everdancing
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Monologues....Well, I've never really needed any monologues before, but as I'm branching out I'm discovering I need them. SO my question is, where can I find/what are any good monologue books that have good, clean monologues for young women. Not children's monologues mind you, but young women.
Sorry if there was somewhere else I shoulda posted this, I didn't really see any place!
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what_the_heck013
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The library.
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everdancing
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| what_the_heck013 wrote: | | The library. |
But do you know of any particularly good books to look for there?
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MsStarlite
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The best thing is to read plays with characters your age, not a ready made monologue book. You can go to StageAgent.com and enter your age and gender, and check the box for plays and see what it comes up with. Read a few of those plays and find at least 1 comedy and 1 dramatic monologue to start off with. Good luck!
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jazzygirlsings
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Look at the "READ ME" thread at the top of this page. It gives great advice on how to best find a monologue.
Actually, using the monologue books as a tool instead of using the monologues from the books is a good idea. If you read a bunch of monologues in the book and find that you like the writing style of the playwright, then find other plays written by that person and you're sure to find a good monologue that way...
Also, a good source book is called "The Ultimate Monologue Sourcebook". It doesn't give you the monologues, but gives backgrounds/types of characters/type of monologues in the plays/etc. I actually found a very funny monologue through that book. It guides you but doesn't give you the full answer... 
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metaphor17
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Whatever you do, DON'T do Luisa's monologue from The Fantasticks. EVERYONE does that.
At least, they do around here.
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Angel-of-Music*
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http://www.musicaltheatreaudition.com/shows/1materials/index.html
have a look on there, its a bit of a sod to navigate that site but once you find the right pages theres some useful stuff
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jazzygirlsings
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| metaphor17 wrote: | Whatever you do, DON'T do Luisa's monologue from The Fantasticks. EVERYONE does that.
At least, they do around here. |
It's generally a good rule of thumb to avoid monologues from musicals altogether...
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everdancing
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| jazzygirlsings wrote: | | metaphor17 wrote: | Whatever you do, DON'T do Luisa's monologue from The Fantasticks. EVERYONE does that.
At least, they do around here. |
It's generally a good rule of thumb to avoid monologues from musicals altogether... |
Really? I heard somewhere else that they're good to use because most people overlook musicals....
Anyway, thanks everyone! Your help is greatly appreciated!
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jazzygirlsings
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| everdancing wrote: | | jazzygirlsings wrote: | | metaphor17 wrote: | Whatever you do, DON'T do Luisa's monologue from The Fantasticks. EVERYONE does that.
At least, they do around here. |
It's generally a good rule of thumb to avoid monologues from musicals altogether... |
Really? I heard somewhere else that they're good to use because most people overlook musicals....
Anyway, thanks everyone! Your help is greatly appreciated! |
Generally, the books of musicals are often frowned upon in comparison to plays because the writing is generally not as good...(This isn't true in all cases, but most)...
Also in an audition it shows that you have training and knowledge outside of the musicals realm, which is considered a good thing, acting-wise.
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MaryMag
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Finding monologues is harder, I think, than finding audition songs. Simply because there are almost an infinite number of plays! You could read and research plays forever and make a very small dent in all that exists. However you could listen to recordings and look at scores for years and make a considerable dent in what's available, (simply because fewer people put out a recording than put out a script. Even a fairly known musical like Bare never put out an official recording. But there are billions of obscure ass plays in print.)
ANYWAY I digress.
My suggested steps to finding a monologue:
1) Check out a few monologue books.
2) Find one you like. BUT DON't USE IT.
3) Write down the name of the playwright who wrote the monologue you like.
4) Find other plays by this author and read em.
5) Find a monologue in one of those OTHER plays that you like and use that.
What MaryMag does to find monologues:
1) Check out 7 scripts a week from my library.
2) Read them.
3) Return most of them cuz they contain no decent chunks of monologue.
3) Hold onto the scripts that do contain decent chunks of monologue. Photocopy said chunks, record the name of the play and the playwright, and a few other details about the scene.
4) File 'em away in a folder.
5) Whenever an audition comes up that requires a monologue, go through said folder. Very often I go through it and say, "Oh wow! I don't remember putting this in here! This will be great!"
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Angel-of-Music*
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My local library has no scripts or anything to do with acting whatsoever, and its a pretty big library. is there anywhere i could rent scripts and whatnot?
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MaryMag
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| Angel-of-Music* wrote: | | My local library has no scripts or anything to do with acting whatsoever, and its a pretty big library. is there anywhere i could rent scripts and whatnot? |
I bet it does have scripts. Go to the nonfiction section and look under the number 812.54
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Bianca.
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| MaryMag wrote: | Finding monologues is harder, I think, than finding audition songs. Simply because there are almost an infinite number of plays! You could read and research plays forever and make a very small dent in all that exists. However you could listen to recordings and look at scores for years and make a considerable dent in what's available, (simply because fewer people put out a recording than put out a script. Even a fairly known musical like Bare never put out an official recording. But there are billions of obscure ass plays in print.)
ANYWAY I digress.
My suggested steps to finding a monologue:
1) Check out a few monologue books.
2) Find one you like. BUT DON't USE IT.
3) Write down the name of the playwright who wrote the monologue you like.
4) Find other plays by this author and read em.
5) Find a monologue in one of those OTHER plays that you like and use that.
What MaryMag does to find monologues:
1) Check out 7 scripts a week from my library.
2) Read them.
3) Return most of them cuz they contain no decent chunks of monologue.
3) Hold onto the scripts that do contain decent chunks of monologue. Photocopy said chunks, record the name of the play and the playwright, and a few other details about the scene.
