Help my son get the part!

October 6, 2011 1:48 PM

Recommend a 1-3 minute monologue for an 8-year-old aspiring actor.

My son is trying out for a role in a small but professional video production. The producers want him to deliver a monologue. He is 8, very expressive face, and very funny. Anything come to mind?

Bonus points: Is it kosher for him to have the script on hand for reference during the audition? I don't know that he can get that much down before Saturday, the day of the audition.

posted by Mister_A to media & arts (9 answers total)

You may want to take a look at this previous askme.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:54 PM on October 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

Some Seuss? Or Silverstein? That may be too poetic? Try it out and see how he presents a few lines of either if you think the producers would be ok with that material...

Beyond that you might just have luck with something he feels strongly about. I was a shy kid but if the topic at hand was something I was interested in, watch out.
posted by RolandOfEld at 2:06 PM on October 6, 2011

Ooh he would love something silly like Dr. Seuss. GOod idea!

Empress, thanks for the link, I will look through those.
posted by Mister_A at 2:07 PM on October 6, 2011

This was the craziest thing I had ever seen by a young actor.

Does your son have the chops for it? It'll make him famous.
posted by hal_c_on at 4:38 PM on October 6, 2011

Monologues are speeches - one person talking while other characters listen. The "the champ" thing is a dialogue not a monologue, and neither is reciting a poem or a book a monologue. If they asked him to do a monologue, don't make it harder for him to succeed by not doing one! It matters!

I don't really have a specific recommendation, but there's lots of resources out there. (When i was a kid doing acting classes and stuff, I personally liked doing monolgues from movies and plays i'd seen. Maybe try googling "'name of movie he likes' + monologue".)
posted by Kololo at 5:33 PM on October 6, 2011 [2 favorites]

I thought the monologue request was a bit off, but yeah, I'm trying to fulfill the request as best I can. I have cast many videos myself, and we never asked a kid this age for a long monologue. But that's what they want, which brings me here.

Kololo, everyone, thanks for the advice.
posted by Mister_A at 6:11 AM on October 7, 2011

Boy this is tough sledding though. The pieces are either too young, or they cost, or they're like taken from Henry V or something. Keep diggin' people!
posted by Mister_A at 6:14 AM on October 7, 2011

Gaah this is tough.
posted by Mister_A at 2:47 PM on October 7, 2011

TBH "Look on the internet" is not really a great answer, folks.
posted by Mister_A at 2:50 PM on October 7, 2011