Getting the opportunity to play a part in front of an audience is an exciting and fun-filled experience. No matter if you have previous acting experience or not, with a little bit of practice and good preparation, you can do a winning audition and get the part you deserve. Here’s what you should do.
Choose your monologue wisely
If asked to perform a monologue be sure to choose the best fit for you as an actor. If you expect to fascinate your audience, you must select a character and section that you yourself are fascinated with. To accomplish this, you must go through the entire play/script and pick the section which has the most interesting levels within the scene and in particular the potential monologue.
Try not to choose monologues from popular Tv shows and films as people will inevitably compare you to what they know from the original productions.
There is no alternative to memorising the lines
If you are supplied audition sides to learn, you must be prepared to memorise the lines. Once receiving the scenes, you should start memorising the lines thoroughly. Never think of reading the lines from the page in the audition room. Although in some situations you are allowed to have the script with you. Industry experts suggest relying on memory; if you decide to have the script in your hand during the audition, you are more likely to ‘read’ the lines instead of ‘playing’ the character. Therefore, you will need to dedicate as much of your time as possible to memorise the lines (of course, there are plenty of strategies to memorise the lines easily).
If possible, you should prepare for a second option too; a second monologue or a song can become really handy in various situations. It is even better if the second option is completely different to the first one allowing you to give the casting director some options.
Find a ‘playmate’
If you can find someone to practice your monologue with you, that would be great! Having someone following the script can help the process of memorising lines go more smoothly. they can give you line prompts for you to pick up on, so that you don’t break your stride whilst practicing your delivery.
You can also utilise a second person for some critical advice. They might be able to notice things with your delivery which can help you give a more natural performance. Things which the actor themselves would never notice. As well as this, performing and practicing your monologue in front of someone else will often increase your confidence for when you have to stand in from of and perform to a casting director.
