<p>I understand in the MT world that students should never perform a song from a current Broadway show. Does the same hold true for monologues from current Broadway plays? I can find nothing on any website stating that this was forbidden or frowned upon.</p>
<p>from what i’ve seen, anything too current is not a good idea cause they tend to be overdone but I am far far from an expert on this.</p>
<p>I think you do need to avoid shows that are currently running on Broadway for the same reasons that MT students do.</p>
<p>But I think when I say “Broadway” I mean that in the strict sense, so that does not include off-broadway, touring shows, etc.</p>
<p>KEVP</p>
<p>What are the reasons MT avoid them? And is it a suggestion among people on CC or is it a requirement from the schools? Just curious.</p>
<p>not a requirement, just overdone. think of young kids. Even the cutest, after telling u the same thing 20 times in a row, is not as cute as the first 3 times. so say an audition committee hears the same monolgues again and again. even if the 30th kid does it great, theyre probably groaning oh no before the kid even starts. and given how crucial auditions are, you don’t want any pre audition groaning, that being said, at this point, if ur kid has one and she’s great at it, it would be more stressful for her to try to find another one this late in the game. so it may be wiser to just perfect the one she already knows she is awesome at</p>
<p>bisouu - is your D changing her monologues? I know she’s done a few auditions already. Is she not happy with her choices? It may be a bit risky to change now, unless you are saying she has a bunch committed to memory and just wants to use a different rehearsed piece. I guess I’m saying to start looking for a new monologue now may be risky.</p>
<p>Spoke with 3 separate schools and each rep said that monologues from current Broadway shows were just fine. One even said “Of course!” Another school said that the only thing they discouraged were monologues from a musical. FYI</p>
<p>The reason to avoid anything currently on Broadway in MT is the obvious comparison to a professional performance. That means don’t sing a song made famous by Sutton Foster. So, unless your high school student is a Jessica Chastain level actress her Juliet is likely to pale in comparison.</p>
<p>That’s true, actingmt.</p>
<p>The other reason to avoid songs currently on Broadway is that they are always overdone. Maybe attending a Broadway production inspires people, maybe it’s the soundtrack album played over and over, maybe it’s the mistaken belief that it is impressive to show one’s knowledge of the latest Broadway hit. </p>
<p>You don’t want to be the person whose song choice causes people to roll their eyes. </p>
<p>When you start to sing, you don’t want the faculty members to start banging their heads on the table.</p>
<p>There are a lot of songs out there, so find one you love, just NOT “Defying Gravity.”</p>
<p>Is there a current Broadway play with a role where a high school aged student could conceivably be cast which would allow for an appropriate monologue? I can’t think of one offhand.</p>
<p>I don’t know of any school that officially states you should not choose a song, or a monologue, from a currently running show but conventional wisdom says that you shouldn’t. It’s not as though there is a lack of good material out there from which to choose. Why set yourself up for the possibility that you may be compared to a professional in the role?</p>
<p>All of these are very good points. Thank you all for your help and great advice. Yes, there is a play currently on Broadway that is age appropriate. I was just more curious than anything and my D has fallen in love with a certain monologue but I will steer her in another direction. :)</p>
<p>My D has her 3 monologues and wants to have a fourth prepared. One of the big pieces of advice I have read over and over is that the student should love the piece and really identify with it. The other advice has been to make sure you do a monologue that is age/gender appropriate. Here’s the question…my D has been cast as the Stage Manager in Our Town. It is written for a man but several women have played the role on Broadway. She loooooves this character and loves the story the Stage Manager tells. Would she be running a huge risk by doing a monologue from this character? Thanks in advance</p>
<p>The Stage Manager from Our Town is not a strong choice. All of his/her speeches are narrative, so are difficult pieces to identify a clear objective for which to fight. The strongest monologues are ones where the actor speaking wants something specific from another character in the scene. This allows the actor to use different tactics and “partner” with his/ her imaginary scene partner. Even though this is a fourth monologue option, I still believe she should be able to find stronger options that will show her off better. :)</p>
<p>Keep the stage manager ones in her back pocket in case she gets in a callback situation where she needs even more than 4 monos. Most of our kids have recently been in shows and if they needed to they could do a mono from their last show. My D has been Emily Webb twice and she could rattle off Emily anytime.
I know, I know, technically you aren’t supposed to do something from your resume but she could do it if they were asking her for another. It would be better than saying I don’t have anything else!</p>
<p>^agreed :)</p>