Monologue rules....I really need your help!?

Question

I'm a female and I thought of doing the monologue from the movie, There Will Be Blood. Is it okay for a female to act as a male? And how long should I perform a monologue? Is 1 minute too quick? And when you are performing it, must you always face the audience (judges) or am I allowed to have a person with me and talk to him the whole time...and let him say a few words?

Answer 1

1. No. It is not ok for you to do a male's roll.  You need to pick a role that fits your archetype...for example if you look young, you're 25 but could pass for 18, than you want to do a monologue of someone that looks your age; not of a woman in her mid fifties. You don't want to do the part of a young black slave girl if you are white. Create an illusion so that the judges will be spell bound.

2. Normally they will tell you how long they want the monologue to be. A lot of times they will ask for you to do a contemporary and classical piece (modern day vs. Shakespearian.) And normally they are 1 minute each. It is better to go shorter than longer.

3. You do not want to look at the judges while you are doing your monologue. They want to be "flys on the wall" so they can see what you are doing. And you cannot have someone do lines with you. If they want you to read a part, a lot of times one of the judges will read the other part for you. But you never bring someone else to do the monologue with you. A monologue is normally a long speech that one character says. You shouldn't pick a part that requires another character.

Also...you should never do a scene from a movie. It should be from a play. Pick a play that you are familiar with, not a monologue out of a monologue book. You need to know the story and understand the character.

Answer 2

It really depends on what you are doing.  If you are auditioning for a role on stage then you should not do a movie, it should be from a play.  If you are doing it for a speech and debate thing then you should have been told the rules before you started and if you don't understand them ask your coach.  If you are auditioning for a class if it's a theatre class you need a theatrical monologue, if it's an acting for the screen class then a monologue from a movie is fine.  

General rules for all auditions:

1) Pick something that is close to your type.  It's like picking clothes, you should pick out something that looks good on you.  If you are young and pretty pick out a young and pretty role.  If you are older and strong, pick out a strong older woman role.  If you are shy and quiet, pick out a girl who is shy and quiet.  This may should like it's not much fun or "Hey, but that's not the part I WANT to play."  The thing is, until you get more experience then you need to play the part that fits you because you don't have enough experience to fit the part.     When you have a few roles under your belt and a few acting classes then branch out.  Until then, play what you know.  You get cast that way.  The best acting advise I ever got was from a friend who said "Type casting is just another way of saying working actor."  

2) Only look at your judges/auditors if the monologue calls for it.  If your character is talking to the audience, then talk to your audience.  But if your character is talking to someone specific (let's say Romeo) don't make your judge/auditor Romeo.  They are not Romeo, they are your audience. Looking just over their heads is a good way to go, or just off to the side of where they are sitting, or move around a lot and don't focus too much on any one thing.    

3) It is a monologue and you are the only one auditioning, you can not bring an acting partner and you can not choose a piece where someone else has lines.  You are and have to be all alone up there.  

4) Generally monologues should be one to two minutes long.  Believe me, a minute will not feel too quick.