Information and Resources
For most high school theater/drama auditions, students will be asked to prepare two (2), one-two minute monologues. The monologue characters should be age appropriate. The two monologues should differ in style, for example one comic and one dramatic. All monologues should be from published plays. Original student writing or internet monologue material is not appropriate. Generally, classical theater or verse such as Shakespeare is discouraged unless the student can reveal real facility with complex language.

Students should be coached on the presentation of the monologue for dramatic understanding, characterization, diction and clarity of communication. If you have an in-school theater teacher, ask for assistance with your preparation. An English teacher may also be able to help.

Students should also be prepared to announce their name, monologue selection and the playwright. For example:
“My name is .
I will be performing one of Anne’s monologues from The Diary of Anne Frank
by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett.”

Costume and prop pieces are not appropriate for auditions. The auditioner/teacher wants to see the student to get a feel for the student’s talent, interest and energy. Costumes and props are a distraction.

Audition monologues are available from a variety of print and published sources. Additionally, monologues that are taken directly from plays and edited for your purposes are fine. Listed below are some published monologue books to consider. These books are readily available through amazon.com or the Drama Bookshop, 250 W 40th St, New York, NY 10018 (212) 944-0595.

Audition Monologs for Student Actors: Selections from Contemporary Plays (Paperback)
by Roger Ellis (Editor)
Red Licorice: Monologues for Young People (Paperback)
by Carole Tippit
Monologues for Young Actors (Mass Market Paperback)
by Lorraine Cohen
100 Great Monologs: A Versatile Collection of Monologs, Duologs and Triologs for Student Actors (Paperback)
by Rebecca Young
Multiplicity: A Collection of Monologues for Student Performance (Paperback)
by R. James Scott, Bianca Cowan

Students should also be prepared to answer questions about why the want to be in a theater program and why the particular program at that school. The auditioner will want to know that you are committed to this school and the demands of a theater program.

Additionally, students may be asked as part of the audition to participate in theater games or improvisations in order to gauge their ability to collaborate in a group and to be spontaneously creative.
If warranted, schools may call the student back for a separate audition at which time the monologues may be presented again. Typically, no additional preparation would be required.