Fall Play information

Audition Monologues

Prepare ONE of the following monologues for your audition. Pick the monologues that you feel most comfortable with in terms of gender. Memorizing your chosen monologues is not required, but strongly encouraged. You are also encouraged to read the play or watch the play to get a sense of the circumstances surrounding these monologues.

At the audition, you will be called into the audition room one-by-one to preform for us. You will slate yourself (say your name and which monologue you have prepared) and perform the monologue once. After you have done the monologue, we may ask you to do it again or ask you other questions to get an idea of who you are as a person and as a performer. Remember when auditioning, take risks and don’t hold anything back! We are looking to seeing you!

From Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley

Character: Lenny Magrath

Lenny, the eldest of three sisters, struggles with her feelings of loneliness and self-worth.

LENNY: Do you know what it’s like to be the one who’s always responsible, the one who’s always supposed to be in control? I’ve always been the one who stays behind, taking care of things, making sure everything runs smoothly. But nobody ever stops to think about what I want. Or maybe they just assume I don’t have any wants. And the worst part is, I let them! I let them believe that I’m happy being the responsible one, the one who’s got it all together. But the truth is, I’m lonely. I’m so lonely, I can hardly stand it. I never got to have what I wanted, never even got to figure out what that was. I just went along, doing what was expected, and now here I am, all alone in this house, and it feels like it’s closing in on me.

From The Dixie Swim Club by Jones, Hope, and Wooten

Character: Sheree Hollinger

Sheree reflects on the passage of time and the changes in her life as she and her friends reunite for their annual swim club getaway.

SHEREE: You know, when we first started these trips, I thought we had all the time in the world. We were young, fit, and full of energy. We talked about the future like it was this big adventure waiting for us just around the corner. But somewhere along the way, the future turned into the past, and we started losing people. First, it was our parents, then friends, and now… well, now it’s us. I never thought I’d be the one slowing down, needing help to get out of a chair. But here we are. Time’s a funny thing. It slips through your fingers like water, and before you know it, you’re standing here wondering where it all went. But I’ll tell you one thing—these weekends with you all? They’ve been the best part of it. The absolute best.

From The Trip to Bountiful by Horton Foote

Character: Carrie Watts

Carrie, an elderly woman, reflects on her yearning to return to her childhood home in Bountiful, Texas.

CARRIE: I just want to go home. Is that so much to ask? I know it doesn’t make sense to anyone else, but Bountiful is the only place I’ve ever felt at peace. It’s where I was born, where I grew up, where I buried my family. And every night, I dream about it. I dream about the fields, the trees, the smell of the earth after a rain. I can see it so clearly in my mind, it’s like I’m right there. But when I wake up, it’s gone. And I’m stuck here, in this noisy, crowded city that doesn’t care if I’m alive or dead. They say you can’t go home again, but I have to try. I have to see it one last time before I die. I need to feel the soil under my feet, breathe in that air, and know that I’m finally home.

From ‘night, Mother by Marsha Norman

Character: Thelma Cates

Thelma, a mother, confronts her daughter Jessie about Jessie’s decision to end her life.

THELMA: You think you can just walk away from this? From me? You think you can just end it all and leave me here alone to figure out what went wrong? Jessie, I’m your mother! I’m supposed to protect you, take care of you, and I have tried my best, God knows I have. But you—how can you do this to me? How can you be so cruel? Don’t you know what this will do to me? I will never be the same, Jessie. I will never understand. You’re my whole world, and you’re planning to just… disappear. What am I supposed to do without you? How am I supposed to live? You can’t do this, Jessie. You just can’t.

From The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

Character: Amanda Wingfield

Amanda Wingfield reflects on her past as a Southern belle and her current struggles as a single mother.

AMANDA: I remember the days when I was young, and the world was full of possibilities. I was a girl with charm and grace, and I could have had any boy I wanted. And I did. Gentlemen callers came in droves, each one more handsome and charming than the last. I was the belle of the ball, the center of attention, and I loved every minute of it. But that was a long time ago. Now, I’m just a mother, struggling to raise my children in a world that has changed so much from the one I knew. I don’t know how it happened, but somewhere along the way, I lost that girl who had the world at her feet. And now, all I have are memories of what might have been, and the hope that my children will have the life I never had.

From Talking With… by Jane Martin

Character: Dragons Woman

A woman reflects on her life choices and the meaning she finds in her unusual hobby of caring for her pet iguanas.

DRAGONS WOMAN: You see, people think I’m strange because I keep iguanas. They don’t understand the peace I find in them, the connection. I used to be like everyone else. Had a job, a husband, a house. But it was all wrong. None of it felt real to me, like I was playing a part in someone else’s play. Then I got my first iguana. And suddenly, I had something that was mine, something that made sense to me. They’re like little dragons, these iguanas, with their scales and their ancient eyes. They don’t ask for much, just warmth and food. But they give me something I never had before—a reason to keep going. People laugh at me, think I’m crazy. But I don’t care. I found something that makes me happy, and that’s more than most people can say.

MALE AUDITION OPTION: From The Boys Next Door by Tom Griffin 

Character: Jack

Jack, a social worker, reflects on his time working with four mentally disabled men who live together in a small apartment. He is torn between his care for them and his desire to move on with his life.

JACK: You know, there are times when I think I’ve been doing this job too long. I see these guys, every day, living their lives in this little bubble, and I wonder if I’m doing them any good at all. I mean, they’ve got their routines, their quirks, and, sure, they’ve made some progress. But sometimes, I look at them and I think, ‘What’s the point?’ They’re never going to change, not really. They’re always going to need someone to look after them, to make sure they’re okay. And then I start to think about my own life, about how I’m just getting older, and nothing’s really changed for me either. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just the job, maybe it’s me. But I’m starting to wonder if it’s time to move on. To let someone else take over. Someone who still believes they can make a difference. Because, honestly, I’m not sure I believe that anymore.