For a working actor, having a repertoire of impactful monologues ready for auditions is essential. This is especially crucial when applying to drama schools or university drama courses. Choosing the right monologue is an art, and investing in this process is vital.
“It’s highly probable, whatever monologue you choose, you’ll perform it many times, so it’s worth picking something you love and something that’s going to serve you the way you want it to,” says Jonny Hoskins, senior lecturer in Acting at Arts University Bournemouth. Hoskins advises choosing a monologue you can connect with from a play you could feasibly be cast in.
As for what makes a good audition monologue, “You’re going to want something which has depth, a world that the character exists in, and a situation or problem for the character which you can relate to,” he says. “Often, you’ll be asked for two pieces, usually one classical and one contemporary,” says Hoskins. “Use the opportunity to have two pieces which are contrasting and show off your range. You’d be surprised how many people stand or sit in exactly the same position in the same part of the room and deliver similar pieces.
“Be clear about who the character is talking to,” says Hoskins. “Are you creating an invisible other or are you directly addressing the audience? On the day, you can ask the people auditioning you this question directly. Some of them would prefer you to pretend you’re in a larger space and avoid looking at them directly, but it’s not the same for everybody.
If you’ve ever found yourself searching for your monologue, and being bored by the same tired selections over and over and over, then this page is for you. Why not find something new?
Read also: Atlanta Nigerian Passport Services
This article contains a selection of copyright-free short monologues for actors. Along with the scripts themselves, we’ve included a few tips and tricks on performing monologues, a few reminders about script analysis and some other resources available on the StageMilk site.
It’s not something we tend to think about, but most scripts that you’ll encounter as an actor are protected by copyright. This means that you should technically be paying a writer for its use if you intend to record or perform it. However, as most actors aren’t using monologues or scenes for direct financial gain, there is a bit of legal wiggle room when it comes to using such material.
Our advice, however, is to have a think about where your scripts come from. If you can, find ways to support and respect the artists who wrote them. Can you buy their work in another form, or support them via a Patreon or the like? At the very least, can you try tagging them via social media or reaching out to them directly for permission? If you’ve found their work in a book you always use, consider getting it as a gift for an actor friend!
The good news is that this page is written with this conundrum directly in mind!
Hello! My name is Alexander Lee-Rekers; I’m a professional playwright and screenwriter, as well as the author of most of the scripts on this page. I hereby give you permission to use the scenes on this page for personal practice, as well as showreels and auditions. All I ask is that you credit my work-especially if you post it on social media.
Read also: Experience Fad's Fine African Cuisine
The following scenes have been purpose-written for actors to use in auditions, demo reels and showcases. The format of the scripts is the in-house formatting we use in our online Scene Club, which is actually where these scripts originated. If you like what you read, consider joining up for coaching sessions each month and the chance to read some fresh original material.
We’ve included a few details on casting and performance on each script below, but feel free to take these more as guidelines than hard-and-fast rules. You’ll be the best judge of whether or not a script is right for you.
Monologue Examples and Performance Notes
Here are several monologue examples with performance notes to guide your preparation:
Gayle
Performance Notes: The challenge with this piece is to find the warmth and keep it fun. On the page, this story can sound quite threatening at times; how does the tone and delivery of Gayle’s storytelling comfort her listener Diana (and, by extension, the audience)? It’s worth mapping out the relationship between these characters to find the nuance in how they interact and feel around each other. The writing suggests a friendship, or at least a closeness, but can you be more specific?
Sandy
Performance Notes: Sandy’s a good detective. More than that, she’s a natural performer. Ask yourself what her tactic is before she goes into this room with this young offender. What’s the game plan? Does she expect him to be a certain way: angry? Apologetic? Nervous? Spend time looking at the given circumstances of this scene, as well as map out what has come before.
Read also: Philadelphia Food Truck
Emma
Performance Notes: The action of this scene is pretty low stakes on the page. For the protagonist Emma, it’s a pretty major turning point. Not only do they finally ask out the person they’ve fallen for, they summon the courage to do so. In some ways, this second point is more impactful than the first! In this scene, remember to ‘check in’ with your scene partner. How are they taking this declaration? Are they amused? Horrified? Happy?
Karen
Performance Notes: Consider the given circumstances of this scene: where Karen is, what time it is, where she’s come from and where she’s going. There’s plenty of context that can be suggested to the audience by how she delivers this speech. It’s also worth putting some consideration into her scene partner. Who is Cal? Are Karen and Cal close? Finally, play with the fact that Karen is ‘performing’ what she’s going to say.
Tyson
Performance Notes: There is a lot to be done in determining character relationships in this monologue. Are they close, or have they been having problems for a while now. More importantly: is Tyson’s admission a shock to his wife, or something she suspected?
Mr. Jenkins
Performance Notes: Spend time on the moment before this monologue. What has the therapist said to prompt this discussion about Mr. Jenkins? Why hasn’t Gus brought this painful memory up before?
Gemma
Performance Notes: The writer has left plenty of room in this monologue for you to really build the character and world of Gemma as you see fit. Work out the facts you have to play with in the scene by studying the text, and ask questions around those to fill in the gaps and make this speech feel real. Who is Gemma speaking to? Where do they work?
Greta
Performance Notes: Comedy is often about the clash between the mundane and extraordinary: a ridiculous character in a normal world, or the only sane person in a land of madness. Greta considers herself firmly as the latter. Work to making her piece feel grounded, play to the urgency of the situation and her objective of convincing her housemate.
