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"KILLER" MONOLOGUES

"KILLER" MONOLOGUES
 
by Bob Fraser
 
THE ACTOR'S TOOL KIT #14
 
 
One tool every actor must have in the tool kit, at all 
times, is a polished, prepared monologue. (Or 2) 
 
In fact, very successful actors learn and practice 
several - to be ready for different sorts of audition
circumstances: In office, on stage, at a rehearsal hall, 
on-camera, etc.
 
What every actor wants (and needs) is at least one
"killer" monologue.
 
So here are the first steps in my M.O. (modus operandi)
when it comes to finding and performing a "killer." 
 
 
First, think outside the box. 
 
 
It seems to me that many of these books I see at Samuel 
French with titles like 50 Monologues for Actors or 
Monologues For Women, are used to death. 
 
In other words, everyone has heard and seen the monologues 
from the monologue books, dozens, if not hundreds, of times. 
 
I could be wrong about this -- but I'm probably not. This 
makes this material "iffy" in terms of it's professional 
(or collegiate level) usefulness.
 
You need something to "hook" the kind of viewer you will
be performing for... usually a hard-bitten pro.
 
 
I would suggest that your goal is to find something that 
nobody else is doing. Something casting directors, agents, 
managers, directors and acting school admission people 
haven't seen over and over again. With real work, you could
probably come up with something they've NEVER seen before. 
 
This is good because they will then be paying attention to
the TOTALITY of your presentation. It's hard to be picky 
when you're "hooked." 
 
Remember, it's your job to "hook" them.
 
GET OFF THE BEATEN PATH 
 
Start by searching in places other people are not 
searching. (Here's a hint: There are no undiscovered 
Shakespearean monologues.) 
 
 
There are many possible sources for monologues that are 
off the beaten path. For instance, I recently saw a small 
piece on the net, ostensibly written by an 8 year old 
called "Explaining God." One of my newsletter subscribers 
has two young boys who are actors and so I sent this along 
to her as possible monologue material. 
 
 
As it turns out, she had seen the piece several times in 
her email box, but had not thought of it as a monologue. 
She (and her boys) loved it. I'm sure the casting people 
will love it too.
 
 
Here are some good places to look for material: 
 
Court TV. Some of these trials have some fascinating 
characters "in extremis." Get out the tape recorder and 
adapt. 
 
 
Books. One great thing about novels is that the characters 
often talk at length and when they do - it's usually 
something dramatic. 
 
 
Old movies. Again, the writers of the older films were 
allowed to go on a bit. Use your recorder to capture 
these gems. 
 
 
Interviews. There are many newspaper and magazine stories 
where the subject is interviewed and tells a good story. 
Or even do your own interviews with people (with the trusty 
tape recorder). Ask them how they met their spouse. What 
childbirth was like? What did they do in the war? 
 
STORY + CHARACTER = IMPACT
 
 
An often overlooked source of first person writing is the 
autobiography. If you're looking for a funny monologue you 
could do worse than finding the books written by funny 
people and digging for gold. 
 
 
Drama and memory pieces are even more available in the
great bulk of autobiographies.
 
 
While you look, keep in mind the three main things every 
performance monologue MUST contain: 
 
Story. 
Character. 
Emotional impact. 
 
 
In fact, the successful monologue will be just like a 
successful movie or play. It will contain a beginning, a 
middle and an end. A good way to accomplish the mind-set 
of a good monologist is to start thinking like a comedian. 
A well structured joke contains all the elements of a 
full length entertainment. 
 
Remember, you've got two minutes, (or less) so make the best 
of every second.
 
 
Story. Don't make the mistake of thinking that the viewer 
has any information up front. They don't. So your choice 
has to contain the entire story. The opening line or two 
should set up the whole piece. Hook us. Give us the back 
story. Tell us who the character is. 
 
The next line or two should present the dilemma, the 
conflict. 
 
The end should always be a "snapper." 
 
 
The punchline of a monologue is extremely important. Keep 
looking until you find a good one. I'm not talking "joke" 
here. I'm talking about the "exit" line. "The button." The 
last thing you say (and do).
 
 
Character. It's critical to realize that the closer the 
character is to you, the better the result of your 
monologue will be. If you're a teen-ager, the character 
should be a teen-ager. If you're a bald old man ... well, 
if you're a bald old man, I'm sure you get the idea. The 
other important point about character is this:  You are a 
human being. You qualify as a character. Don't forget that.
 
 
Emotional Impact. The key to a successful monologue is 
its ability to evoke an emotional response in the viewer. 
This can be sadness, anger, happiness, memory, laughter, 
etc. And allow me to repeat; it's terribly important that 
the piece you pick has an impact on ... the viewer. 
 
