The Ultimate Scene and Monologue Sourcebook, Updated and Expanded Edition: An Actor's Reference to Over 1,000 Scenes and Monologues from More than 300

As noted already this is not a collection of monologues but a resource on info on monologues and where to find them. As an actor I find this extremely helpful. Many books only have the specific monologue. To get a good sense of any monologue it is imperative that the actor know where the speech comes within the context of the play. This book, though suggesting monolgues, requires the actor get the whole play ... with that in hand, reading the play in its entirety should be the first step the actor takes.. NOTE: A new edition of this book is due out soon.

This is unquestionably the best book an actor can use to find monologues. While many people have complained about the fact the monologues aren't included in the book, this is actually a very good thing. The book gives a synopsis of the scene or monologue in the play, and tells you what publisher you can get the play from. Many young actors when they find a monologue in a collection memorize and perform it, without understanding the subtext behind the scene. This book forces the actor to read the play and get a strong concept of the character they plan to play. The book also mentions a few monologues and scenes which are heavily performed in professional auditions and should be avoided if at all possible. This book is a valuable resource if for nothing else then to get you looking at some new plays and authors, many of them relatively obscure compared to Arthur Miller and Neil Simon. With 300 plays featured, this book can keep a dedicated actor very well occupied.

Mr.Hooks' comprehensive guide to monologues and scenes is both succinct and insightful. He gives the reader knowledge of the level of difficulty of a piece as well as offering advice on its strengths and weeknesses from a first hand perspective.

This book has saved me the time and agony of sifting through hundreds of plays trying to find good material. It has summaries of each scene and monologue, and where to begin and end. I'm just starting acting, and this resource has given me guidelines and direction when choosing pieces. I feel it would be a good book for actors of all levels who are looking for creative, interesting and challenging new scenes to work on. How about a book on film and TV work Ed?

Information about each monolgue is provided including the race of the characters, a little background and level of difficulty. This is a great reference if you're looking for a quick audition piece with a certain theme or play in mind. If you're an actor with a limited amount of time to aquire material this book is perfect. The only drawback is the fact that you have to actually find the plays from which the monologues were taken yourself. But hey, it's worth it!