I get this question a lot.

How do I find the right material?

That's right?

For me,

finding material that aligns with an

actor's personality,

their qualities and their career goals

requires both introspection and active

research.

The right monologues,

the right scripts, or the right plays,

can showcase their unique talents,

while also catering to those roles

they're currently eligible for.

I'm going to give you a detailed guide

on how actors can effectively locate

and select material that is tailored

for them.

That means you,

on this episode of casting actor's cast,

replied box

jakes watch you

every week.

We're bringing in your watch.

We're going to kick off the show right

after this.

Well, hello, and welcome to today's

episode of casting actors cast.

I'm gassing partner.

Jeffrey Dreisbach with a McCorkle

group in New York.

How are you hope you haven't a good

day?

I'm having a really good day.

And I'm really looking forward to

sharing with you

the

ways in which you can find material

that is best suited for you.

It sometimes is a question I get from

actors a lot.

And I know that there are a lot of

actors whose auditions I've seen that

could benefit from this episode, let me

tell you.

But first, this is that moment where I

get to say thank you for tuning into

casting actress cast.

Please go to the website, casting

actors cast all one word dot com.

I'm excited to be part of the Broadway

podcast network, and I think you're

going to find all kinds of really cool

information on the website, casting

actress Cass all one word dot com.

And now a special notice, if I may be

allowed to do so.

I've been a film and a television

teacher professor at Norwalk

conservatory of the arts for a couple

of years.

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00:02:15,702 --> 00:02:20,6

Now it's in a credited two year

training program for actors.

Now my graduating second year TV and

film students are going to be heading

to Los Angeles

at the end of February for a major

career opportunity.

They're going to

showcase

in front of top industry talent agents

and casting directors.

Now this is really an incredible chance

for these talented young actors to make

connections and to take their careers

to the next level.

Here's the thing.

To help cover the costs of travel and

accommodation,

they've had to set up a go fund me

campaign.

So any contribution that you consider

making to these young talented actors

will go directly to supporting their

trip and ensuring they can make the

most of this opportunity.

Now listen the link on the go fund me

pages on my websitecasting

actors cast, all one word dot com.

So won't you consider supporting these

young students as they head to California

to see if they can be part of this

amazing industry?

So if you have any questions, or you

want to chat more about the details,

please don't hesitate to reach out.

And I appreciate.

And thank you for allowing me to

present this to you.

Thank you so much.

All right, let's talk about material

that is right for you.

I think the first step, and there are

several steps that I'm going to be

chatting with you about today, but the

first step is self assessment.

I think it's really important that you

know your strengths and also how you

want to be perceived.

So understand your

quality,

your nature,

consider your natural essence.

Are you often seen as the romantic

lead, or maybe the Kirk quirky sidekick?

Maybe the commanding authority?

Or you could even be the comic relief.

Understanding how you are seen by others

helps you find roles you're more likely

to book.

Also evaluate your casting range.

Reflect on roles that you've previously

been cast in, and

consider the feedback you've gotten

from casting directors or peers in the

past with the roles that you've played

quite frankly.

This can reveal

how others perceive you.

And why is that important?

That's because the energy you put out

into the world

gets reflected back to you on how

people see you.

And so that can be a really useful

resource for you in terms of finding

the material.

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00:05:02,969 --> 00:05:04,4

Here's another tip, it's,

the tip, is to balance what's obvious

with your aspirations.

Now, I think, while playing to your

strength

is just crucial,

don't hesitate to explore material that

structures your skills or challenges

your perceptions.

This is not about putting you into a

category.

This is about finding really

interesting choices that help you

identify your strength.

One way to identify those strengths as

the emotional range,

by choosing material that highlights

your ability to convey specific emotions,

like

vulnerability,

your humor or your intensity, can go a

long way

to help you with those choices and

decisions.

Another category that I think is many

times overlooked, which are your skills

and your specialties.

See if you have unique skills, like

singing,

maybe you're really great with accents,

or you can do a lot with your body,

your physicality.

Select material that allows you to

showcase

those really interesting, unique

qualities.

Why not?

There's also the cultural or personal

connection that you can make.

If you look for scripts that resonate

with your background, with your values,

your heritage, or your own personal

experiences,

you know what?

This often brings authenticity to your

performance.

So if there's material that you can

relate to on more than one level, that

might be an excellent choice for you to consider.

Number two,

researching

researching material for monologues.

The way that you do that is simply read

widely.

