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NEWSFLASH: Two monologues from my latest play, TINY TIM RUNS THE MARATHON, are now available! Look out below!
On this page, you'll find teen monologues and monologues for adults, all from plays of mine. They are used for auditions and in classrooms all over the world. Want to use one?
READ THESE SIMPLE GUIDELINES FIRST!
STEP ONE: Browse the Monologues
Look through the monologues below for one that fits your audition or classroom needs.
Q: Will you help me find a monologue? No. I don't recommend monologues for people I don't know, so PLEASE DON'T ASK. One, only you know which monologue fits you best, and two, as an actor, it's your responsibility to find your own work. I've done my part by putting a selection of monologues up here. The rest is up to you. There is one exception: if you would like to me to write a monologue for you to premiere, I am happy to do that (for a fee, of course). Please for rates.
Find something you like? Then it's time for...
STEP TWO: Ask for Permission
a short note that includes ALL of the following (and remember that politeness counts--"please" and "thank you" go a long, long way):
1. Your NAME (full name preferred, but you may use just your first name) and GRADE/YEAR (if still in school)
2. The SCHOOL or THEATRE COMPANY it's for
3. The CITY and STATE (or CITY and COUNTRY, if not in the US) where you'll be using the monologue (i.e. the location of the school, theatre company, talent agency, etc)
4. The name of the MONOLOGUE you want to use, and whether it's for a class or an audition. If it's for another purpose, read on...
Q: What if I'm under 18? May I have a parent or teacher contact you? If you are under 18, a parent or teacher may email for you if necessary, but it's better if you write the email yourself from the adult's email account. As a young actor, it's important that you learn to look for monologues yourself, with supervision and assistance from adults if you need it. They shouldn't do all the work for you.
Q: Why do I need permission? The material here is copyrighted, and much of it is here by special arrangement with my publishers. Using or copying it in any way (online or offline) without permission violates the law.
Q: Why do you care about my age or location? It helps me to track the marketing of my work, and to know to which age group and where my work has appeal. All information you provide is fully confidential and is only for my records.
Q: How long does it take you to respond? I may respond within minutes, but please allow at least one week for a reply in case I'm traveling or busy on a project. Please make sure your "reply to" email address is valid, as I can't give permission if I can't reach you. If you don't hear back after a week, you may want to check your email and then email again.
STEP THREE: Rules and Royalties
I almost always grant permission, as long as you are polite, agree
not to make any changes without asking first,
and credit me and the play. Generally, the only times I don't grant permission are when someone asks to do a monologue that is clearly not appropriate for reasons of age, gender or content, or if someone wants to make a cut/change that I don't feel is in keeping with the spirit of the piece.
NO ROYALTY: Students using monologues for individual classroom work
or for an audition.
PROBABLE SCRIPT PURCHASE (ROYALTY POSSIBLE): Public performance (cabaret,
school assembly, etc) or competitions may require a script purchase and/or small royalty, depending on circumstances. When you email, please tell me what you can about your particular event. IMPORTANT: Performing monologues from my published plays outside
of the classroom/audition setting (this includes videotaping them) requires permission from the
publisher, and they decide upon the royalty, if any. Expect to purchase a copy of the published script.
ATTENTION TEACHERS: Want to use a group of monologues in your class? While the method for requesting permission is the same as for an individual, I strongly encourage you to purchase a copy of one or two of my published plays. Why? Because you're using the collected monologues in lieu of buying a monologue collection or purchasing acting editions for every student. So purchasing a play or two (which will usually have some monologues that aren't listed on the website) is a way to show your support and acknowledge the work that goes into creating art. And not only that, but you'll be able to peruse a play or two that might be suitable for production at your school!
WARNING!
Using my work without
permission is ILLEGAL, as is reproducing
any part of these
monologues on a website or in print in any way.
Some material here is for mature audiences. For my site that contains
only youth-appropriate material, please click here.
WARNING!
STEP FOUR: Follow Up
Please follow up after the audition/presentation/performance and let me know how
things went. If for any reason you do not use the monologue
as planned, please tell me so! And please note, that by asking for permission to use a monologue, you are consenting for me to contact you through my email list (generally no more than once a month) to let you know about upcoming productions and other news. Neither your email address nor any information about you will ever be shared with anyone else. They'll have to beat it out of me!
WANT TO BE 100% TOTALLY COOL FOREVER...?
Are you at a school or a community theatre or other company?
Why not do a production of my work? If you're a student, plays
like 4 A.M. (see "Frankie 4 A.M." and "Fire Kid"), AFTER MATH ("Air," "Shaking" and "The Walrus"), DEAR
CHUCK ("My Civil Rights" and "Three Rows"), NOW
YOU SEE ME ("Psychologist"), HIGH SCHOOL (non) MUSICAL ("Toy Boatin" and "Failure") and THANK YOU FOR FLUSHING MY HEAD IN THE TOILET and other rarely used expressions ("Bluebird," "Thank You" and "Tragicomic Interlude") are perfect for schools and youth theatres--so
tell your teacher about me!

The Thurston High School (Springfield, OR) production of After Math.
Photo courtesy of Michael Fisher.
  
WANT TO LEARN HOW TO WRITE PLAYS?

It's the ultimate resource for young playwrights and those who teach them! Inside Young Playwrights 101 you'll find detailed instruction for young playwrights, organized in easy to follow lessons, including practice exercises: it's a complete playwriting course, available in paperback or as a downloadable e-book! (You'll even get tips for writing your own monologues!) Click on the picture to order it now!

Click on a monologue title below to see the full text
in a new window. If you have trouble,
try disabling your pop-up blocker. Also, some monologues are listed
as “male or female.” That means they work equally well for male or female performers.
After most monologue titles, you'll find a "learn more about..." link. Click on that link to go straight to the page of the play that the monologue is from (if there's no link, it means the play isn't available at this time). You can read a synopsis, an excerpt and get info on how to order a copy or stage a production!
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