HOW TO WIN 
 
 
Too many actors look for something that allows them to act 
out an emotional state. This is a bad tactic. The emotion 
of the actor is not "the goods." It's how the viewer reacts 
that counts.  Watching you cry or emote in my office is not 
going to be that interesting. If, however, I cry (or laugh) 
while watching your "presentation," you win ... Big Time.
 
 
Ignore this important "sales" tactic involved in the 
choosing of your monologue material -- at your own risk. 
 
 
Performance. I suggest that you find some good "in one" 
performances and study them. A few I would suggest are 
"Mark Twain Tonight" with Hal Holbrook, the Whoopi 
Goldberg play (the one where she was discovered) and Bill 
Cosby "By Himself." Richard Pryor also has some amazing 
techniques and he is very much worth studying. 
 
 
In fact, if you want to really get good at doing monologues, 
you should make a study of all the "one man shows" that were 
good enough to end up on tape or DVD. 
 
 
Don't forget that the entire purpose of your monologue 
is to show off your "chops." It might be a good idea to work 
on those "chops" - so do your homework. 
 
Which means ...
 
 
Practice. It is not sufficient to memorize the words and 
think you've accomplished the job. As with any performance 
you should rehearse until it becomes second nature. Do 
yourself a big favor and try out your choices on other people. 
Find a friend you trust (not a 'critic') and get feedback. 
Return the favor by watching your friend's monologue. Team 
up, collaborate, and get better results. 
 
 
Let's review: Choose wisely. Think outside the box. Tell a 
story. Reveal a character. Evoke an emotion in the viewer. 
Have a "closer." Practice and perform. 
 
Repeat.
 
 
As with any of the tasks facing an actor, doing this right 
isn't easy. In fact, it's pretty hard. But if you want to 
have a successful monologue you've got to be willing to do 
the hard work. Your monologue is one of the few chances you 
will get to impress a casting director or agent - it's your 
job to make sure it's spectacular.  And success will always 
be a result of the work you put in to make it a polished
professional package. 
 
 
Work hard at it. Take the amount of time it takes to do it 
properly. The "amazing" results of hard, careful, work --
cannot be stressed enough. 
 
Now get out there and hunt down that "killer." And ...
be careful out there.
 
 
 
"Reprinted from ACTOR'S TOOL KIT, the email course just for 
subscribers of Show Biz How-To, the free e-zine for actors. 
 
Get your own subscription at: www.showbizhowto.com
 
© 2007 Bob Fraser Productions All Rights Reserved"
 

MONOLOGUE - THE BASICS

MONOLOGUE - THE BASICS
 
by Bob Fraser
 
THE ACTOR'S TOOL KIT #13
 
 
Monologues? Which ones work the best, where to find them 
and how many does an actor need in the repertoire?
 
Here are some answers to these important concerns:
 
The monologue that works the best is the monologue you are 
most comfortable doing. It's also important that the piece 
shows you to your best advantage. And the minimum number 
you need is two. 
 
This general advice brings up some specific things that 
are important to doing a successful monologue:
 
1. Play Your Own Age. 
 
It is mostly a bad idea to play an older man or woman if 
you are a teenager - or vice versa. Many actors make this 
mistake and then wonder why their monologue choices are 
not very successful. This happens most often when the actor 
chooses to do something that appeals to them, as opposed to 
finding something that shows their skills in an appropriate 
age range. 
 
Remember, your goal is to have the viewer (auditor) get 
caught up in your performance - not sitting there trying to 
imagine you are 50 years old, when you are actually 20. 
Pick something that you believe you'd be cast in today - 
not years from now - or years ago.
 
2. Avoid The Highly Dramatic. 
 
Hysterical, over the top, harrowing monologues are generally 
to be avoided for a very simple reason: done properly and 
truthfully, they can make the audience (auditor) 
uncomfortable. This is not the outcome you're looking for. 
 
It is difficult to judge a performance that seems as if it 
is out of hand. That may be the exact effect intended by the 
writer, but remember you don't have an entire play to work 
up to the emotional outburst of the climax. It's also not a 
great idea to do monologues with racist, sexist  or foul 
language - for the same reason.
 
3. Do What You Are Good At.
 
Many actors make the mistake of thinking that a monologue is 
a perfect chance to "stretch."  It's not. 
 
Most of the time when you are asked to perform a monologue it 
is in an effort to see where you might fit into a company or 
university program. This is your chance to show your best 
qualities and your most usable skills. 
 
This means that if you don't have some experience (and 
practice) doing Shakespeare, you should probably avoid a 
Shakespearean monologue. There are other "classics" such as 
Chekhov, Sheridan and the Greeks. (Most of the translations 
have less difficult language with which to deal.)
 
4. Practice.
 
Although it's very important to memorize the piece, you 
would be well advised to not stop your "home-work" there. 
 