Explore anthologies of monologues for

specific genres.

For example, it's as drama, or is it

comedy?

Or it could be classical theater or

contemporary theater.

Of course, you know, you can go to

libraries and bookstores, and of

course, there's just thousands of

online resources.

Those are all just really great places

to start.

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00:07:19,639 --> 00:07:21,7

So that would be the first step.

The second tip I have is to search by

character.

Look for monologues spoken by

characters that are similar to your

age, that are similar to your identity

or personality.

Websites like monologue archive or

backstage dot com often categorize

material in this way.

Next, you could consider and create

your own.

If you can't find a perfect match,

consider crafting a monologue from a

favorite scene in a play or a film that

hasn't been overused.

Now I'm not suggesting that you write

your own material.

I do not believe that that is the best

case for you in terms of working and

demonstrating your acting.

Prowess here's why

the actor is there to interpret

the writer's work.

There's a real muddy area.

If you're writing your own monologue to

try to fit all of these needs, that I

don't think is necessarily useful.

Unless you are a terrifically

skilled writer, I would refrain from

writing your own work.

What I'm talking about is, many actors

do this.

They see

a film, or they see a television show,

and they record the show, because maybe

that show has a really great monologue

in it.

And they go back and they transcribe

that and make that closer to who they

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00:08:53,633 --> 00:08:56,2

are or who they want to show.

And that becomes a really excellent way

in which you can still get somebody

else's writing, but it can also be

tailored to suit you.

Prescription plays.

I think it's important to explore

contemporary works.

You can seek out new playwrights or

scripts from festivals like the humane

festival or the national theatres

playwriting initiatives.

Oftentimes

they will feature really fresh material

aligned with modern sensibilities.

Be careful about something that is

extremely well known or extremely

popular.

However,

so that's something to consider.

I can't tell you how many times a play

will open on Broadway, and then two

weeks later, I'm in an epa in equity,

principal audition, and hearing a

monologue from that show, thinking, oh,

that's so clever.

You know what?

I don't think that sometimes the

performance that I see a Broadway is so

riveting that it really takes me out of

paying attention to you.

If you're doing the same monologue.

Just be careful.

Exercise a little bit of caution there.

Why not revisit classics?

Revisit classics with a twist?

You know, there are many classical

plays that can be adapted or

interpreted in ways that make them feel

very personal and very fresh for you.

I know a wonderful, older actress who's

decided that she is going to play every

male Shakespeare character

for a career choice, I think that

that's kind of brilliant, because the approach

is something that is fresh, it's

different and it's personal.

Moving on from there, another tip is to

browse playwrights that you admire.

So if you connect with a particular

playwright's voice, for example, like

August Wilson, or Sarah roole or Annie

baker

explore, more of their work

that's a real, especially more obscure

work that might not be as well known.

Doing that for auditions is really

great.

Here's another tip, match the tone of

the project,

right?

So if you're auditioning for a TV

comedy,

clearly, you want to avoid dramatic

monologues and choose something light

and very witty.

Conversely, for a serious drama,

find material with depth and complexity.

Another tip,

review character breakdowns.

Use the casting calls, character

descriptions,

as a guide to choose pieces that mirror

those traits.

If you take nothing else away from this

podcast today, that would be the tip

that I think is going to nail it.

Making sure that what casting is

looking for are qualities that you can

find and apply in other monologues, in

other pieces of work.

So number three let's move on.

From there we're to find material.

Where do I find this stuff?

I could ask that a lot of, obviously,

right, libraries and theaters.

Most public libraries have extensive

collections of plays.

And monologue anthologies

often they're categorized by genre or

time period.

Here's a chip you might not have

thought of.

Theater companies.

Many theater companies maintain

archives of scripts that they've

produced, which can absolutely be a

treasure trove of material.

And then obviously, there are online

resources, play databases and websites

like dramatist's play service or new

play exchange and Samuel French.

They allow actors to search for scripts

by playwright,

by theme or by type.

Then of course, there are definitely

monologue specific sites.

Backstage

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00:12:54,741 --> 00:12:56,9

stage agent

and actorama often curate lists of

monologues for auditions.

Then there are those streaming

platforms.

Watching filmed performances on

platforms like Broadway hd or national

theater at home can introduce you to

new material.

Networking and recommendations.

Peers and mentors, fellow actors,

directors or acting coaches often have

go to recommendations based on your

quantity qualities and your skill set.

Here's another tip.

