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    Independent audition guide

    RADA Audition Monologues

    BA (Hons) Acting: preliminary self-tape

    Prepare a contrasting classical and contemporary speech, each lasting up to two minutes. Later rounds ask for additional material.

    What to prepare

    • Classical: Shakespeare or an Elizabethan/Jacobean playwright, originally written in English.
    • Contemporary: written after 1960 and contrasting with the classical speech.
    • Each speech: no more than two minutes.
    • Include the requested introduction and explanation of your choices.

    Official guidance checked. Reviewed 2026-10-16. Check the official brief for your course, entry year and audition stage before settling on material.

    Classical speech: monologues that fit

    Monologues from plays first performed or published between 1558 and 1625, originally written in English, running up to two minutes by our estimate. RADA names the playwright’s era (Elizabethan or Jacobean); we check the play’s date instead.

    Showing 12 of 169 that fit, top-rated first.

    Contemporary speech: monologues that fit

    Monologues from plays first performed or published in 1961 or later, running up to two minutes by our estimate. It must also contrast with your classical speech.

    Showing 12 of 18 that fit, top-rated first.

    Build your audition shortlist

    Start with play monologues up to 2 min. The pieces above are checked against the year each play was first performed or published (from Wikidata, reviewed by us) and the language it was written in (from Wikidata); running times are our estimates. They do not verify a prescribed speech list. Monologue Match filters by source and time limit only. Check the original text and time your performance.

    Save your shortlist for free, then open a scene to read and rehearse it. Full premium scripts require access.

    Prepare the piece

    Read the whole play. Know who you are speaking to, what you want, and what changes during the speech. Time the cut aloud with room for thought, then rehearse it without rushing.

    How to choose and prepare contrasting monologues

    Helping someone prepare? Give them a year of Pro: every scene in full, Director’s Notes and an AI scene partner to rehearse with.

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