A Wo-Monologue

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This is a monologue I wrote for auditions to be in a local play.
I haven't read it yet, but I do hope that I get bonus points for writing my own...

I awake in the morning to exactly the same world.
I still have the same room, the same clothes,
and the same body.

I move to the bathroom and get ready for the day.
All the while cursing that one little piece of genetic material,
that split missing a piece.

For whatever reason this happened, as some cruel cosmic joke,
a vengeful higher power exacting revenge on me for actions
in a past life, or even as a blessing, to be one of the few to see
the world from both sides of the looking glass, why was I the one
to have to suffer it?

I finish brushing teeth and hair, and clean myself up for the day,
and walk back to my room to pull out todays facade.
The same T-Shirt, blue jeans, and work boots.

I hate it so much. I feel like I slowly kill myself with each
passing day as I hide her deep within myself. As I bury her
under this false image in self-defense.

I mark off another day in my mental calender.
One day closer to the day when finally that beautiful
scalpel will set her free and bring her out to breathe
the cool, fresh air that this world has somewhere.

I head out the door into the cold foggy world that
despises us so, and yet...

I set out, optimistic, and full of hope...

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Comments

While its a fairly clear

While its a fairly clear statement and well written (for the most part - you might want to have another look at the phrase "that split missing a piece"), it is in a much more literary voice than most people use out loud. This means that when performed, the monologue will sound stilted and put on... which will reduce the ability of an audience (in this case the casting director) to connect with your character. This short piece also lacks the arc/progression that makes for an ideal audition piece. As with a play as a whole, the character in an audition piece needs to start in one place and face some obstacle that is overcome (or that the character fails to overcome) so that there is some variation in emotional context. This allows you to prove your ability to play a character of more than one dimension. While there is depth to this character you describe, it is mostly inferred. A director will want to see it.

I also have to warn you that few directors will respond well to "I wrote this myself" in an audition piece. While it isn't a requirement that an audition piece be something a director recognizes, you would be surprised by how much your character selections for audition pieces will give a point of reference for a director. The simple fact that you are up to the challenge of presenting something from Beckett or Brecht, have the inclination for glib witticisms from Neil Simon or Noel Coward, or see yourself as a classical artist with a grasp on Shakespeare and Moliere... provide insight into your personality and skill level.

A quality presentation of a character that is well know, Hamlet for example, is a difficult sale... after all, what director doesn't know this play? Every one of us (yes, I'm a director... and actor, playwright, and designer), has considered this character... his motives down to every nuance. You have to be better than everything we've imagined... and every other world class Hamlet we've ever seen. Otherwise you've failed to impress us... even if you played Hamlet better than the next person we see played something else. On the flip side of the coin, which is where you are if you do something you wrote yourself; we directors have no idea who this character you're showing us is. We don't know where in their life this monologue comes from or what it has to do with the story told in the play (which doesn't exist, because this is not a part of a play). That means we don't know if you've captured the character at all... because we don't know the character and a one minute monologue has to be reeeeeallly well written to give us every nuance of a character to this extent.

So, my recommendation... find your two (six to eight minimum if you're serious about working the audition circuit) monologues from moderately well known works by powerful playwrights. Choose to show off your range and complement the role you are seeking. Really make sure you understand who the characters are and why this moment of their lives is so critical. Know that moment inside and out, be moved by it. Present yourself as a professional and confident in your work and make sure that YOU and the characters you play are different (don't pick a character that is like you... especially not like the 'you' that is on stage auditioning).

And remember... even if you don't get the role, you have these two minutes to share your craft and your art with someone. Make the most of it.