Practical Monologues: Short Scripts For Adult Actors

What makes an effective monologue? A monologue should show who you are, not add layers of dialects, character traits, a limp, or something outrageous to impress. If they can't tell you're acting, that's good acting. In this book are 100 short and contemporary monologues for adults with a mixture of dramatic, comedic, romantic, and reflective pieces, in no certain order.

There are no setups for any of these monologues—no genders, no age ranges, no locations, and no backstories. This leaves them wide open for the actor to develop and move each character and scene in almost any direction the actor chooses.

Most of these monologues are subtle, not requiring grandiose physical performances because delivering natural, believable, conversational dialogue in front of a stationary camera is usually all that’s required to showcase an actor’s true ability. Often, less is more