What's a good monologue for an audition?

Shakespeare Monologue Audition?

• Hi, I have an audition for a school coming up and for my classic monologue I am doing Lady Macbeth's monologue from Act 1, Scene 5. I know that in the monologue she is reading a letter. Should I do the same? I am very confused. Is their a better classic monologue I can do? Thank you so much!

• Answer:

  This is a fine monologue to do, but remember that your auditors will want to see you act, not read. By all means, have a letter with the lines written thereupon so that you are actually executing the task of reading, but memorize the lines that are to be 'read' (which, if you're performing the verse properly, you'll need to do anyway) and keep your nose out of that letter as much as possible. If this is too confusing, there are a lot of classic monologues that are very rich and audition-worthy. You mention that this is a school audition - I presume you're rather young, no? Why are you messing with the role of an older married woman? Pick something more suited to your age like Helena's monologue at the end of the first scene of Midsummer or Juila's monologue in the second scene of Two Gentlemen of Verona or Helena's monologue at the end of the first scene of All's Well.