Once you have the monologue memorized, there is still a lot 
of work to do. Finding motivation, telling the story 
convincingly, nailing the "music" of the piece, varying your 
pace and vocal quality, etc. etc. One proviso to this advice 
is to keep it fresh - don't rehearse it to the point where 
it becomes slick and cold. 
 
Big no-no: Don't try to do this work on the day before your 
audition. In that direction lies failure on all sorts of 
levels. If you plan to enter almost any university acting 
program this will be a pre-requisite. And many professional 
situations will require a monologue -- so start working on 
your monologues now.
 
5. Confidence.
 
If you do your "home-work" you will be more confident. 
However, it's very important to realize that in many (if 
not all) situations the director (or auditor) might ask you 
to make some acting adjustments in your prepared piece. 
You must be ready for this. If you are not, your confidence 
may be shaken and your ability to take direction will suffer. 
This is not a good outcome. Again, the more thoroughly you 
know your monologues, the easier it will be to handle this 
'curve-ball.'
 
6. Two is not really enough.
 
Most monologue situations will require two contrasting 
monologues. Generally this will be a comedic piece and a 
dramatic one. However, sometimes you will be asked to do two 
different dramatic monologues -- or two comedic and still be 
able to demonstrate contrast in character, emotion and 
presentation. This brings up a really important point. You 
will always be well prepared if you take the time to 
constantly add to your repertoire of monologues. I know 
professional actors, of many years experience, who still 
do this chore on a regular basis. It is the crux of an 
actor's constant study and preparation - and it inevitably 
will get you work.
 
7. Demonstrate the product.
 
This is the central point of all monologues. Your job is to 
demonstrate the product (you) so that potential buyers 
(directors, casting people, agents, etc.) can make a fully 
informed choice. If you do not do the necessary "home-work" 
to put together a good demonstration of the product you are 
offering -- don't expect the buyer to be that interested. 
 
Again, this is your business. Pay close attention to your 
business or you will not be in business for long. 
 
Finally, remember that the end result of your preparation, 
research, practice and attention to detail can be the 
realization of your dreams -- so taking these steps is 
probably worth all the hard work. 
 
Another question I get all the time is, "where do I find 
good monologues?" or "Tell me a good monologue to do."
 
Go to the library. Surf the internet. Read, read, read and 
read some more.
 
Oh yes, this is going to take a lot of work on your part.
 
Look, I'll be blunt: No one else is going to do this (or 
any other part of preparing to be an actor) for you. 
 
Waiting for someone else to give you explicit directions to 
"the monologue tree" is a path to failure and frustration. 
 
If that's what you expect - my advice is to find something 
else to do with your life. 
 
Acting is just too hard for people who can't be bothered 
to do their own legwork.
 
 
"Reprinted from ACTOR'S TOOL KIT, the email course just for 
subscribers of Show Biz How-To, the free e-zine for actors. 
 
Get your own subscription at: www.showbizhowto.com
 
© 2007 Bob Fraser Productions All Rights Reserved"

HEADSHOTS III - THE SYSTEM CORE

HEADSHOTS III - THE SYSTEM CORE
 
by Bob Fraser
 
THE ACTOR'S TOOL KIT #11
 
 
I get lots of email about headshots. Most actors want
to know if the headshot they have is any good. 
 
You know I love mnemonics (a fancy word meaning a system 
for remembering things). 
 
This is the mnemonic phrase you can use, to keep in 
mind the PURPOSE of your headshots ... and their 
critical importance to your acting career results:
 
SYSTEM CORE
 
S - SALES - It's of utmost importance to know the MAIN 
PURPOSE of your headshot: TO SELL your acting services. 
 
Your headshot can best be described as an unsolicited 
ad - a piece of paper you send in, that (hopefully) gets 
a casting director to call you in for an audition.
 
Bottom line? Your headshot has a job to do - it has to 
get you in the door. If it doesn't do that job, then 
your headshot doesn't work. Period.
 
Y - YOU - Your headshot must look like you. Many actors, 
unfortunately, choose headshots that (they think) make 
them look like stars - or at least someone else. This 
is a very bad strategy. Why? Because if you are called 
in - from a headshot that doesn't look like you - you 
will lose the audition the minute you walk in the door. 
 
Casting directors, directors, and producers go through 
100's (and sometimes 1000's) of headshots to find the 
right 'look' for their project. This is very hard work. 
If you are picture-picked and you arrive looking 
different than the photo they have in their hand, they 
will be irritated at best, and royally ticked off at 
worst. You will have gotten in the door by using 'false 
advertising.' Think about how you feel when you've been 
tricked in this way. 
 
Not good.
 
S - SUBMIT - You must submit your headshot and resume 
if you expect to have any results. You would be shocked 
to know how many actors get 100's of headshots ... and 
6 months later they still have 100's of headshots ... 
sitting in their closet. 
 
