Finding the perfect monologue

I've been looking for a new monologue, and although there are plenty out there, even plenty of obscure monologues out there, it's unclear what makes an appropriate monologue....for me.

I've read enough about auditioning to know that no casting director wants to see a piece they've seen done a million times. I want them to focus on my talent and personality, not be sitting there thinking, "Oh no, not this again."

I also need to avoid over-long memory monologues (When I was a little girl growing up on the farm in Kansas....) or monologues intended to shock (swearing, screaming, crying, engaging in repulsive acts). I once saw a quite beautiful actress perform a monologue that involved a detailed analysis of picking her nose. It was grim.

But I recently came across an otherwise so-so book called 10 Steps to Breaking into Acting that contained a good definition of the perfect monologue, and I think this is the place to start. Here it is:

• A good monologue is one where your character is urgently going after something that he or she needs right now. It is active and alive, powerful and conversational, and engages the listener quickly and effectively.

• It has a beginning, middle, and an end.

• Your character goes through the journey in 1-2 minutes tops.

• It reflects your age and type.

The standard advice is to have four monologues memorized and ready - two for theater and two for film - but I rarely find a monologue being asked for at a film audition, only for casting agency open calls. I have one that still works for agency open calls, so I'll be looking for one that encourages projection.