Actor Monologues 2024: Find Your Perfect Monologue

1/20/2024

Are you in the process of searching through all kinds of websites trying to find the perfect monologue to perform for an audition?

If so, you can slow down. Before you pick one, you should take a couple extra steps to ensure the one you pick is right for you.

In this article, I'll show you a simple, four step process to make choosing monologues easier, plus some helpful tips to pick stronger, more captivating monologues.

Actor Monologues

What are acting monologues? Monologues are scenes (or segments of scenes) where only one character speaks while the other character listens.

This means that in order to perform a monologue effectively, you MUST fully imagine the other actor right there in front of you, listening to your every word.

In this guide, I'll show you not only how to find great monologues, but also how to perform them in a way that captivates the viewer.

How to Find the Right Actor Monologues for YOU

There are four steps to choosing great actor monologues:

STEP 1: Figure out your Types (if you're unclear on them). You MUST know exactly how the industry sees you or you'll always struggle to book roles. Choosing monologues that are not in alignment with your Type(s) will cause casting directors to wonder whether you take your career seriously.
- I recommend you start by reviewing this fantastic resource for finding your Type: A Shortcut to Find Your Type(s) in Just 10 Minutes
STEP 2: Begin your search. I've included a number of links below. Keep in mind both your Types AND the kind of acting you're focused on (Musical Theater, Film/TV, Classical, etc.). Do your best to find about 20-30 potential actor monologues that could work and save the links to them so you can easily reference them in Step 3. You don't need to read every monologue in its entirety right now; just skim them and save the link if you think it might be a fit:
STEP 3: Narrow it down. It's now time to read the 20-30 actor monologues you chose in their entirety. Read every word and narrow them down to about 10 you feel could be a good fit not just based on your Type, but also based on your personality.
- Your selected monologues should capture elements of your personality because the closer the characters are to who you as a person, the easier it will be for you to perform them consistently each time, and the more natural your acting will seem.
- Make sure the monologues you choose capture a range of emotions, such as anger, sadness, happiness, excitement, curiosity, etc.
STEP 4: Pick four. Read each of the 10 monologues you chose in Step 3 aloud a few times to see which ones fit best with your natural speech patterns. Some might feel a bit clunky and awkward, so don't choose those. You should aim to pick 4 that work well. If necessary, you can adjust the words in the monologues to fit your own dialect (but only do this if they're obscure or unknown – more on this in the next section).
- Remember that the four actor monologues you choose should each capture different emotionality, such as sad, angry, happy, and funny.

Tips for Great Actor Monologues

Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you go about finding and practicing your actor monologues:

Keep it short! In general, your monologue should only be about a minute long. You can go up to 1:30 if needed, but I wouldn't recommend going longer than that because casting directors are busy and don't like actors who take up too much of their time. If a monologue you find is longer than one minute, you can edit it down yourself by cutting off either the beginning or end, or some of both. Cutting out parts of the middle is only OK if the monologue is from a very unknown/obscure work.
Ensure there is drama. Some monologues are just boring to watch. Make sure the content of the monologues you choose is actually engaging and interesting. The subject matter doesn't need to be controversial, but it should at least capture people's attention and ideally have a character arc where you're going through a moment of change (a beginning, middle, and end).
Make clear choices before you perform. Picking the right monologue is only half the battle! The other half is how you perform it. Be clear on your Objectives and Intentions in the scene, and feel free to make choices that create internal conflict in the character. Those are often the most interesting monologues to watch!
- If you're unclear with what "internal conflict" means, imagine two scenarios: A) you're firing someone and want to fire them or B) you're firing someone but wish you didn't have to fire them. Which scenario would be more interesting to watch? Probably scenario B, because there is internal conflict since the character doesn't want to do the action they must do.
Remember your audience. Don't forget to think about how your viewer will react while watching your monologue. Choose something that will draw emotions out of the viewer too – whether it's simply a smile or even some tears. When casting directors actually feel something as they watch actors perform, they're WAY more likely to hire the actor.
Make sure it's a well-written piece. There are tons of actor monologues online, and not all of them are well-written. If the monologue seems unrealistic or weird, or doesn't feel like the way you'd actually talk, either modify it or pick something else.
In general, it's best to pick monologues that are not from published plays. Some auditions might require it, but if they don't, you should aim to pick something that's obscure. That being said, if you find yourself performing a monologue from a well-known play, you MUST make choices based on the script. Do not make your own character choices because casting directors will think you were just too lazy to read the play. Make sure to do your homework and prepare properly!
Pick something that's not overdone. If you've heard a monologue before or read it somewhere, you should avoid it. The more overdone a monologue is, the more difficult it is to stand out and be remembered by a casting director (not to mention, the easier it is to bore them). Try to stick with things that are not well-known. If you're unsure of whether a monologue has been overdone, just ask some acting friends or acting teachers if they've heard of it.
You MUST have your monologue fully memorized. This should go without saying, but fully memorizing your monologue is absolutely critical. If you struggle with memorization, check out my guide called The Ultimate Guide to Memorizing Lines.

