<p>Hi - Are there subjects that should be avoided when selecting monologues for college auditions? Any input/advice would be appreciated.</p>
<p>There is some great advice for selecting monologues in the first post of this thread:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1057439-audition-advice.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1057439-audition-advice.html</a></p>
<p>The quote below is from the CCM web page ([The</a> Do’s & Don’ts, University of Cincinnati](<a href=“http://ccm.uc.edu/theatre/musical_theatre/auditions1/dos_and_donts.html]The”>http://ccm.uc.edu/theatre/musical_theatre/auditions1/dos_and_donts.html))</p>
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<p>Thanks EmsDad for the info. My D has been working with an acting coach for over a year that was recommended to us. D says she has given her good advice on tackling cold readings, etc., but received her choices in final monologues yesterday and they are very disappointing. Both monologues are definitely have shock value and would be offensive to some. Thought we started the process early and now its practically November and she’s at square one…</p>
<p>A good monologue is one that the student can somehow relate to their own experience. One which comes from an understanding of the character in the context of the play. One which “tells a story” - goes from point A to point B and/or C. Excessive yelling is not impressive, “shock value” is a misnomer - you are not going to shock anyone - but you may turn them off if the material in the piece is not appropriate to your situation. So, what does that leave you with - find something you relate to from a play you understand. Good luck.</p>
<p>I remember at Unifieds sitting in the hall down a bit from the door to an audition room. One person after another produced loud, screaming monologues. I remember thinking the folks behind the table have to get tired of being yelled at all day!</p>
<p>My D picked one monologue that expressed her personality (Southern belle) and one that was against type (dark and brooding). No screaming, no profanity. Both were definitely characters that she could have reasonably played on stage. I would advise a student not to pick something that would make them uncomfortable (or that they would be uncomfortable performing for grandma). That being said, now that D is a junior in college, she’s been cast in an all-female Glengarry Glenross and Grandma and I are going to see it! It will be interesting to see f-bombs coming out of my darling’s mouth.</p>
<p>My D selected her monologues after having read many, many plays. Her favorite was more serious, but the one I liked better was her comedic piece.</p>
<p>When the choice was ONE monologue she always chose the serious piece. At one audition they had her bring TWO in case they wanted to hear a second, so she naturally began with the serious piece and was cut off and asked if she had anything else. Her comedic piece was well-received and she was offered a spot in their BFA Acting program.</p>
<p>We heard the same thing over and over in auditions: 9/10 young people are selecting serious dramatic pieces with heavy content for the shock effect. The auditioners seemed to be crying out for some diversity. Two contrasting pieces are important to have so you can adjust on the fly if you need to, depending on the feeling in the room. Just have options.</p>
<p>I will echo what MrsDrz suggests in post #7. If you have great comedic timing and can find a comedic piece that suits your type, use it. We were told at several mock auditions with big-name school reps how refreshing it was to get to laugh after hearing hours and hours of serious monologues (and my sons both had really heavy serious pieces, too). If you find a great comedic piece, run it with your drama teacher/acting coach/parents/friends to really suss out the timing and you’ll have a gem in your arsenal come audition-time.</p>