THE CRAFT: Nothing But the Truth - Choosing the right monologue means knowing your strengths and keeping it simple.

How do you choose the right audition monologue? With no further ado, let me present some hard-and-fast rules and a few guiding principles:
? Be your best self. Just as developing writers strive to find their own unique "voice," so do developing actors (and we're always developing, right?) need to identify their "type." Actors want to grow and expand, and not be typecast, agreed-but nevertheless, every actor has a distinct quality that's different from everyone else's. Fully understanding that essential individuality is the most important rule in choosing audition monologues.
Choose a character that feels real, with whom you identify, who's within five years of your real age, who matches your physical type, and whose "native tempo," as American Conservatory Theater casting director Meryl Shaw calls it, matches your own. "If you've got a nervous, urban, edgy quality, choose a character who allows you to showcase that," she explained. "Or if your native tempo is laconic and laid-back, you might want to do a Sam Shepard piece, something that allows you to indulge in the language."
There's more: Choose a role that you'd want to be (and would be likely to be) cast in, with language that, as Shaw said, "you can wrap your tongue around easily." I asked her for a few examples of good and bad type fits. "A smart, witty woman, not an ingenue, did a very funny, witty Shaw piece that in one fell swoop showed her wit, her ability to handle language, her perfect British accent, her self-effacing humor," said Shaw. (Beware, though: Generally, if you're doing only one monologue, you should use your own accent and natural speaking voice.)
On the minus side, said Shaw, another lovely young ingenue auditioned with Caliban. "She didn't capitalize at all on what she has to offer; I didn't learn whether she was able to do the ingenue roles for which she is obviously a candidate."
Agreed South Coast Rep's casting director and artistic associate Joanne DeNaut, "If you're a character actor, don't do a leading man. If you only get two minutes, you want to give the auditor the best possible idea of who you are and what you can do." Mary Coleman, casting consultant for San Francisco's Magic Theatre, said, "A very bright young woman chose a cheesecake monologue. Not only was it a piece of fluff, but it gave a first impression of her as an airhead. Of course we know the difference between an actor and a character-but you still have to think about making a good impression. She was so smart; why would she choose to present herself this way?" Coleman eventually recommended a Claire Chafee monologue to her, which turned out to be a much better choice. Conversely, another actor chose a George Walker monologue with "high style and wild energy-and those are the unique qualities that actor brings to the theatre," said Coleman.