<p>I do agree with TomBFA about monologue books -- they are a terrific source and a great way for young students to to get familiar with new material. And in the end, when they find a good monologue, -- THEN they can read the whole play to understand the context.</p>
<p>I do stand by my comment about monologues from musicals. Of course there are many with good content and full character development. And some schools do allow them -- but in general, I have found that there is somewhat of a prejudice against them. As a musical theater coach, I LOVE musicals. But many acting coaches find them lightweight, and if you run into one of those people at your audition, you may be at a disadvantage using a monologue from a musical.</p>
<p>As a general guideline, I also would steer away from monologues from musicals. Some schools do not want that and why prepare more materials than you have to? Prepare what can be used at several schools. </p>
<p>I also agree that monologue books comprised of monologues culled from REAL plays (not monologues that stand alone) can be one place to start. Any list of monologues can be read through and when some suitable ones are found, then the student can opt to purchase the play and read the entire thing, as opposed to reading many plays without knowing if suitable material lies within. One monologue my D chose (of the four she prepared) was due to having seen a particular play. After seeing it, she obtained the script.</p>
<p>Everyone is making great points. Let me just clarify some of the points I was trying to make. </p>
<p>Any monologue book you buy or read should absolutely be comprised of monologues from published plays. That is a given. Any parent or student reading this and didn't know that should get that straight right now. I think every coach and teacher on this board will agree with that.</p>
<p>I wanted to point out that some schools do accept monologues from musicals. I just wouldn't definitively rule one out.........I do agree to some extent...."As a general guideline"... I wouldn't choose a monologue from a musical..."but as a general guideline" sometimes doesn't apply........ let's say for example.... a student is dying to get into NYC, or another school that does allow monologues from Musicals. It is their first choice. Under that circumstance I would certainly use a monologue from a musical if it was working for that student. </p>
<p>The same can be said about classical monologues... some schools want them and some schools don't want them... so should you learn one? It depends on what schools you are auditioning for. Some students auditioning will have to learn one and some won't. Some may have to learn one because they have one school out of five they want to audition for who will require it. That's the way the audition cookie crumbles.</p>
<p>Check the requirements for the schools you want to go to and plan to audition for, and then work on the material that they request, with as much overlap as possible. That seems logical.</p>
<p>I really do enjoy reading responses and debate to these posts with other coaches, students and parents. It just reminds me what a great resource CC is. </p>
<p>I purchased a monologue book for my D and a few scripts from a couple of plays she has seen and liked. Hopefuly she will find something. All of your help has been great. We all read plays on our way to a family graduation and had a blast. This site has been an excellent resource for us. Thank you, Chelle</p>