3 Numbers All Actors Should Know

Knowing how to find a great monologue is important, but it's just one small part of growing your acting career.

If your goal is to act full-time, you should know these 3 numbers:

40-60 Submissions – This is how often full-time, working actors submit themselves (whether they have an agent or not) each month.
10-20 Auditions – This is how many times full-time working actors audition (or at least record and submit self-tapes) each month.
3-5 Bookings – This is how often full-time working actors book real, paid acting jobs each and every month.

If your numbers aren't there yet, that's OK! It's certainly not easy to audition and book that much.

But those are actual, real numbers from busy, working actors who didn't just get lucky.

Those busy, working actors started at the beginning – for them, the biggest question swirling in their minds at the time was:

How do I get taken seriously by casting directors when I don't have good credits or footage? And how do I get credits/footage without being taken seriously by casting directors?

It's the classic actor's catch 22.

When we're struggling to get our careers off the ground, our minds can slip into "desperation mode" and start looking for quick-fix solutions. We'll ask ourselves questions like:

"Should I take another acting class?"
"Do I need better headshots or should I pay to shoot a reel?"
"What's the fastest way to get an agent?"

But questions like those mean you're focused on Tactics, instead of Strategy.

Think about it this way: Would you bake a cake by randomly sliding a pile of flour, eggs, and chocolate into the oven? Of course not! How you combine the ingredients, the temperature you cook it at, and for how long are all just as important.

Similarly, the long-term, well thought-out strategy you follow as you grow your acting career matters. A LOT.

That's why "strategic thinking" is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself as an actor.

So today I'd like to give you a gift: 3 tools specifically designed to help you start thinking and operating strategically.

These tools have helped over 14,000 actors so far, many of whom have gone on to:

Book Broadway roles
Land network television and Netflix shows
Sign with agents and managers
And much more – faster than you'd expect (you can see some success stories here).

My free Actor's Toolkit will help you BLAST through the actor's catch 22 so you start getting WAY more auditions and bookings every month:

The Actor's Toolkit

The Top 6 Casting Websites to Find Auditions, plus 3 specific submissions strategies to get higher-quality auditions from them
3 Pro Actor Resume Templates, professionally formatted (they work on any device – just add your info)
Contact info of over 140 Top Talent Agencies & Submissions Techniques to save you the hassle of trying to find legitimate (non-scam) agents

Send Me the Toolkit!

Martin Bentsen (author of this guide) is an actor marketing coach who uses strategic thinking to help actors book more work. He’s helped over 14,000 actors with their careers and actor headshots since 2009 and his photography studio City Headshots is ranked #1 on Yelp. He’s spoken at NYU, The New England Theater Conference, The Actor’s Green Room, and other venues.

Want to book more acting work by thinking strategically? Start with his free Actor’s Toolkit to create new opportunities right away, or visit his website at www.martinbentsen.com.

Some Additional Q&A

What are the Best Monologues for Auditions?

Since every audition is different, there is no one place where you'll find the best monologues for all auditions. It's always based on Type, which is why it's so important that you follow the process outlined in this article to find monologues perfectly suited for YOU.

Related: How to Find Your Type in 10 Minutes

Where Can I Find Actor's Monologues?

Some of the best resources to find monologues include The Daily Actor, Backstage, and Monologue Blogger.

What is the Most Famous Monologue?

The most famous monologue is by William Shakespeare, in Hamlet:

To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die—to sleep,
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there's the rub:
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause—there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th'oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of dispriz'd love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th'unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovere'd country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action.