# Need a 2-minute contemporary monologue **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 16, 2004, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-2-minute-contemporary-monologue/275106 "2004-11-16T19:39:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-2-minute-contemporary-monologue/275106/1 "2004-11-16T19:39:50Z")
I am auditioning for _The Bacchae_ at school. This time, I actually have potential free time to make it to rehearsals, since I will be done with school when rehearsals start. For the audition, we need a contemporary 2-minute monologue. The applicants are being evaluated on their voice, and the ability to be a good storyteller. I’m trying to find a monologue that would reflect what the director is looking for. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-2-minute-contemporary-monologue/275106/2 "2004-11-17T02:43:37Z")
I just want to wish you good luck. Theatre is so much fun to be a part of, and you will meet so many new, incredibly fun people. And if I may make a suggestion? Even if you don’t get a part, try doing tech. I didn’t get cast in the last play, and somehow wound up doing costumes (and I had never considered tech in the past) and I had a blast! ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-2-minute-contemporary-monologue/275106/3 "2004-11-17T03:25:34Z")
Male? Female? Indeterminate? [Here’s a site](http://demoening.homestead.com/mono.html) with some good suggestions. The weird thing is the strange titles someone gave each scene. Ignore them. Know the actual play title your monologue comes from. This site includes TV, movie and play monologues. Don’t choose a movie or TV one unless you know it’s OK. Some directors are absolute snobs! Bear in mind, storytelling is generally exactly what a good monologue _isn’t_. Generally, the hard bit is finding a monologue that showcases emotion, dialect or simply acting, rather than telling a story. But if you’re sure that’s what the director is looking for, then go for it! [Death in the Woods](http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Alley/2957/M5.html) by Sherwood Anderson is quite good, though it may need trimming for time. Depending on your timing, this is just shy of 2 minutes: Parry’s story of [the Fisher King](http://www.whysanity.net/monos/fisher.html) from the movie of the same name. ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-2-minute-contemporary-monologue/275106/4 "2004-11-17T05:42:46Z")
Male, thanks for the suggestions, **WhyNot**! I hope I get to be Dionysus! Man, wouldn’t that be cool? 😃 I can smite people with wine and sex-crazed women :eek: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-2-minute-contemporary-monologue/275106/5 "2004-11-17T14:29:42Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > Male, thanks for the suggestions, **WhyNot**! I figured, based on the username, but some morons don’t know their incubi from their succubi! 😃 Break a leg!