakespeare wrote either in iambic pentameter, or else in prose. He chose iambic pentameter for his verse because that is the natural rhythm of the English language. When a Shakespearean actor speaks iambic pentameter, it sounds like natural speech. But Shakespeare would also use different verse forms for supernatural characters, because he wanted these characters to sound otherworldly. When Shakespeare doesn’t write in iambic pentameter, the character ends up sounding strange and unnatural (which is why it is mostly reserved for supernatural characters). I know that at least some of Puck’s speeches are not written in iambic pentameter, Ariel I can’t remember now. The speech you are considering from that Scottish play is written in rhymed tetrameters, which does not sound like natural speech (The intention is either that the characters are performing a ritual–casting a spell–so that they are not speaking naturally, or else it is a general sign of their supernaturalism). This speech would be almost impossible to deliver in natural English speech, because it is not supposed to be. There are similar problems with at least some of Puck’s speeches, and maybe Ariel’s as well. Also, the Scottish tragedy also doesn’t really reveal character, in that the character reciting it doesn’t go through an internal journey over the course of the speech. These are some of the reasons not to choose that speech. But also you should pretty much always stick with your “type”, which means males play males and females play females (yes, there are bizarre exceptions to this rule). Shakespeare, and his contemporaries like Marlowe, all have a disproportionate number of male roles to female roles, so it really is inexcusable for a male to say he couldn’t find a male character from a classical play. And of course the Scottish play is CURSED–do you really want to risk it?</p>
<p>Looking at your contemporary list, the only one I would say to avoid as overdone is Alan from Equus. Otherwise you have a good list from contemporary plays. You are correct that you should have some contrast at least by making sure that at least one of your characters isn’t gay, because you don’t want the auditors to think “Oh, he doesn’t have much range, all he can play are gay roles.” But again, looking at your list, I see some roles that aren’t gay or don’t have to be gay (and some I don’t know at all). So make sure you have that contrast.</p>
<p>Do remember that there is a lot more than just memorizing the piece. Once you have memorized it, then you can start the real work. Is there someone who is helping you prepare your monologues?</p>
<p>KEVP</p>
<p>Since you already have familiarity with Angels in America and you are looking for something that contrasts with “openly gay”, how about Roy Cohen? The character worked so hard to “not look gay” and hide his sexuality?</p>
<p>Look, I really think you should have at least one character who is NOT GAY. Not “two different kinds of gay men”. If both your characters are gay, you may typecast yourself and the auditors may think you can only play gay men. And this will make you less competitive with the guy who can play either gay or straight characters.</p>
<p>I think you will find that there will be a lot of gay men auditioning, entertainment has long been a career area that welcomed GLBTQ folks. Some of these folks will typecast themselves, and will perform two gay characters. You want to do better, and show that you have a much wider range.</p>
<p>I’m also worried that if you rely on your sexuality for your perfomances, this may be a sort of “crutch” or “cheat” that you use instead of doing the real character work that the auditors will be looking for.</p>
<p>In addition, it is recommended that the character in your monologue be about your same age, or at least a character that you might realistically be cast as.</p>
<p>Unless you are a very non-traditional student in terms of your age, the Roy Cohn character from Angels in America would not be a suitable choice.</p>
<p>I love the idea of exploring sexuality in roles–I think it would be very cool for you to do the Macbeth witches. However it would also be risky. You risk rubbing against an auditor’s pre-conceived sensibility. On the other hand, to play devil’s advocate with myself, if that’s who you are, maybe you want to be in a school that supports your own examination of gender. </p>
<p>I certainly do not think you should have only ‘gay’ roles (imho, don’t do Equus), but I do think you should have ONE role that is more gender-fluid, like Puck. It’s true this one is done to death, but your performance may help the auditors see you in such roles and ‘place’ you within the incoming class. My own S actually did Puck & Alex (Equus) and one more really done to death one several years ago and though these are ‘done to death,’ he was successful in getting admitted to several programs. At the time he was pretty gender neutral himself. I think there is not a ‘one size fits all’ advice for monologues. Sure, Marlowe could be very cool and it is a definite plus in some ways to not do the Shakespeare–but above all ‘to thine own self be true’ 
The most important thing is that you are comfortable, really comfortable, in the part, and that it suits you (you could be cast in it in a show); all else flows from that.</p>
<p>Are you auditioning for University of Minnesota/Guthrie? I ask because they require a second monologue which is to be a character that you wouldn’t be cast as. That would be a great opportunity for the witches. And other programs will sometimes ask for other monologues in addition to the required ones. So that could be one you prepared for UMinn and kept in your back pocket for other auditions.</p>
<p>It’s great that you are working so hard on your preparation now. Good luck!</p>