Monologue Detective Prudence Wright Holmes Gives Free Workshop at The Drama Book Shop

The art of the monologue audition is separate from the art of acting. You can be a magnificent actor but be terrible at auditioning. For this reason, Monday evening, aspiring actors flocked to The Drama Book Shop in New York to listen to veteran actress and acting coach Prudence Wright Holmes, appropriately nicknamed the Monologue Detective.

Ms. Holmes's expertise is finding the monologue that fits you like a glove. But how does she do it? In private coaching, she interviews her subjects to find out who they really are. Sometimes, the actors don't even know. She encourages activities like having friends and family write descriptions of you and choosing words they think apply to you in order to better understand yourself. "People say write what you know," Holmes says, "but I say act what you know."

Audience members saw the Monologue Detective's magic firsthand as three volunteers performed audition pieces they had prepared. Ms. Holmes analyzed why their selection was or was not a good match for them and offered new suggestions from her treasury of monologues, all of which were eagerly taken on by the volunteers.

Much of Prudence Wright Holmes's wisdom can be found in her book Monologue Mastery, published by Limelight Editions. Full of entertaining anecdotes and thought-provoking exercises, this manual and workbook addresses in great detail how to find great little-known monologues, choose monologues that fit you perfectly, and perform a monologue brilliantly and capture the auditors' attention.

For more information, visit applausepub.com or themonologuedetective.blogspot.com.