The Art and the Audition
New York, NY
US

CONTACT NAME

Karen Kohlhaas

DESCRIPTION

Hi Everyone,

Join me this weekend for this free 75 minute online class!

HOW TO CHOOSE A MONOLOGUE FOR ANY AUDITION & Monologue Performance Clinic

Choose one:

• Saturday January 31st | 11am-12:15pm Eastern

• Sunday February 1st | 3pm-4:15pm Eastern

HOW TO RESERVE | Reply to this post with your preferred session IF ANY PROBLEM with the link, please email me directly at [email protected]

The class includes a monologue performance clinic - I'll ask several participants to read or perform, as we cover:

:: What is a good monologue?

:: What’s a good monologue for YOU?

:: What’s a good monologue for you for THIS audition?

:: Types of monologues to definitely have in your repertoire

:: How to cut and edit well

:: When and when not to do overdone monologues

:: The "Hello, This is Me" monologue and why it's so valuable for auditioning actors

Bring me all of your monologue-finding problems!

—Karen

KAREN KOHLHAAS is a founding ensemble member of the Atlantic Theater Company and senior teacher at the Atlantic Acting School. She is the author of The Monologue Audition: A Practical Guide for Actors (recommended by Helen Mirren in her Master Class on acting, and a Backstage must-read); and How to Choose a Monologue for Any Audition. She was named Best NYC Monologue Teacher and Best NYC Cold Reading Teacher by Backstage readers. See below for full bio.

BEST ENDORSEMENT EVER

My book THE MONOLOGUE AUDITION is recommended by Dame Helen Mirren in her Master Class on Acting:

"Michael Shurtleff’s book Audition is a classic that acting teachers have recommended for years. Karen Kohlhaas from the Atlantic Acting School in New York also has a wonderful book specifically dedicated to the monologue audition, The Monologue Audition: A Practical Guide For Actors. Read both of them."

—Helen Mirren

“We’ll say it: monologues are hard. Legendary director and teacher Kohlhaas addresses preparation to execution, demystifying one of the most difficult forms of theatrical audition. Headed to an open call? Learn how to direct, stage and even enjoy performing your monologue in the room.” —BACKSTAGE

WHAT ACTORS ARE SAYING

I learned more from your first class than I have ever learned in entire semesters taking other acting courses. Class atmosphere was personable and welcoming. The audition preparations and advice were also very valuable. I would love to continue my studies with you. —MICHELLE PETERSON

After only 3 days with a new monologue, using your techniques, I had a very successful general audition. Before I took your class I would not have felt ready and would not have attended. The 'countdown' technique alone was worth the whole price of the class. It focused me in a simple way and allowed my first moment to come out fully without any self-consciousness or self-doubt.—JACKIE MARUSCHAK

My favorite part of this class is that you FORCE us to see what an audition looks like from the other side of the table by walking in and, introducing yourself. The class size allows for enough work time. The four monologues I left class with have me feeling prepared! —JOE GODLEY

Monologues are no longer this scary place that I don't understand. I actually had fun at that audition yesterday! This is so helpful when it comes to how confident I feel— even in singing auditions. —DIANE TERRUSA

I have a callback this week, so happy to have something else to work on. It’s a killer role. P.S. all these callbacks are from EPAs where I have to do a monologue. Your class works.—AMANDA McCALLUM

Thank you for everything. You have no idea how tremendous your book and classes have been to me.—JOE DANBUSKEY

Four monologues! It pushes you to explore new pieces and to make choices that would usually take a long time due to indecisive minds. —CHRISTINE LIU

Your class was revolutionary to my monologue work. Thank you Karen.—JULIAN SCHRENZEL

I am indebted to you for the most informative and exciting monologue training I've ever had. Knowing that I could follow easy steps to take care of all the presentational elements of monologue auditioning made it so much easier to let the acting shine through.—McLEAN PETERSON

I've gotten a callback for almost every audition I've been to since taking your course! I got into a show right away. —MAREK SAPIEWSKI

ABOUT KAREN

KAREN KOHLHAAS is an Atlantic Theater Company founding member, director, and senior teacher. She developed and teaches her own approach to monologue audition technique, which was recently recommended in Helen Mirren's Master Class on acting, and which she teaches in New York, around the US, internationally, and now online.

Director | For Atlantic, Karen has directed productions of plays by Harold Pinter, David Mamet, Annie Baker, Keith Reddin, Kia Corthron, Shel Silverstein, Hilary Bell, Joe Penhall, and Kate Moira Ryan. She has also directed for Primary Stages, the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater, Naked Angels, Ars Nova, Ensemble Studio Theatre, New York Live Arts, 24 Hour Plays on Broadway, the Alley Theatre, Houston, New Dramatists, Menagerie Theatre in Cambridge, UK, The Culture Project, the Practical Theater Co. in Sydney and others.

Teacher | Karen is a master teacher of the Practical Aesthetics acting technique with over 30 years in the classroom, and is a senior teacher at the Atlantic Acting School's conservatory programs. She teaches her own NYC classes in Acting, Directing, Monologues, and Fearless Cold Reading & Audition Technique. She teaches guest workshops around the country and internationally, including theaters, universities, and conferences in Atlanta, Austin, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Cleveland, Houston, Miami, Mississippi, England, Australia, and Italy.

Author | Karen is the author of 3 books, and director of a 120 minute DVD on her monologue techniques. Her first book, The Monologue Audition is a Backstage must-read.

Filmmaker | Karen's films include two with acclaimed performer/playwright Taylor Mac, several short documentaries; and the instructional film Roots & Branches 5 Element Qi Gong for the T'ai Chi Foundation.

Tennessee Williams Scholar | Karen has been researching and creating a full length documentary and book on Tennessee Williams' Mississippi Delta roots. She has been a panelist and presenter at the New Orleans and Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Festivals, and has curated and co-founded, with St. George's Episcopal Church, the Tennessee Williams Rectory Museum in the former residence of Williams and his family. She teaches Tennessee Williams advanced scene weekends in New York City, and in January 2020 conducted, with playwright Craig Lucas, the first annual week-long residential training for actors and playwrights in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

DURATION

Jan 31, 2026 - Feb 1, 2026

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