<p>So I'm in the process of choosing my monologues. I do actually have two already, one comedic and one dramatic. My only issue is that I'm not too thrilled with my dramatic one. It is a good monologue, I'm just not sure if I'm connecting to the character like I should be. I only looked through monologues that were of characters close to my age as I was under the impression that was the right thing to do. I've just looked at the websites of the schools I'm auditioning at, and apart from one, none of them said anything about the characters having to be close to your age. </p>
<p>My question is, do most schools just assume you'll choose monologues close to your age? or can you actually choose to portray a character that is a good deal older than you? </p>
<p>Everyone assumes that you are going to choose a character relatively close to your age. One of the supreme goals in the audition is naturalness…that’s the reason.</p>
<p>If there is a character who is still somewhat young, and with whom you really deeply connect, you could use such a character.</p>
<p>I’m 19 years old and all the monologues I’ve looked at (which is close to 40 now), I just can’t connect to. Oddly enough I end up liking the monologues intended for people in their 30’s… There are a few monologues that I can kind of connect to that are more my age but they aren’t really very good pieces in that they don’t show so much versatility. I have to record videos for most of my auditions, which I know already hurts my chances, and I don’t want to be any further penalized for not showing the best of my ability in monologues that I can’t really connect to. I guess I’ll just have to keep looking!</p>
<p>Every school my son is considering makes clear that the monologue should be “age-appropriate,” which we infer means the character must be under 30. Schools vary in other requirements, but that has been a universal stipulation.</p>
<p>JME - Where are you looking for monologues? Remember, they need to be from published plays, and you need to have read the play from which the monologue is taken. (Sorry if I’m stating the obvious.) If you search this Board there are several threads which provide resources for age-appropriate monologues, which I agree is what you need to use.</p>
<p>First, there is so much material out there that there is no reason not to find one that is your age, gender, race, and type. Go the extra mile and find somebody that you can REALLY relate to and speak HONESTLY through.</p>
<p>Second, people may feel like their toes are being stepped on if a monologue is “comedic” or “dramatic” it all depends on how it is played, and it limits the performance if you play it as one or the other. </p>
<p>Third, dont let the material upstage you. Keep it simple. You arent trying to show that you can ejaculate massive amounts of emotion within a minute. You are trying to show yourself. Material can upstage you by being “funny” (if it cracks a joke, it isnt you being funny, its the text) or by requiring you to be in an “emotional state” (you dont need to cry or scream to get their attention). The auditors really just want to meet you through your material and get an insight into who you are.</p>