I've got an acting audition coming up and they want to see two contrasting monologues, I've not needed to have monologues before so I don't have any. It's for an agent so I can't tailor them towards the part I'm after.

I used to know a speech from twelfth night many years ago which I'm sure I could re-learn but is Shakespeare a good plan? And then what else? I'd quite like to do a sad piece because I can cry on cue.

Does anyone have any ideas? I have no formal acting training so am basically clueless honestly I'm amazed these people want to see me and I don't want to blow this chance.

Ballet_Baibe

edit: I forgot to say they've asked for them to be less than a minute long each.

If you're doing Shakespeare then you really need to use Shakespearian technique, unless these people won't really know what that is. Which speech from Twelfth Night were you thinking about?

What plays do you know? What accents can you convincingly manage?

I agree with you about doing two pieces showing opposites or contrasting emotions, it'll show more range. Keeping them under a minute will mean that you might have to do part of a speech rather than the whole thing.

Well done on getting the audition.

A Shakespeare monologue is always a good basic. Pair it with a contemporary piece and you'll be good to go for many auditions.

Suggestions, uh... I just googled contemporary monologues for young women and came up with lots of hits. Pick something that speaks to you.

kk~

Thank you very much for your speedy replies,

It's Viola's speech from act III scene 1 which starts: 'By innocence I swear, and by my youth...'

I don't know Shakespearean technique though and this is a big agency which also owns a theatre school and I expect they will know it so it may be best to give Shakespeare a miss.

Any agent worth their salt will know pretty much ANY monologue you would think to choose. This is their business, so of course they will know it.

That is not a reason to not use Shakespeare though, and Shakespeare does not necessarily have to be performed as it was back in its time. I have done a comic Shakespearean monologue as a migrant living in modern-day Western Sydney. It was hilarious. But you need to know what every single word means otherwise it doesn't work.

Honestly, if you were auditioning for me, I'd like to see you just connect, with both the text and with me. Otherwise, it's not very interesting.

Helen

Thank you very much for the advice, at the moment I'm thinking of doing Olivia's speech from the same scene in twelfth night just before the Viola one I mentioned. Apart from anything else I studied the play when I was younger so I know it quite well.

For my other piece I'm learning this one: www.actorpoint.com . . .

I can't do all of it because it's quite long but the first time I read it through it had me in tears and I think I can convey the emotion of it.