Expert: John T. Aney - 10/29/2008

Question
Hello,  I am auditioning for The Miracle Worker - role of Annie or Kate.  I've been out of this for a while so monologue repoirtoirre is scarce.  I was thinking of Callie from Stop Kiss.  I know some people think it is overused but it wouldn't be here.  Should I be looking for something a little more like Annie or Kate?  Any suggestions?  Thank yoU!  

Answer
Generally, there are two schools of thought regarding monologues to choose for an audition.  One is to pick a monologue that shows the aspects and traits of the role you want in a play, and another is to pick a monologue that shows your own talents in the best possible way.  I tend to think the latter is often the better approach.

If you do a monologue that you know well, that you can relate to, and that you think shows what you can do, then you are probably going to do a better job in an audition than if you did a monologue you just learned and are not comfortable with.

So I would advise you to pick something you want to do, as long as it is not wildly inappropriate (i.e. a monologue from You're A Good Man Charlie Brown would probably not be a good idea for this audition).  The important thing is to make strong choices in your monologue - that shows the director that you are capable of making strong choices, and that quality is very important and will leave a great impression on a director.

Hope it goes well!

jta