4) File 'em away in a folder.
5) Whenever an audition comes up that requires a monologue, go through said folder. Very often I go through it and say, "Oh wow!
I don't remember putting this in here! This will be great!" |
7 a week, darling?
That's insane!
you must have a GINORMOUS library!
..and WADS of free time to read....
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Maryssa
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Monologues for Young Actors by Lorraine Cohen is a good book. It contains mainly monologues for people in their late teens and early twenties, which sounds like what you're looking for, if I interpreted your post correctly. I own gazillions of monologue books, and still struggle to find monologues, so I know what the search can be like.
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what_the_heck013
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| MaryMag wrote: | | Go to the nonfiction section and look under the number 812.54 |
Yup! Actually, I think at my library it's just 812.
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The Tink
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MaryMag's tips are spot on. I would add, however, that you should read the plays you want to use pieces from MULTIPLE times.
Once you get to University, if it's a program worth spending you money on, you'll be required to read massive amounts of plays. And analyze them. And write papers on them.
One more reason why the best actors have real training. They get exposed to massive amounts of straight plays...
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MaryMag
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| Syrso2yrsAgo wrote: | | MaryMag wrote: | Finding monologues is harder, I think, than finding audition songs. Simply because there are almost an infinite number of plays! You could read and research plays forever and make a very small dent in all that exists. However you could listen to recordings and look at scores for years and make a considerable dent in what's available, (simply because fewer people put out a recording than put out a script. Even a fairly known musical like Bare never put out an official recording. But there are billions of obscure ass plays in print.)
ANYWAY I digress.
My suggested steps to finding a monologue:
1) Check out a few monologue books.
2) Find one you like. BUT DON't USE IT.
3) Write down the name of the playwright who wrote the monologue you like.
4) Find other plays by this author and read em.
5) Find a monologue in one of those OTHER plays that you like and use that.
What MaryMag does to find monologues:
1) Check out 7 scripts a week from my library.
2) Read them.
3) Return most of them cuz they contain no decent chunks of monologue.
3) Hold onto the scripts that do contain decent chunks of monologue. Photocopy said chunks, record the name of the play and the playwright, and a few other details about the scene.
4) File 'em away in a folder.
5) Whenever an audition comes up that requires a monologue, go through said folder. Very often I go through it and say, "Oh wow!
I don't remember putting this in here! This will be great!" |
7 a week, darling?
That's insane!
you must have a GINORMOUS library!
..and WADS of free time to read.... |
This is why MaryMag's boyfriends never last long... they get pushed aside for Charles Busch...
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Bianca.
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| MaryMag wrote: | | Syrso2yrsAgo wrote: | | MaryMag wrote: | Finding monologues is harder, I think, than finding audition songs. Simply because there are almost an infinite number of plays! You could read and research plays forever and make a very small dent in all that exists. However you could listen to recordings and look at scores for years and make a considerable dent in what's available, (simply because fewer people put out a recording than put out a script. Even a fairly known musical like Bare never put out an official recording. But there are billions of obscure ass plays in print.)
ANYWAY I digress.
My suggested steps to finding a monologue:
1) Check out a few monologue books.
2) Find one you like. BUT DON't USE IT.
3) Write down the name of the playwright who wrote the monologue you like.
4) Find other plays by this author and read em.
5) Find a monologue in one of those OTHER plays that you like and use that.
What MaryMag does to find monologues:
1) Check out 7 scripts a week from my library.
2) Read them.
3) Return most of them cuz they contain no decent chunks of monologue.
3) Hold onto the scripts that do contain decent chunks of monologue. Photocopy said chunks, record the name of the play and the playwright, and a few other details about the scene.
4) File 'em away in a folder.
5) Whenever an audition comes up that requires a monologue, go through said folder. Very often I go through it and say, "Oh wow!
I don't remember putting this in here! This will be great!" |
7 a week, darling?
That's insane!
you must have a GINORMOUS library!
..and WADS of free time to read.... |
This is why MaryMag's boyfriends never last long... they get pushed aside for Charles Busch... |
<333.
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MaryMag
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| Syrso2yrsAgo wrote: | | MaryMag wrote: | | Syrso2yrsAgo wrote: | | MaryMag wrote: | Finding monologues is harder, I think, than finding audition songs. Simply because there are almost an infinite number of plays! You could read and research plays forever and make a very small dent in all that exists. However you could listen to recordings and look at scores for years and make a considerable dent in what's available, (simply because fewer people put out a recording than put out a script. Even a fairly known musical like Bare never put out an official recording. But there are billions of obscure ass plays in print.)
ANYWAY I digress.
My suggested steps to finding a monologue:
1) Check out a few monologue books.
2) Find one you like. BUT DON't USE IT.
3) Write down the name of the playwright who wrote the monologue you like.
4) Find other plays by this author and read em.
5) Find a monologue in one of those OTHER plays that you like and use that.
What MaryMag does to find monologues:
1) Check out 7 scripts a week from my library.
2) Read them.
3) Return most of them cuz they contain no decent chunks of monologue.
3) Hold onto the scripts that do contain decent chunks of monologue. Photocopy said chunks, record the name of the play and the playwright, and a few other details about the scene.
4) File 'em away in a folder.
5) Whenever an audition comes up that requires a monologue, go through said folder. Very often I go through it and say, "Oh wow!
I don't remember putting this in here! This will be great!" |
7 a week, darling?
That's insane!
you must have a GINORMOUS library!
..and WADS of free time to read.... |
This is why MaryMag's boyfriends never last long... they get pushed aside for Charles Busch... |
<333. |
I need to date a Capricorn. He'll understand me.
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