Monologues for Auditions: How to Choose One (and Do CDs Still Want Them?)

Choose a monologue from a published play or film you love, with a character close to your age and type, that runs one to two minutes. Have one dramatic and one comedic piece ready. Film and TV casting rarely asks for monologues because casting wants to see you listen and react, but theatre, drama schools, showcases and competitions still do. Here is what Kym Jackson, our showcase and demo reel experts, and casting directors in our library told us.

Do casting directors still want monologues?

For film and TV, mostly no. Kym explains that screen casting wants to see you reacting to another character in a scene, so monologue requests are rare, though they still happen. Theatre asks for them often.

Casting director Meg Morman would rather you get a reader on FaceTime than turn a self tape scene into a monologue. Demo reel producer Brett Newton says casting directors, agents and managers want to see a full scene where you listen as well as speak.

When do screen actors still need a monologue?

Keep one ready for theatre auditions, drama school entry, monologue competitions, some showcases, and the surprise request that Kym says still comes now and then.

Drama schools set their own rules, so check each one. As an example, Juilliard's undated monologue FAQ, read in November 2026, asks acting applicants for four memorised monologues of about two minutes, two classical and two contemporary, with one from Shakespeare, and tells them to read the full play rather than pick from monologue books.

How do I choose a monologue for an audition?

Start with casting you could realistically get. Kym's advice for showcases applies here: it might be hilarious for a 25 year old to play an 80 year old, but nobody will cast you that way, so play a role you could book in real life. Our guide to finding your type helps.

Then pick something you genuinely love. Kym suggests published collections, the scenes library on our site, or a passionate speech from a film that stuck with you. She warns against pieces made famous by a screen legend, because the panel will compare you with that performance; something less known gives you more freedom. For a casting workshop, casting workshop expert Ajarae Coleman chooses material in the genre that casting director casts, in the kind of role she plays.

How long should an audition monologue be?

Kym's rule is between one minute and just under two. Rehearse it so it runs about a minute 40 when you do it casually, which leaves room to take your time on the day and still finish under two minutes. Many monologue situations want under two minutes, and some want under one.

If you are given a limit, come in under it. For a three minute showcase slot, Kym would choose a piece that runs about two and a half, so you leave people wanting more.

Where can I find monologues?

Read whole plays, not just speeches, so you know who your character is talking to and why. Your local library and play publishers' acting editions are the obvious places to start, and the Folger Shakespeare Library lets you read Shakespeare's plays free online for a classical piece.

Monologue books and websites are quick, but a panel may have heard those pieces many times, and some schools, Juilliard among them, ask you not to use them.

Comedic or dramatic monologue?

Have both. Kym recommends one dramatic and one comedic pocket monologue, learned so well that the audition stress disappears.

Neither needs to be extreme. For a showcase, Kym says it doesn't have to be a crying scene or the funniest comedy ever written, just something you know you can nail. Ajarae Coleman finds comedic scenes tend to work best at showcases, and Brett Newton suggests building an emotional arc rather than starting at full volume.

Monologues for women, men and teens

Search lists by gender are a starting point, not a strategy. The better filter is age, type and the roles you are actually submitted for. Casting director Ricki Maslar told us she is annoyed when actors submit far outside a role's age range, and the same goes for material that makes you play much older or younger than you read.

Teens should choose characters their own age, written about situations they understand, and keep the material age-appropriate. For more on starting young, see how to become an actor as a teenager and our parent guide to teen actors.

How do you perform a monologue in an audition?

Know exactly who you are talking to, what you want from them and what happened the moment before. Kym works out the moment before and the moment after, plus any action that goes with the words. Brett Newton turns monologues into one-sided phone calls, leaving space to listen to the other person, so the performance stays a conversation.

Slate as yourself first, as in our slate guide, then begin when you are ready. If the first 20 seconds go wrong, casting director Carmen Aiello says it is fine to stop and start again; she found it never counted against her.

How do I prepare a pocket monologue?

Learn it so well you can play with it. Kym learned hers at 18 and still uses it. She suggests taping yourself, then playing the same piece happy, sad, angry, deadpan or manipulative, so you are never locked into one reading.

Actor and teacher Anthony Brandon Wong treats a monologue, sonnet or scene as practice material: learn it and work on it as if it were a real audition. For line-learning methods, see how to memorise lines.

Monologue competitions and showcases

Kym recommends entering a monologue competition, in person or by sending in a tape. Industry professionals often judge, prizes can include meetings, and it gets you used to performing under pressure. Paid agent and manager showcases are a separate thing; Ajarae Coleman says to skip the monologue there unless the guidelines ask for one, as some New York theatre showcases do.

Your work can travel further than you think. Casting director Lisa Zambetti told us an actor who missed out after a long, emotional TV monologue was cast in a later episode straight from that clip, with no new audition.

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