<p>All I can say about this is - you can have 200 monologues prepared and done 2000 classes with the best teachers but if you don’t have IT and the natural talent and the “x factor” and starb quality - then even all that can’t help you. Yes, knowing many monologues and having trained in detail is certainly a good thing and a plus, however it doesn’t mean those people are going to be more succesful than an actor who has only 4 monologues in their rep and took only 20 classes. There is no rhyme and rule to this business, loads is down to your look, who you know, luck, your personality and - your personal style. People get jobs who are late, irresponsible and unkind. People who are the perfect example of a professional actor - don’t get work. I see it all the time. As much as it generally pays off to “follow rules” and behave professionally, it is NO guarantee that you will succeed. If it was as simple as training day after day and learning 60 monologues, attend a certain college programme and then everyone would be an Oscar winning actor in no time.</p>
<p>Also - as much as you should have a general amount of different types of audition monologues and songs prepared and “perfected”, they won’t expect you to know everything. I think knowing 5 or 6 monologues if fine, maybe 10 after a few years of gaining professional experience. Noone in the UK anyway will expect you to know more. Also, it’s the QUALITY of the monologues and the performance, rather than the quantity. </p>
<p>Someone can walk in, know everything about plays and playwrights and do 60 monologues one after the other and be - a good actor. Someone else may walk in, do 3 monologues and that’s all they know and be averagely educated about plays, etc - and be amazing and just command the stage. </p>
<p>It’s as simple as that really I believe. No rules you can follow. </p>
<p>So my advice - follow your gut instinct and have as many strings to your bow as possible (you don’t sound arrogant at all for wanting that, you sound smart :)) and work on finding YOU what makes YOU unique as a performer and will get YOU the job rather than the 50 others who look like models and can also act well. You have to stand out and whatever route/class/town/teacher/etc you think will make this happen for you - you have to follow. Good luck!</p>