College182

Hey guys. I need some advice regarding monologues...

Over the summer I attended a music theater camp that helped me prepare for upcoming auditions. They helped me prepare two songs as well as two monologues. Subsequently, however, I have decided that I would prefer to audition for straight acting / drama programs as opposed to musical theater ones.

I was hoping that I could still use the monologues selected for me at this camp. Since an acting coach helped me pick them out and rehearse them, I figure they are probably my best vehicle to get into college with. Unfortunately, however, each of these monologues was designed to be only about 1 minute in length. My one monologue, for example, generally runs between 45 and 50 seconds. The other monologue generally runs about 55 seconds. It seems, and correct me if I am wrong, that most of the musical theater programs say you need one monologue to audition with which should not exceed 1 minute in length. Most of the acting / drama theater programs, on the other hand, seem to say two contrasting monologues no more than 2 minutes in length each.

So here's my question. When acting programs say "no more than 2 minutes in length," what does that mean? Do they need to be just shy of 2 minutes? Or is a 1 minute monologue acceptable? My monologues now, as they were hand selected for me, fit me excellently, and I think they show off my skills quite well and succinctly. But they definitely aren't two minutes. The one monologue could probably be extended to about 1 minute exactly, and the other monologue could probably be extended to a little over 1 minute if need be, but there's no way I could reach 2 minutes with them. I really hate the idea of having to find new monologues on my own that might not end up being as good as these!

As a point of reference, here are some of the schools I am auditioning at (BFA Acting Program):

USC, Elon, SMU, University of Miami, Syracuse University.

Thanks for any advice!

NJTheatreMOM

Your problem is a good one to have! Most people auditioning for acting programs worry about their monologues being too long.

From things I've heard, and things people have said in this forum, I think your one minute monologues should be fine. Audition panels can get a sense of your abilities in much less time than two minutes, and they may actually appreciate your brevity.

collegebrowser

I couldn't agree more. You will be judged the second you enter the room and within 10 seconds the auditors have already formed an opinion. Once you begin your monologue, it serves as confirmation of how they judged you. So absolutely do not worry that you are only doing a one-minute monologue. Once you get to the 30-second mark, it's pretty much over. Now go for it!