[ConverseSneaker]

I'm going for an audition and they asked for 2 contrasting monolouges, both 2 minutes long, 1 shakespeare, 1 contemporary, that I can relate too. The don't want to see me acting as someone else, they want to have a sense at what I am like. I have found two good ones, in my opinon, which obviously can always be wrong, but my question is, do you think they are a good contrast?

A raisin in the sun by Lorrianne Hansbury
BENEATHA: Me?...Me?...Me I'm nothing...me. When I was very small...we used to take our sleds out in the wintertime and the only hills we had were the ice covered stone steps of some houses down the street. And we used to fill them in with snow and make them smooth and slide down them all day...and it was very dangerous you know...far too steep...and sure enough one day a kid named Rufus came down too fast and hit the sidewalk...and we saw his face just split open right there in front of us...and I remember standing there looking at his bloody open face thinking that was the end of Rufus. But the ambulance came and they took him to the hospital and they fixed the broken bones and they sewed it all up...and the next time I saw Rufus he just had a little line down the middle of his face...I never got over that...

That that was what one person could do for another, fix him up--sew up the problem, make him all right again. That was the most marvelous thing in the world...I wanted to do that. I always thought it was the one concrete thing in the world that human being could do. Fix up the sick, you know--and make them whole again. This was truly being God...

[No.] I wanted to cure. It used to be so important to me. I wanted to cure. It used to matter. I used to care. I mean about people and how their bodies hurt...

The Tempest by Will Shakespeare
Miranda: I do not know
One of my sex, no woman's face remember—
Save, from my glass, mine own. Nor have I seen
More that I may call men than you, good friend,
And my dear father. How features are abroad
I am skill-less of, but, by my modesty,
The jewel in my dower, I would not wish
Any companion in the world but you,
Nor can imagination form a shape
Besides yourself to like of. But I prattle
Something too wildly, and my father's precepts
I therein do forget.
Do you love me?
I am a fool
To weep at what I am glad of
At mine unworthiness, that dare not offer
What I desire to give, and much less take
What I shall die to want. But this is trifling,
And all the more it seeks to hide itself
The bigger bulk it shows. Hence, bashful cunning,
And prompt me, plain and holy innocence!
I am your wife if you will marry me.
If not, I'll die your maid. To be your fellow
You may deny me, but I'll be your servant
Whether you will or no.

[shadowdancer]

when they ask for contrasting one hsoudl be dramatic and one comedic, i woudl look for somethign more comedic, unless i am missing it in the tempest.

[ConverseSneaker]

Well, can you suggest something? Because I'm not finding any comedic monolouges for women that will last for 2 minutes.

[opheliarose]

Marina isn't a bad choice but it doesn't contrast enough with Raisin.

Your shakespeare is probably longer than two minutes. Probably by half, depending on your pacing. Here's a hint- unless this is for school where you have to do a full two minutes, try to limit to 1 1/2. You will never be chastized for being under time!

Julia has a very cute monologue in Two Gents that I'm quite fond of. Also, slightly overdone but not to the point of avoidance is Viola's ring speech from Twelfth Night.

[ConverseSneaker]

Thank you! I'll look into both of them right now!

[vanillabean]

I was going to say they don't seem very contrasting. Two very wonderful monologues yes, but they are both very sad/naive/vulnerable.

[Francois]

I agree about the time thing--2 minutes is a LONG time to listen to a monologue, and having sat in on hundreds of ONE-minute monologues, I can tell you that 98% of the time, they see what they need to see within 20 seconds or so. OTOH, keeping them sitting there thinking "Gawd,where are these two minutes going to be over?" is an excrutiating torture to any casting crew.

I would plan for 1 1/2 minutes--you ALSO tend to take a little longer than you think you will--and of course, it's always better to leave them wanting more than wishing you'd hurry up and finish!