Best Drama School Audition Monologues: How to Choose Pieces That Actually Suit You

Start with the school's actual requirements

Before getting attached to a speech, check whether you can use it.

Some schools ask for classical and contemporary material. Others have different requirements or additional tasks. Even schools that both want contrasting monologues may have different definitions and maximum lengths.

Read the instructions for the specific course and year you're applying to. The official RADA and LAMDA course pages are sensible starting points.

Make a note of every rule that affects your choice before you begin cutting a speech down.

What does 'contrasting monologues' actually mean?

It doesn't necessarily mean one must be funny and the other desperately sad.

You want the two pieces to reveal different aspects of your acting: your relationship with the other person, your character's status, their way of getting what they want and the way the speech changes.

Perhaps one character is confident and used to being listened to, while another is trying desperately to make themselves understood. Perhaps one piece is an argument in public and the other is a private conversation.

If both speeches are angry accusations delivered at full volume, you might not be showing as much range as you think.

Write a short sentence about what each piece shows. If the answers sound almost identical, consider whether the combination is genuinely contrasting.

Where can I find classical monologues?

Shakespeare is a natural starting point, particularly for schools asking for Elizabethan or Jacobean work.

Plays worth reading include Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing and Romeo and Juliet. They contain strong relationships, shifts in status, wit, vulnerability and conflict. But that doesn't mean every speech from those plays is automatically suitable for every applicant.

Read the play rather than searching only for isolated extracts. Work out who the character is, what has happened to them and why they're speaking at that moment.

Be wary of advice that tells you never to choose a familiar speech. A well-known piece performed truthfully can still work. The problem isn't that someone else has said the words before; it's whether you understand what you're doing with them.

Where can I find contemporary monologues?

Modern published plays are a good place to explore. For younger actors, you could begin by reading DNA by Dennis Kelly, Punk Rock by Simon Stephens or Girls Like That by Evan Placey.

Those are starting points for reading, not guaranteed audition-ready speeches or an approved list for any particular school. Check that the piece you choose meets the institution's rules and that the character and material suit you.

A library, theatre bookshop or experienced acting tutor can help you discover plays beyond the same few extracts that appear on every website.

Read the whole play. Seriously.

We can't stress this enough.

If you only know your monologue, you're making it harder to understand what the character is fighting for. Read what happens before and after it. Think about the relationship with the person they're addressing.

Ask yourself four questions:

1. Who am I speaking to?
2. What do I want them to do?
3. Why do I need it now?
4. What happens if I fail?

These questions are a better starting point than deciding which line to shout or where to put the big emotional pause.

A useful exercise: change tactics without changing the words

Divide the speech into three or four sections and write down what your character is trying to achieve in each.

They might begin by persuading somebody, then try to make them feel guilty, then finally stop hiding the truth.

Perform the speech concentrating on these changes. Next, try a completely different set of tactics without altering the text.

You might discover that a piece you've been struggling with suddenly makes sense. Or you may realise it's not quite right for you, which is useful information in itself.

What if the audition panel redirects you?

Have a go.

If someone asks you to play the speech as though your character is hiding a secret, don't panic because you've rehearsed something else. Listen, think about what changes and try it.

They may be interested in your willingness to work as much as your original version. It's a skill you can build through regular rehearsals with other people.

At ReAct, this is part of our weekly drama-school audition training in London. We help students find material, explore objectives and respond to direction without being frightened of making a different choice.

Should you get help choosing your material?

An experienced actor can be a useful second pair of eyes, particularly if this is your first application cycle.

A good tutor shouldn't simply hand you two speeches and tell you exactly how to perform them. They should help you find material that suits you, understand the play and build the confidence to make your own choices.

Our 1-to-1 coaching can be helpful for specific pieces, while the weekly drama-school class gives you the chance to work regularly alongside other aspiring actors.

You don't have to turn up with the perfect monologue. Finding and developing it is part of the work.

Come and try ReAct's Wednesday drama-school class in Islington.

For the wider application process, read our practical guide to getting into drama school in the UK.