Workshops and classes, acting classes

frequently expose participants to a

variety of material, and may offer

guidance on finding personalized scripts.

Those people that are teaching these

monologue classes or scene study

classes, believe me, they have a host

of ideas for scripts and material that

they've been working with over the

years they're probably going to be a

terrific resource for you to consider.

Number four, tailoring the material.

Choose material that feels authentic

emotional connection.

Select material that resonates

emotionally.

This makes performances more genuine

and impactful.

There's also voice alignment.

The language and the tone of the piece

should suit your natural vocal rhythm

and style.

So for example, if a piece feels too

awkward or forced, it's definitely not

going to be the best choice for you.

Continuing on from there,

I would love for you to also remember

to edit wisely.

For example, it's really ok for you to

trim for time.

If the full piece is too long, edit it

down to highlight its strongest, most

impactful moments

always ensure edits, maintain narrative

coherence

so that it makes sense.

You don't just want to be editing

arbitrarily.

But also, too many times actors are

trying to maintain the cohesive nature

of the plot.

If it's like a play, for example, and

that's not necessary,

you don't necessarily have to keep

investigative things that are germane

to the journey

of the plot of the piece.

It really is about where that character

is, emotionally

moving on from there.

I think it's important to make it

personal

by adjusting small details, if allowed,

to make the piece feel closer to your

life,

to your experience.

Number five,

the value of finding the right material

is staying up to date with current trends.

Track industry needs,

research current productions.

Look at what's popular onstage, look at

what's popular on television and

streaming platforms.

Now this helps you align your material

with industry

trends.

It also helps you cast yourself.

Well.

When you see

a series, a television series, for

example, or procedural,

that really aligns with your

creativity, but it also aligns

with who you are.

That's material that is well worth

investigating,

finding of monologues and for Scenes,

for whatever you might be looking for.

Another suggestion is to follow casting

directors.

You know it's true.

Many casting professionals discuss what

they're looking for on social media or

in interviews,

participate in playwrighting communities

read new works.

Many playwrights workshop their scripts

in public forms, providing actors

access to fresh material.

Have you thought about this?

What about collaborating with writers?

Partnering with playwrights or

screenwriters,

can result in origin, original material

tailored to your strengths.

And so as we continue on with this, I

think it's important to avoid common pitfalls.

Let's talk about those common pitfalls.

We're going to continue the conversation

right after this.

It's important that we continue on by

talking about avoiding common pitfalls.

Avoiding overly familiar pieces.

Casting directors often tire of hearing

the same monogues or Scenes.

Seek less commonly used material to

stand out.

Another tip, don't stretch too far.

While it's great to challenge yourself,

choosing material,

too far outside who you are, can feel

very inauthentic.

So be careful.

Here's the way to do that.

First, stay age appropriate.

Select material that fits your age and

stage of life.

As this ensures believability.

Because you are the age.

You are.

Your life experience

reflects who you are now.

And so by going outside of that a

little bit too much, doesn't really

feel truthful.

Moving on from there.

Number seven, refreshing your material,

rotate your repertoire.

Keeping a variety of monologues and

Scenes ready tailored to different

genres, tones and different characters,

can really be a useful tool as you

continue to move forward.

Keeping it fresh all the time is very,

very helpful.

And don't forget to evaluate the

feedback that you've received on the

work that you've already done,

for example, after auditions or

performances.

Why not reflect on which pieces worked

well and which pieces didn't work as

well as you had hoped?

Then it's important to adjust your

selections.

Accordingly.

This tip gets often used in, and not

the best or the healthiest way.

And that is experiment in class.

I think that you should use acting

workshops to test new material before

committing it for professional use.

The feedback that you get from your

instructors and fellow actors can be absolutely

valuable for you when you're making

those choices of materials that suit

who you are now.

So by combining

self awareness with strategic research,

actors can really find material that

showcases their unique abilities and

aligns with their career goals,

ensuring that they're always ready to

deliver compelling performances

tailored to who they are and tailored

to the opportunities

that are available or will be available

to you.

Thank you so much for tuning into this

episode of casting actors Cass.

Please don't forget to leave me alike

and a share and thumbs up, all that

good stuff.

And I hope to see you next time on

casting actor's cast.

It's been great having you in our

talentful to day.

Your support means the world to us.

So please consider sharing, liking and

reviewing this episode wherever you

jump in.

I'm megging.

Grace Martinez.

Thanks.

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00:20:28,94 --> 00:20:28,795

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