Audition advice...

[Karen]

Easy - don't look at the people if that scares you, look at the wall above their heads, or the exit sign at the back of the room if there is one. And don;t panic - it's only an audition, people go through them all the time. Just act confident, even if you aren't! Smile when you introduce yourself, chin up, shoulders back and go for it!

[Lady's Human]

Absolute confidence.

If you make a mistake, don't think about it. Blow right through it and keep going. People will remember how you said it more than they'll remember what you said. To quote an old music teacher, people remember the first notes and the last, if you NAIL those, what's in between won't matter as much.

[Catherinedana]

The best advice I got was from my current vocal coach - it makes so much sense. . .Take Your Time. Don't rush out there and start your monologue and rush through it. Step out, "own the space" as they say, look around, get the feel of your surroundings and begin when you are ready. Standing in the space for a moment or so before you begin makes the biggest difference in the world - that makes it your space!

[Catty1]

A drama coach once said to us, "Don't just say the words - TELL it to me." It is the character's first time saying this (not yours) and it has to be communicated to the hearers.

Have you tried a gabble rehearsal? It's great for ensuring the words are in your brain! You say the whole monologue as fast as you can - no punctuation, pauses or anything! One looong run-on sentence!

Also - take each sentence and emphasize a different word each time you say it; you'll say it the number of times there are words in the sentence.

EG "The dog is black."
1. THE dog is black.
2. The DOG is black.
3. The dog IS black.
4. The dog is BLACK.

This last one will really help you with the first suggestion, and take the monologue beyond just memorizing, and making it your own.

In other words - play with the monologue and have fun with it.

Good luck!