Marco Ramirez - The Ultimate Audition Book for Teens, Volume 13. 111 One-Minute Monologues - Active Voices

The Ultimate Audition Book for Teens Volume XIII

111 One-Minute Monologues

-Active Voices-

THE ULTIMATE AUDITION BOOK FOR TEENS SERIES

The Ultimate Audition Book for Teens Volume 1: 111 One-Minute Monologues

The Ultimate Audition Book for Teens Volume 2: 111 One-Minute Monologues

The Ultimate Audition Book for Teens Volume 3: 111 One-Minute Monologues

The Ultimate Audition Book for Teens Volume 4: 111 One-Minute Monologues

The Ultimate Audition Book for Teens Volume 5: 111 Shakespeare Monologues

The Ultimate Audition Book for Teens Volume 6: 111 One-Minute Monologues for Teens by Teens

The Ultimate Audition Book for Teens Volume 7: 111 Monologues from Classical Theater, 2 Minutes and Under

The Ultimate Audition Book for Teens Volume 8: 111 Monologues from Classical Literature, 2 Minutes and Under

The Ultimate Audition Book for Teens Volume 9: 111 Monologues from Contemporary Literature, 2 Minutes and Under

The Ultimate Audition Book for Teens Volume 10: 111 One-Minute Monologues for Teens by Teens

The Ultimate Audition Book for Teens Volume 11: 111 One-Minute Monologues Just Comedy!

The Ultimate Audition Book for Teens Volume 12: 111 One-Minute Monologues Active Voices

THE ULTIMATE SCENE STUDY SERIES FOR TEENS

The Ultimate Scene Study Series for Teens Volume 1: 60 Shakespeare Scenes

The Ultimate Scene Study Series for Teens Volume 2: 60 Short Scenes by Debbie Lamedman

THE ULTIMATE MONOLOGUE SERIES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL ACTORS

The Ultimate Monologue Book for Middle School Actors Volume 1: 111 One-Minute Monologues by Kristen Dabrowski

The Ultimate Monologue Book for Middle School Actors Volume 3: 111 One-Minute Monologues by L. E. McCullough

The Ultimate Monologue Book for Middle School Actors Volume 4: 111 One-Minute Monologues The Rich, The Famous, The Historical by Kristen Dabrowski

To order call toll-free (888) 282-2881
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The Ultimate
Audition Book for Teens
VOLUME XIII

111 One-Minute Monologues

-Active Voices-

M. Ramirez

YOUNG ACTORS SERIES

A Smith and Kraus Book

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To drama teachers: Without them, where would all us dorks go? To Ana Mederos-Blanco, James Puig, Lizzy Silverio, and Minnie Perez.

A very special thanks to Elsie Gattas, Lizzie Leeds, Manny Arca, Peanut, and Sarah Landman.

This book is dedicated to all my former students: Kateh, Alfie, Chenet, Ally, Kasbar, Multach, Noble, Berman, Gaby, Angeles, Gabriel, Siew, Sasso, Pedro, Cusco, and all the other punks I forgot. These monologues are your voices speaking, not mine. (Except for the really good voices, those are totally mine.)

Lastly, and most notably, perhaps, Id like to thank Renata Russell. On more than one occasion this remarkable woman saved me from falling headfirst into a river of doubt. She taught me how to be a teacher, and more importantly, she taught me why to be a teacher.

Im out.

M

A Smith and Kraus Book

Published by Smith and Kraus, Inc.

177 Lyme Road, Hanover, NH 03755

www.smithandkraus.com

Copyright 2008 by Marco Ramirez

All rights reserved.

LIMITED REPRODUCTION PERMISSION:

The publisher grants permission to individual teachers to reproduce the scripts as needed for use with their own students. Permission for reproduction for an entire school district or for commercial use is required.

Please call Smith and Kraus, Inc. at (603) 643-6431.

First Edition: January 2008

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Cover and text design by

Julia Gignoux, Freedom Hill Design

ISBN 978-1-57525-581-1

Library of Congress Control Number: 2007942754

Introduction

So youre flipping through more than a hundred monologues, trying to find one before your brain explodes and it happens: for a second, you regret taking Drama in the first place. Yes, your friends who took Band have it so much easier. They get sheet music, they perform it, and theyre done but not you. No, you wanted to act, and whats worse: your teacher slammed you with a Monologue assignment for class.

But dont stress yourself too much. Turns out, Drama was a fine choice, and monologue performance isnt this long-lost crazy art form you cant do yourself.

You watch people do it all the time: David Letterman, that whiny kid in Science class, your Uncle Steve. Think of monologues as nothing more than stories. Youve told stories, right? I mean, you dont give them titles, but you could, if you really had to: The Thing That Happened at School Today, The Day The Weird Guy at the Mall Talked to Marty. Any time youve ever told someone a really great story, any time youve stated your case, any time youve ever begged and pleaded for your parents to buy you something, for your teacher to change your grade, for the guy at the theater to let you sneak into a Rated-R movie, youve performed a monologue.

OK? So, moral of the story: You can do this.

More importantly: I think this book can help. (That was my pep talk.)

Casting directors number-one complaint is that young actors dont choose age-appropriate material. I know what youre thinking: But I can play ANY age. Know what that response is? Cute. (Sorry, but its true. Who would you rather have telling you the flat-out truth? Me, a random guy who wrote a book? Or a judge/teacher/casting director person: People who get PAID to judge you. Me. Right. Exactly.)

Think about it: These casting directors have to sit through tons of auditions where sixteen, thirteen-year-old young men and women are trying to play men and women in their thirties. Deep down inside, no matter how good these actors are, they cant escape that one fact: Theyre teenagers. And even if they DO play a wonderful thirty-year-old, the first thing on the casting directors mind is But can this kid play a teenager.

Theres no need to squeeze yourself into an adult characters shoes. Youre a teenager. Why should you have to subject yourself to playing an adult?

Play a teenager.

The monologues in this book are specifically for actors thirteen to nineteen. Some of them are for young men, some are for young women, and some are for both. These are pieces that judges, teachers, and casting directors have never seen before. These monologues are active. They pop like nobodys business. They can be fun when they need to be fun. They can be poignant when they need to be poignant. These are stories only teens could tell, stories thatll make your ability really shine through.

These are the monologues youve been looking for.

Theres obviously more to monologue picking than THIS IS THE BOOK, but the key the only real piece of advice I can give you is to not get overwhelmed. Pick the monologue that you can relate to. Pick the one that makes you laugh. Pick the one that makes you cry. Pick the one you see yourself in.

Then, do your best to infuse it with life. Make your monologue ACTIVE. Its OK to sweat or to scream. Not every monologue calls for it, but what I mean is, try your best to stuff your monologues with energy, with motivation, with reality, and with ACTION.

Ask yourself some questions about your monologue and character: Who are you? Who are you talking to? Where are you? Is it raining outside? What do you want? What are you willing to do to get it? What are you NOT willing to do? What did your character have for breakfast? What does your character dream about?

Ask yourself other questions. Ask yourself better questions, and please, just make them yours.

Oh, and one last thing.

The stage directions, the stuff in parentheses, those are there to help you. Hopefully, they do, but I tried to not give you TOO much. Theres some discovery you have to do on your own. This isnt paint-by-numbers acting.