What should I prepare for an audition?
August 23, 2011 9:19 PM Subscribe
who knows some good monologues for men?
If there are any theatrically minded mefites out there, I would love a wee bit of advice.
Fairly out of the blue, I got an audition for a little film that's being shot in my city. It seems legit, if slightly low-budget. Tomorrow I read for the main role.
Here's the tricky part. Zero professional acting experience. The last time I auditioned for anything was a grade 7 school play.
I'll be reading from a scene, but they would also like me to prepare a short monologue or scene on my own. Does anyone have any suggestions for something that would be :
A) simple enough that I can memorize it for tomorrow.
B) awesome.
I'm pretty much willing to entertain any ideas. The only one I've thought of so far is the lucid-dream speech from Waking Life.
If it helps focus the search, the character is apparently "rugged, yet soft". I'm really hoping that translates into bearded and a little flabby.
If there are any theatrically minded mefites out there, I would love a wee bit of advice.
Fairly out of the blue, I got an audition for a little film that's being shot in my city. It seems legit, if slightly low-budget. Tomorrow I read for the main role.
Here's the tricky part. Zero professional acting experience. The last time I auditioned for anything was a grade 7 school play.
I'll be reading from a scene, but they would also like me to prepare a short monologue or scene on my own. Does anyone have any suggestions for something that would be :
A) simple enough that I can memorize it for tomorrow.
B) awesome.
I'm pretty much willing to entertain any ideas. The only one I've thought of so far is the lucid-dream speech from Waking Life.
If it helps focus the search, the character is apparently "rugged, yet soft". I'm really hoping that translates into bearded and a little flabby.
Well, pretty much anything from Glengarry Glen Ross is awesome. Don't go with the obvious Alec Baldwin coffee is for closers 'logue, though. Maybe Al Pacino? Option 1, option 2, option 3. I really like Al Pacino.
posted by phunniemee at 9:37 PM on August 23, 2011
posted by phunniemee at 9:37 PM on August 23, 2011
Difficult to give suggestions without more details (age of character? classic/modern? either stage or screen? funny/dramatic?) but Tarantino can always be counted on for male monologues. cf. "Eggplant" speech, Dennis Hopper, True Romance; "Like a Virgin" speech, Tarantino, Reservoir Dogs; "Redemption" speech (at the diner), Samuel Jackson, Pulp Fiction, etc.
posted by war wrath of wraith at 9:42 PM on August 23, 2011
posted by war wrath of wraith at 9:42 PM on August 23, 2011
Response by poster: The character is supposed to be around 25, and given to strangeness. He's described as having "gone to hell and back emotionally" whatever the poop that means.
The movie seems to be your typically whimsical indie romance. The secondary character is apparently modeled closely after Jules from Pulp Fiction, but my character is apparently a dogged nice-guy type who has a prevailing love for the girl character. Think John Krasinsky's role from "Away We Go". That's my understanding at least.
posted by sarastro at 9:54 PM on August 23, 2011
The movie seems to be your typically whimsical indie romance. The secondary character is apparently modeled closely after Jules from Pulp Fiction, but my character is apparently a dogged nice-guy type who has a prevailing love for the girl character. Think John Krasinsky's role from "Away We Go". That's my understanding at least.
posted by sarastro at 9:54 PM on August 23, 2011
Somewhat short if memory serves, but the truck driver character from Atom Egoyan's Sweet Hereafter has a bitter, touching monologue in the motel when he realizes he's not going to continue to have an affair with the motel owner's wife. (That may just be the hell, and not the back, but it's more 'world-weary' than 'emotional minefield'.)
posted by war wrath of wraith at 10:08 PM on August 23, 2011
posted by war wrath of wraith at 10:08 PM on August 23, 2011
Crispin Glover in the opening scene of Dead Man (starts at 4:40)
posted by mannequito at 10:28 PM on August 23, 2011
posted by mannequito at 10:28 PM on August 23, 2011
aww that's not really a full monologue though, just the beginning ... too bad, sorry
posted by mannequito at 10:30 PM on August 23, 2011
posted by mannequito at 10:30 PM on August 23, 2011
Say Anything:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEgu7jdc_fs
Breakfast Club
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGzPq3QfH6g
posted by RobotHero at 10:42 PM on August 23, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEgu7jdc_fs
Breakfast Club
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGzPq3QfH6g
posted by RobotHero at 10:42 PM on August 23, 2011
Oh gosh. NOT MAMET. REALLY NOT MAMET. Mamet is bloody difficult.
(Do the film people want to see film monologues? If it's a low-budget thing, doubt they care.)
Also, do they want serious or comic?
Really, it's a lot about your personal taste. I personally like Edward Albee -- he has some good ones, like maybe flip through Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff and find a nice George rant.
posted by paultopia at 11:24 PM on August 23, 2011
(Do the film people want to see film monologues? If it's a low-budget thing, doubt they care.)
Also, do they want serious or comic?
Really, it's a lot about your personal taste. I personally like Edward Albee -- he has some good ones, like maybe flip through Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff and find a nice George rant.
posted by paultopia at 11:24 PM on August 23, 2011
I'm a fan of this monologue from Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are Dead
http://www.whysanity.net/monos/rosencrantz.html
You can expand it with the next few blocks of dialogue if it's too short. (Full text of the play is here)
posted by caliban at 11:47 PM on August 23, 2011
http://www.whysanity.net/monos/rosencrantz.html
You can expand it with the next few blocks of dialogue if it's too short. (Full text of the play is here)
posted by caliban at 11:47 PM on August 23, 2011
If you want someon struggling with terror and demonstrating rugged softness, take an old telephone handset along, and do President Muffley talking to the Russian Premier.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 12:49 AM on August 24, 2011
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 12:49 AM on August 24, 2011
Perhaps a bit long (and the character is older), but how about A Chip in the Sugar from the Talking Heads series of monologues by Alan Bennet?
posted by baggers at 7:10 AM on August 24, 2011
posted by baggers at 7:10 AM on August 24, 2011
Clarence's speech from William Shakespeare's Richard III
posted by blue_beetle at 7:20 AM on August 24, 2011
posted by blue_beetle at 7:20 AM on August 24, 2011
I love Garrison Keillor's "Letter from Jim" about a man who almost has an affair. Written in first- person
http://www.last.fm/music/Garrison+Keillor/_/Letter+From+Jim
You can cut "A Perfect Day for a Banana Fish" by Salinger into 10 minutes. In it a man on his honeymoon makes friends with a young girl. And in a tragic twist- well read it.
http://www.miguelmllop.com/stories/stories/bananafish.pdf
posted by jander03 at 9:16 AM on August 24, 2011
http://www.last.fm/music/Garrison+Keillor/_/Letter+From+Jim
You can cut "A Perfect Day for a Banana Fish" by Salinger into 10 minutes. In it a man on his honeymoon makes friends with a young girl. And in a tragic twist- well read it.
http://www.miguelmllop.com/stories/stories/bananafish.pdf
posted by jander03 at 9:16 AM on August 24, 2011
There's a good "nice guy rant" in Spike Heels. (Note: Haven't read the play, but a classmate used this in an acting class in college eons ago, and it was great.)
posted by luckynerd at 11:37 AM on August 24, 2011
posted by luckynerd at 11:37 AM on August 24, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by thelonius at 9:28 PM on August 23, 2011