A monologue (from Greek: μονόλογος, from μόνος mónos, "alone, solitary" and λόγος lógos, "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media (plays, films,etc.), as well as in non-dramatic media such as poetry.
A monologue is where one character is doing the talking, whether it be complaining, telling jokes, or relaying an emotional story. Their speech can include interjections from other characters, but only one person is speaking for long periods.
"What is a Monologue" byEdward Vera Productions in partnership with Tory Baxter of Moonhead Visuals Presents (3:59)
These are just a couple of some print monologue books. Use OneSearch, our book catalog to find more.
The Kilroys List, Volume One by
The Kilroys are a gang of playwrights and producers who came together in Los Angeles in 2013 to stop talking about gender parity in theatre and start taking action. In 2014, they released their first annual List: a vetted collection of plays written by female and trans writers, nominated by hundreds of professional artistic directors, literary managers, professors, producers, directors, and dramaturgs. This collection includes a monologue or scene from each play from the 2014 and 2015 editions of The List.
The Kilroys List, Volume Two by
The Kilroys are back with a new collection of 67 monologues and scenes by female and trans playwrights. The second volume includes a monologue or scene from each play from the 2016 version of The List (featuring plays that were unproduced at the time of nomination) and the 2017 version of The List (featuring plays by playwrights of color). This collection represents an abundance of excellent new work by female and trans playwrights and reflects a wide ethnic, geographic, and aesthetic diversity. The volume also includes a foreword by Lynn Nottage.
Subject terms (also called subject headings) are essentially hashtags that direct you to resources that are tagged with the same terms. Most libraries use the Library of Congress Subject Headings to" tag" resources. The following subject headings may help you discover more books.
The easiest way to find monologues on the web is via Google. There are so many places to find monologues that if we listed them here, the list would be too long to look at but here are a couple that have a good selection
Like the library catalog, you may use key phrases such as:
"Comedic Monologues"
"Dramatic Monologues"
You can narrow down your search by adding key words or phrases like:
"Comedic monologues" women
"Dramatic Monologues" short
These are just a couple of some e-books. Use OneSearch, our book catalog to find more.
New Monologues for Men by
New Monologues for Men features forty monologues from plays published by Bloomsbury Methuen Drama recently. The monologues are selected by the editor, Geoffrey Colman, on account of their suitability and relevance to drama school students and recent graduates entering the profession. Each monologue is preceded by an introductory paragraph, written by the editor, outlining the setting, character type, and point in the plot. Suggestions are offered for staging, performance decisions, points of significance in the text, and drawing on decisions made in professional production/s. This collection is the go-to resource for auditioning actors with an insatiable appetite for new, original and excellent material.
Audition Speeches for Black, South Asian and Middle Eastern Actors: Monologues for Women by
Audition Speeches for Black, South Asian and Middle Eastern Actors: Monologues for Women aims to provide new and exciting audition and showcase material for actresses of black, African American, South Asian and Middle Eastern heritage. Featuring the work of international contemporary playwrights who have written powerful and diverse roles for a range of actors, the collection is edited by Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway. Categorized by age-range, the monologues are collected in groups of characters playable by actresses in their teens, twenties, thirties and forties+, and include work from over 25 top-class dramatists including Sudha Bhuchar, Jackie Sibblies Drury, Marcus Gardley, Mona Mansour and Naomi Wallace. Audition Speeches for Black, South Asian and Middle Eastern Actors: Monologues for Women is the go-to resource for contemporary monologues and speeches for auditions. Ideal for aspiring and professional actresses, it allows performers to enhance their particular strengths and prepare for roles featuring characters of specific ethnic backgrounds.