Acting Career FAQ - The "Killer" Monologue

By Bob Fraser
One tool every actor must have in the tool kit, at all times, is a polished, prepared monologue. (Or 2)
In fact, very successful actors learn and practice several -- to be ready for different sorts of audition
circumstances: In office, on stage, at a rehearsal hall, on-camera, etc.
What every actor wants (and needs) is a "killer" monologue.
So here are the first steps in my M.O. (modus operandi) when it comes to finding and performing a "killer."

First, think outside the box.

It seems to me that many of these books I see at Samuel French with titles like 50 Monologues for Actors or Monologues For Women, are used to death. In other words, everyone has heard and seen the monologues from the monologue books dozens, if not hundreds, of times. I could be wrong about this -- but I'm probably not. This makes this material "iffy" in terms of it's professional (or collegiate level) usefulness.
You need something to "hook" the kind of viewer you will be performing in front of. Usually a hard-bitten pro.

I would suggest that your goal is to find something that nobody else is doing. Something casting directors, agents, managers, directors and acting school admission people haven't seen over and over again. With real work, you could probably come up with something they've NEVER seen before.
This is good because they will then be paying attention to the TOTALITY of your presentation. It's hard to be picky when you're "hooked." It's your job to "hook" them.
Start by searching in places other people are not searching. (Here's a hint: There are no undiscovered Shakespearean monologues.)

There are many possible sources for monologues that are off the beaten path. For instance, I recently saw a small piece on the net, ostensibly written by an 8 year old called "Explaining God." One of my newsletter subscribers has two young boys who are actors and so I sent this along to her as possible monologue material.

As it turns out, she had seen the piece several times in her email box, but had not thought of it as a monologue.
She (and her boys) loved it. I'm sure the casting people will love it too.

Here are some good places to look for material:
Court TV. Some of these trials have some fascinating characters "in extremis." Get out the tape recorder and adapt.

Books. One great thing about novels is that the characters often talk at length and when they do – it's usually something dramatic.

Old movies. Again, the writers of the older films were allowed to go on a bit. Use your recorder to capture these gems.

Interviews. There are many newspaper and magazine stories where the subject is interviewed and tells a good story.
Or even do your own interviews with people (with the trusty tape recorder). Ask them how they met their spouse. What childbirth was like. What did they do in the war.

An often overlooked source of first person writing is the autobiography. If you're looking for a funny monologue you could do worse than finding the books written by funny people and digging for gold.

Drama and memory pieces are even more available in the great bulk of autobiographies.

While you look, keep in mind the three main things every performance monologue MUST contain:
Story.
Character.
Emotional impact.

In fact, the successful monologue will be just like a successful movie or play. It will contain a beginning, a middle and an end. A good way to accomplish the mind-set of a good monologist is to start thinking like a comedian.
A well structured joke contains all the elements of a full length entertainment.
Remember, you've got two minutes, (or less) so make the best of every second.

Story. Don't make the mistake of thinking that the viewer
has any information up front. They don't. So your choice
has to contain the entire story. The opening line or two
should set up the whole piece. Hook us. Give us the back
story. Tell us who the character is.
The next line or two should present the dilemma, the
conflict.
The end should always be a "snapper."

The punchline of a monologue is extremely important. Keep
looking until you find a good one. I'm not talking "joke"
here. I'm talking about the "exit" line. "The button." The
last thing you say (and do).

Character. It's critical to realize that the closer the
character is to you, the better the result of your
monologue will be. If you're a teen-ager, the character
should be a teen-ager. If you're a bald old man ... well,
if you're a bald old man, I'm sure you get the idea. The
other important point about character is this: You are a
human being. You qualify as a character. Don't forget that.

Emotional Impact. The key to a successful monologue is
its ability to evoke an emotional response in the viewer.
This can be sadness, anger, happiness, memory, laughter,
etc. And allow me to repeat; it's terribly important that
the piece you pick has an impact on ... the viewer.

Too many actors look for something that allows them to act
out an emotional state. This is a bad tactic. The emotion
of the actor is not "the goods." It's how the viewer reacts
that counts. Watching you cry or emote in my office is not
going to be that interesting. If, however, I cry (or laugh)
while watching your "presentation," you win -- Big Time.

Ignore this important "sales" tactic involved in the
choosing of your monologue material -- at your own risk.

Performance. I suggest that you find some good "in one"
performances and study them. A few I would suggest are
"Mark Twain Tonight" with Hal Holbrook, the Whoopi
Goldberg play (the one where she was discovered) and Bill
Cosby "By Himself." Richard Pryor also has some amazing
techniques and he is very much worth studying.

In fact, if you want to really get good at doing monologues,
you should make a study of all the "one man shows" that were
good enough to end up on tape or DVD.

Don't forget that the entire purpose of your monologue
is to show off your "chops." It might be a good idea to work
on those "chops" – so do your homework.
Which means ...

Practice. It is not sufficient to memorize the words and
think you've accomplished the job. As with any performance
you should rehearse until it becomes second nature. Do
yourself a big favor and try out your choices on other people.
Find a friend you trust (not a 'critic') and get feedback.
Return the favor by watching your friend's monologue. Team
up, collaborate, and get better results.

Let's review: Choose wisely. Think outside the box. Tell a
story. Reveal a character. Evoke an emotion in the viewer.
Have a "closer." Practice and perform.
Repeat.

As with any of the tasks facing an actor, doing this right
isn't easy. In fact, it's pretty hard. But if you want to
have a successful monologue you've got to be willing to do
the hard work. Your monologue is one of the few chances you
will get to impress a casting director or agent – it's your
job to make sure it's spectacular. And success will always
be a result of the work you put in to make it a polished
professional package.

Work hard at it. Take the amount of time it takes to do it
properly. The "amazing" results of hard, careful, work --
cannot be stressed enough.
Now get out there and hunt down that "killer." And ...
be careful out there.