Have you taken part in an acting audition before?
Prepare and perform a short monologue, practice voice and expressions, record your audition, and get feedback to improve performance skills.
Step-by-step guide to preparing and performing a short audition monologue
Step 1
Choose a short monologue to perform that is age appropriate and about 30 to 90 seconds long.
Step 2
Read the monologue aloud slowly to understand every word and the story behind it.
Step 3
Use your pen to mark emotions breaths and important beats on the script.
Step 4
Do a two minute vocal warm up such as humming lip trills and saying a few tongue twisters.
Step 5
Practice your facial expressions and body movements in the mirror while saying a line.
Step 6
Rehearse the entire monologue three times focusing on clear words and honest emotion.
Step 7
Record your first take of the monologue in a quiet space.
Step 8
Watch or listen to your recording all the way through without stopping.
Step 9
Write down two things you liked and two things you want to improve from that recording.
Step 10
Ask a friend family member or adult to watch your recording and give one helpful suggestion.
Step 11
Rehearse the monologue again applying the single suggestion you received.
Step 12
Record a second take of the monologue after rehearsing the change.
Step 13
Compare your first and second takes and choose the one that shows your best performance.
Step 14
Share your finished audition on DIY.org.
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use if we don't have a pen or a mirror?
Use a pencil, highlighter, or sticky-note tabs to mark emotions, breaths and important beats on the script, and use your phone's front camera or a shiny spoon/glass as a mirror to practice facial expressions.
My recording is noisy and I keep forgetting lines—what should I do?
Move to a quieter room as suggested for 'record your first take in a quiet space', do the two-minute vocal warm-up and mark breaths with your pen, rehearse the monologue three times focusing on marked beats, then re-record to get a clearer, more confident take.
How do I change the activity for younger or older children?
For younger kids choose a 30-second familiar monologue and have an adult help mark the script and handle recording, while older kids can work on a 60–90 second piece, add detailed pen notes about backstory, and extend the warm-up.
How can we make the audition more creative or stronger before sharing on DIY.org?
Add a simple prop or costume related to the piece, film an alternate angle, apply the one helpful suggestion you received when you rehearse again, then compare takes and upload the best polished performance to DIY.org.
Watch videos on how to prepare and perform a short audition monologue
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Facts about theatre and acting for kids
🎤 A quick 5–10 minute vocal warm-up can expand your range and help protect your voice during practice and performance.
🧠 Konstantin Stanislavski created a system of techniques to help actors produce believable emotions and truthful performances on stage.
🎭 Many actors pick monologues that are 1–2 minutes long because that's a perfect audition length to show range without taking too much time.
🎬 Recording your audition lets you watch yourself and catch tiny things—directors can also rewatch tapes, so a clean take matters!
🎧 The word "audition" comes from the Latin verb audire, which means "to hear."
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