Monologues For Women

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Contemporary Monologues for Women

A Mother's Guide to Social Drinking Monologue. Click here to read monologue on Google Books.
A female monologue from the play How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel. Order the play.
Synopsis: A mother gives her daughter essential tips on how to drink when on a date.
Notes:  Paula Vogel is a brilliant writer with mountains of wit and this monologue is a prime illustration of that. There's a reason she won the 1998 Pullitzer for her play "How I Learned to Drive," in which this monologue appears. While the role for this monologue is "Female Greek Chorus" an actress in audition should approach this monologue as a mother's direct address to her daughter.
Notes on Use:  Start with the line "A mother's guide to social drinking" end with "full speed ahead!"
Source: How I Learned to Drive
Age: This is a good monologue for an adult female.
Length: 2 minute monologue
Tags: Monologues for women by women, Womens monologues, Audition monologues for women, Contemporary monologues, Modern monologues, Monologues from published plays.

Goodbye World Monologue. Click here to read monologue on google books.
A female monologue from the play Our Town by Thornton Wilder. Order the play.
Synopsis: As Emily’s spirit passes on to the other side, she is compelled to take one last hard look at life as a mortal.
Notes: In the categories of "Monologues from plays" and "famous monologues" this famous monologue by Thornton Wilder has the potential to let an actor really express a deep appreciation for life - and frustration at those the monologue is addressed to, that they are missing it! The actress performing this has the potential to do something very profound: make the audience connect - if only for a moment - to how beautiful just being alive right now is.
Cutting:  Here is how to cut text in script to get the monologue: Start on top of page 217: “Oh Mama, look at me…”   Cut everything from “That in the yellow paper…” to the line “where’s my birthday girl.” Continue Emily’s monologue with “I can’t.  I can’t go on,” include all of Emily’s lines that follow (cut all of interjections by other characters). The final line of Emily’s monologue is on the top of pg 217 is “I’m ready to go back”
Age: This is a good monologue for a teenage or young adult female.
Length: 1 minute monologue.
Tags: Monologues for women, Sad monologues, Female dramatic monologues, Dramatic female monologues, Dramatic monologues for women.

Racism in America Monologue. Click here to read monologue on google books.
A female monologue from the play Spinning into Butter by Rebecca Gilman.   Order the play.
Synopsis: A liberal white women struggles with racist thoughts and behaviors within herself.
Notes: Rebecca Gilman is an incredibly talented writer whose ideas challenge our assumptions and reveal the darker side of human nature. In her play "Spinning into Butter," she looks at the way in which a person who considers themselves liberal and accepting of all people has buried within her racist thoughts and feelings. Feelings which she is ashamed of and horrify her but she can't seem to shake. The character is a highly intelligent and conflicted one.
Cutting:  Start toward bottom of page 64: “I’ve been struggling with this…” Cut all of Ross’ lines. End on page 65 “you noticed the awful ones because they dominated the landscape.”
Age: This is a good monologue for an adult female.
Length: 2 minute monologue.
Tags: Dramatic female monologues, Dramatic monologues for women, Serious monologues, drama monologues, Monologues for women by women, Womens monologues, Audition monologues for women, Contemporary monologues, Modern monologues, Monologues from published plays.

Fragile Devotion Monologue Click here to read monologue on google books.
A female monologue from the play Spinning into Butter by Rebecca Gilman. Order the play.
Synopsis: A woman observes a man hanging onto his sanity by a thread.
Notes:  Another insightful monologue by Rebecca Gilman from her play "Spinning into Butter." Here the character struggles with racist feelings which she is ashamed of and at the same time feels empathy and a kinship with the person whom she is observing. The character is a highly intelligent and conflicted one. This monologue becomes dramatic in so far as, the man who is hanging on by a thread with his fragile devotion, reflects the way she is currently feeling about herself. Is she, too, hanging on by a thread? Does she perhaps even envy the faith he is able to use to hang on? This monologue needs performance layers like this embedded to succeed in audition.
Notes on Use:  Monologue starts with “I got on the subway and it was…” and ends with “like a beacon.”
Age: This is a good monologue for an adult female.
Length: 2 minute monologue.
Tags: Dramatic female monologues, Dramatic monologues for women, serious monologues, drama monologues, monologues for women by women, womens monologues, audition monologues for women, contemporary monologues, modern monologues, monologues from published plays.