Ian
Performance Notes: Take your time with this one. Ian’s approach might not be perfect, but it’s the best he could possibly come up with given the problem he’s facing. Imagery is going to help with this piece, not just in the telling of Ian’s memories about his own father, but in conveying how these memories make him feel. Finally, don’t forget Zack in all of this. While the story is about Ian’s father, it’s far more about his present, and what this could mean for his future with his son.
Gripe
Performance Notes: What’s happened before this scene? What incident is Gripe talking about? It’s up to you to answer this (using clues from the writer via script analysis) and keep it in mind throughout the scene. It’s also worth thinking about how truthful Gripe is being: about their involvement in the crime, what really happened at the police station. Finally, what is their objective in this moment?
Sam
Performance Notes: Despite this being a monologue, there are actually three characters to consider in this piece: Sam, Mary and Essie. Consider mapping out their relationships, plotting out their personal histories and working out what might have happened to bring them to this place. How did Essie die? Did Sam and Mary have anything to do with it? Had Sam and Mary planned to run into each other in this scene? Also, take note of the line breaks in this scene: why has the writer broken the dialogue into the chunks they have?
Althea
Performance Notes: Althea’s dream gives us direct access to her subconscious; for this reason the monologue is great for letting you tap directly into a character and get a sense of them unfiltered. At the same time, you’ll need to make a call on whether or not this encounter has a hidden motive. Is Althea really over Chris? And if not, is she even aware of this fact? This monologue grants plenty of opportunities for you to ‘check in’ with the character of Chris. How does he take this information? What’s he doing: laughing, frowning, squirming, checking his phone?
Mack
Performance Notes: Before you tackle with anything else in this scene, consider the given circumstances. Where is it set? Who else is around? How might the setting make Mack feel? Let these modifiers play into how this scene is spoken-it’s very important that a monologue such as this feels informed by the world of the story, and doesn’t simply play out in a vacuum. Also worth consideration is the veracity of Mack’s claims. Is he remembering things correctly?
Murray
Performance Notes: In a fairly fun reversal of “The Money Dance” (above) Murray is a ridiculous character in a normal world. The key to playing this successfully, however, is for him to believe the exact opposite is true. He is certain he’s got this right, he’s going to be taken seriously and be vindicated! So play the truth in this scene. Murray is engaging in some high stakes relationship work, here.
Megan
Performance Notes: Try t0 track the shift in Megan during this scene as she finds herself thinking back to her childhood. What starts out as simply telling a story ends up with her back there-in the memory-which clearly still has its claws in her. Also worth consideration are her scene partners. She says a lot of people come in asking her about the face at the window. What makes these two different?
Hal
Performance Notes: To truly play the comedy of Hal’s predicament, look for the tragedy. While the monologue is amusing, it’s also the story of the worst day of their life. As they retell what happened, keep them in that moment that has them feeling helpless, breathless and looking forward to the future. What are the stakes of this scene?
Cassandra
Performance Notes: The stage directions in this scene call for Cassandra to speak quickly. Follow this if you can, but don’t let her ideas get caught up in the twists and turns. Play with rhythm and pacing, and think about what a few simple pauses will do to elevate the comedy of this piece.
Tips and Tricks for Performing Monologues
Once you’ve selected a piece that resonates with you, it’s worth considering a few of the below points before diving in. Most importantly: these monologues do not come from larger works. Whatever you can learn about these stories is all you have to work with.
And hey, this might be scary for you to consider. You can’t look at the end of the script or watch the movie to answer a question about the scene or the character. But what this actually means is that you have the chance to put a personal spin on the piece. Anything you can extrapolate from the text is fair game to build your performance on.
- Know who you’re speaking to in the scene. Just because a monologue is one character talking doesn’t mean you don’t want something from the person you’re talking to. Who is that? And what about their identity modifies the words? We talk differently to an enemy than we do a friend, or a lover, or a police officer, or an auntie. Work out who you’re speaking to and communicate with them.
- Consider your actions and objective. Your objective is what you want from your scene partner: it’s the reason your character shows up in the first place. Your actions are the tactics you play to get what you want. Plot them out and play them until you’ve exhausted that particular tactic, then pivot to something else. Threatening somebody not working?
There you have it: custom-written, original monologues for you to bring to life!
Finally, all of our free, original scenes are now available at the StageMilk Original Script Database.
Now the second-highest producing film industry in the world (behind Bollywood and in front of Hollywood), Nigeria’s film industry, known as Nollywood, exploded into the industry in the early 1990s.
Dramatic Monologue | Strong Female Drama Actor, Young Actress Celines Estevez
Nollywood Dreams follows the story of Ayamma, a young woman who works with her sister at their parent’s travel agency. Ayamma dreams of being a star, and it seems like her chance has come when a famous filmmaker named Gbenga Ezie (who proves to be not as successful as he claims) comes back to Nigeria after spending time in the United States.
Gbenga holds an open call for undiscovered actresses to be the lead in his new film, The Comfort Zone, and Ayamma jumps at the opportunity to audition. Meanwhile, another actress named Fayola Ogunleye, is trying to make a comeback after losing the notoriety she had as a young actress back in the day.
Ayamma proves to be Fayola’s biggest rival, and tensions flare when it seems like Gbenga is going to choose Ayamma, who has great chemistry with the lead of the film, Wale Owusu, also known as the sexiest man in Nigeria.
All monologues are the property and copyright of their owners. Monologues are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only.
All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only.
