<p>Realistically, how many monologues should I prepare? I've heard that peopel should prepare 8 monologues, but that is a lot to prepare without some of them being sloppy. I have 3 classical monologues right now.
I've heard that some schools ask you for 1 more, but only carnegie mellon SOMETIMES asks to see all the monologues.
I'm just afraid that I won't have enough time to work on my monologues and work them WELL if I have to do 8. Because in addition, I need to work on my songs, and I have a few of those in addition because I know that some schools ask for more. My first audition is Jan 31.</p>
<p>claydavisbc -- I think you had too much time on your hands this weekend! I can tell you're getting nervous about your auditions. Here are some answers to all of your questions:</p>
<p>If you only have classical monologues, I suggest you work on at least one contemporary one. Many schools require contemporary monologues. CMU requires two monologues, one of which should be classical, and might ask you to do a third -- but you certainly don't need 8, and as you mentioned, it would be hard to prepare that many and do them all well.</p>
<p>If you can sing both classical and contemporary styles well, do it. Schools do want to see diversity. If you aren't confident in the contemporary genre, don't try it at the audition. There is certainly room for classically trained voices in MT departments -- don't let anyone convince you to do something you're not properly prepared for.</p>
<p>Yes on the duffle bag. Facilities at each school are different, but lockers probably won't be available, so keep your valuables with you if you don't have anyone to watch your belongings. </p>
<p>And relax! From your participation on this board, I'd be willing to bet you're much more prepared than much of your competition. Good luck.</p>
<p>I agree if you add a contemporary (or two contrasting contemporary if you have the time) to the 3 classical you already have you will be plenty prepared! In general it can be a good idea to have two contrasting classical and two contrasting contemporary monologues. That way you will be able to mix and match with your songs depending on the schools requirements.</p>
<p>Breath... :)</p>
<p>You might want to look at different cuts of the same monologue if the time requirements are different. Two contemporary and three classical should cover most if not all of your audition requirements although the time limits might range from one to three minutes.</p>
<p>Simon Dunmore who is a freelance director and has taught at and sat on the panel of top British drama schools for 40 years - recommends you learn around 8 monologues and the more the better.</p>
<p>Of course it's wonderful to have a large repertoire of monologues. (I would guess that my D, who is now in her 3rd year at Syracuse, has many more than 8 prepared.) But since claydavisdbc has only two months left before auditions, I would recommend that he focus on mastering 3 or 4 monologues and songs -- that's all that will be needed for this particular purpose. Plenty of time to add monologues at a later date.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your responses!</p>
<p>Sorry, I didn't realise you couldn't link to websites!</p>