Tuna Fish Monologue. Click here to read monologue on google books.
A female monologue from the play Laughing Wild by Christopher Durang. Order the play.
Synopsis: A mentally unbalanced woman loses it when a man won't move out of her way at the grocery store.
Notes:  This is a hilarious monologue. One of the best comic monologues for women out there. Well worn territory, however, this is such a funny monologue that it works even if the audience knows what is coming. If you can make pent up frustration funny, then you have your finger on the pulse of this humorous monologue.
Cutting:  Monologue starts with line “I want to talk to you about life” and ends with “Would you kindly move, asshole!!”
Age: This is a good monologue for an adult female.
Length: 2 minute monologue.
Tags: Comedy monologues, comedic monologues, funny monologues, humorous monologues, hilarious monologues

Dead Man's Cell Phone Monologue.
A female comedic monologue from the play Dead Man's Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl. Order the play.
Synopsis: A woman tries to say a few words at her son's funeral, but when a cell phone rings, she digresses into a frustrated funny tangent about the ills of cell phones in modern life.
Notes:  This is a very funny monologue. Great way for an actress to shift quickly between grief and frustration.
Cutting:  Monologue starts with line “I'm not sure what to say” and ends with “You'll never walk alone...Because you'll always have a machine in your pants that might ring. Oh, Gordon.”
Age: This is an excellent monologue for an adult female.
Length: 2 minute monologue.
Tags:  Comedy monologues, comedic monologues, funny monologues, humorous monologues, dark comedy monologues

Bad Dates Monologues
The comedic female monologues in the play Bad Dates by Theresa Rebeck are incredible! Thumb through this funny one-woman show to find scores of potential material for audition monologues.   I first became aware of this years ago when it first opened in New York at Playwright's Horizons and then later saw a production at the City Theatre Company.  I would categorize this play as irreverent, sarcastic, romantic, both silly and sincere at the same time. If you can relate to a character who loves shoes and is open enough to dish on the disasters of her dating life, then this play is worth a look. Order Bad Dates.

String of Pearls Monologues
The dramatic and comedic monologues from the play String of Pearls by Michelle Lowe are some of the funniest and also the most heartfelt monologues for women out there! Michele Lowe has the ability to bring humor out of well-drawn moments filled with vulnerability and pain.  This play has some character interaction, but mostly it is filled with beautiful "modern soliloquies." No one is speaking in old English here, rather normal women from all walks of everyday life speak in the natural rhythms of everyday speech but with a touch more poetic grace. The women are at various points in their lives, opening up to reveal personal stories related to a string of pearls that, without their awareness, connects them. Order String of Pearls.

Monologues from Plays

Free Monologues by Gabriel Davis

The monologues below are originals written by me. All are available royalty free for your use in auditions, school performances, skits, etc. Please do contact me if you plan to use them.

I Ate The Divorce Papers (click here)
A comedic female monologue from the play Goodbye Charles by Gabriel Davis.
Synopsis:  A woman eats her husband's divorce papers in an attempt to halt the proceedings.

Its Terrible Being Nice (click here)
A comedic female monologue from the play Goodbye Charles by Gabriel Davis.
Synopsis: A woman realizes that her current relationship is turning her into her worst nightmare: a nice person.

Serial Dater (click here)
A comedic female monologue from the play Lacey's Last Chance by Gabriel Davis.
Synopsis: There's just one thing keeping Lacey from holding onto love: homicidal impulses.

Switching Sides (click here)
A comedic female monologue by Gabriel Davis from the play Unbearable Hotness by Gabriel Davis.
Synopsis: After a particularly horrific night with her boyfriend, a woman realizes she is attracted to her best friend, Marci.

Conjugal Connections (click here)
A comedic female monologue by Gabriel Davis.
Synopsis:  Afraid of being rejected, a woman turns to relationships that provide maximum security.

Turkey Day (click here)
A comedic or dramatic female monologue by Gabriel Davis from the play Hello, Goodbye, Peace. This one can be played as either comedy or drama.
Synopsis: Pressured into cooking turkey for Thanksgiving, a vegetarian confronts her boyfriend while his parents await dinner in the next room.

Monologue Collections for Women

Audition Monologues for Young Women #2: More Contemporary Auditions for Aspiring Actresses
A collection of the world's best monologues for women actors featuring well-known playwrights and emerging new writers. Get the book.

Young Women's Monologues from Contemporary Plays: Professional Auditions for Aspiring Actresses
These 94 gender-specific monologues are all original, recently produced works not found in other published versions. Suitable for classroom discussion, performance or audition, the chapters are divided into "thematic" ages from The Age of Innocence through The Golden Age. Get the book.

Audition Monologues for Young Women: Contemporary Audition Pieces for Aspiring Actresses.
A collection of the world'’s best monologues for women actors featuring well-known playwrights and emerging new writers. The selections are for actresses fifteen to thirty years of age. Get the book.

Best Contemporary Monologues for Women 18-35
Lawrence Harbison has selected 100 terrific monologues for women from contemporary plays, all by characters between the ages of 18 and 35. Perfect for auditions or class. There are comic monologues and dramatic monologues. Most have a compelling present-tense action for actors to perform. Get the book.

Featured Monologue: "Fire the Boys" from the one-act play Hello, Goodbye, Peace

"Surrender My Love" from Dreams in Captivity

Featured Monologue: Breaking Up With Brandon

Check out this performance by actress Leilah Isaac!

The monologue is Breaking Up With Brandon from the play Unbearable Hotness by Gabriel Davis.

Interested in creating your own video for one of my monologues? Give me a shout out! Your performance may even end up featured on this site!