You must submit for every role you are right for. (Don't 
submit for EVERYTHING - that's a waste of time and money, 
because you are not right for EVERYTHING - no matter how
talented you may be.) Submit. All the time. Every day, 
if possible. If you do this part, the next part is easy:
 
T - TESTING & TRACKING - The only way to tell whether 
your headshot works, is to test your results. That means 
keeping records of your submissions and tracking your 
'call-ins.' 
 
Since this is unsolicited advertising, there IS a way 
of telling how well you are doing. Most advertising 
gurus say that an unsolicited, direct mail ad, must get 
at least a 3 to 4% response to be considered effective. 
This means that if you send out 100 headshots and you 
don't get at least 3 or 4 call ins ... you need another 
headshot. 
 
Always test by keeping track of your submissions. This 
will save you time, money and wasted energy. The sooner 
you know the results you are getting, the sooner you can 
either move on to a new picture - or increase your rate 
of submission.
 
E - EDIT - Your headshot can almost always be improved 
by cropping. This is a process of eliminating parts of 
the picture that take away from the main purpose of 
your headshot - selling you. Don't just print up what 
the photographer hands you. Always take the time to 
fix your headshot - editing out those things that don't 
contribute to your goal.
 
(Side Bar) I have seen, and so have you, a tendency 
towards pretty or artsy or interesting headshots. An 
actor at the edge of the picture, a partially lit face, 
flashy black borders, lots of white space, etc. These 
are extremely poor strategies. Remember, you are trying 
to sell your face and physicality. Those elements are 
the only things the buyers are interested in. 
 
Photographic flare is not only incidental to your 
desired result - it is often detrimental. Casting 
directors are not looking to hire the photographer. 
 
What you want is a good, clear, unadulterated picture 
of yourself - as you really are. 
 
Nothing else will do. 
 
M - MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS - A lot of actors have 
been told to ask other people which headshot they 
should use. Unless you have a casting director friend 
who is willing to help you with your choices - you will 
probably be getting advice from someone who doesn't know 
what is important and generally doesn't really care which 
shot you use. 
 
Pay careful attention to this: YOU know exactly what YOU 
are trying to accomplish, so YOU are in the best position 
to know what steps have to be taken, to make that happen. 
 
Let's face it, you are the only one who cares deeply 
about your business - and leaving critical business 
decisions up to someone else is a recipe for disaster.  
 
For instance, if you follow someone else's advice and find 
that the choice does not work, you'll lose both time and
money. The money can be replaced - but the time is gone 
forever.
 
This is your business. You have to decide things.
 
C - COLOR - Digital photography has made this decision 
(to get color shots or black & white shots) obsolete. Get 
your shots taken in color and if you happen to need black 
& white shots (for your particular market), you can get 
B&W prints made from the digital files. 
 
(Side Bar: In my opinion, the day of the B&W headshot is 
gone forever, despite what some people - in some markets - 
may insist.)
 
O - OBJECTIVE - When deciding which headshot you should 
submit, you must make every effort to be objective. This 
isn't about having a "pretty" picture - or even one that 
you like - it's ONLY about selling your acting services. 
 
Sometimes, a picture that you don't like is the very 
picture that gets you called in. Try looking at your 
pictures from the perspective of the person doing the 
casting - and make your decisions based on that point 
of view.
 
R - RESEARCH - Take the time to do your research before 
booking with a photographer. Interview, take notes, and 
make observations BEFORE you pick your photographer.  Is 
it worth doing this homework - when all you really want 
to do is get going? The simple answer is ... yes. 
 
The choice of a photographer is the first step to getting 
what you want and need - a headshot that gets you called 
in. This is about being comfortable, relaxed and in the 
zone - when getting your picture taken. Your choice of
photographer impacts every one of those elements. 
 
E - ENDURE - One of the most important traits any actor 
can have is the ability to persevere. What this means is 
try, try again. If your headshot doesn't work (get you 
called in), guess what? You have to get another one. And 
if that one doesn't work, you have to get another one. 
And another. And another - until you have a headshot that 
gets you in the door. 
 
If you are concerned about the cost of doing this, then 
you are thinking about the cost of doing business. That's 
a good thing. But if the cost is keeping you from doing 
the things that need to get done ... just know that your 
business will probably suffer.
 
Keep in mind that it is usually only your willingness to 
persevere (to endure) that gets you to the red carpet, 
and complaining about what it may cost to get there, 
won't change anything. 
 
Those who get to the top are those who are ALWAYS willing 
to try, try again. 
 
 
"Reprinted from ACTOR'S TOOL KIT, the email course just for 
subscribers of Show Biz How-To, the free e-zine for actors. 
 
Get your own subscription at: www.showbizhowto.com
 
© 2007 Bob Fraser Productions All Rights Reserved"