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About the Collection
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_column_text css=””]APT’s Monologue Collection highlights some of the most compelling Australian playwriting for solo performers and Drama students. This collection contains a range of monologues from full-length solo works, while others are contained within ensemble plays and may require some crafting on the part of students.
We encourage students to delve into the world of each play as you prepare a monologue for performance – read the entire play, research the playwright and their context, and explore how you can use performance elements to bring the piece to life. For students in NSW, we recommend this resource.
This collection of monologues has been curated to include works that have a dramatic arc, and as such, some contain strong content. We encourage teachers to guide their students to choose a piece that is appropriate for them. [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator style=”shadow” border_width=”3″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=””]
Monologues
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Gender-Unspecified Monologues
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Still – Jane Bodie
Character: name, age and gender unspecified
Estimated length: 6-8 minutes
Excerpt: Monologue 2 – Fresh
Monologue context: In the midst of a supermarket, the character encounters their ex with their new partner. Behind a pile of grapefruit, the character observes the intimacy of this new relationship unfold.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”3584″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/still-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Scenes from the Climate Era – David Finnigan
Character: gender and age unspecified
Estimated length: 4-5 minutes
Excerpt: Evac Bingo (p.48-53)
Monologue context: There are four interwoven monologues, the following two are recommended:
- A – In the middle of a heatwave, the power cuts out. A parent undertakes the perilous journey to a public cooling centre with their two young children
- B – In the midst of a Category 4 storm, a young person tries to convince their mother to go to an evacuation shelter. The eye of the storm passes overhead
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Love Me Tender – Tom Holloway
Character: age and gender unspecified
Estimated length: 6-8 minutes
Excerpt: ‘It’s night’ to ‘Who knows?’ (p.69-71)
Monologue context: During the frenzy of an evacuation in a bushfire, a police officer stops on a busy road and encounters an injured deer. The police officer shoots the animal – or is it a teenage girl?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”7081″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/love-me-tender-4/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
That’s One Damn Sexy Ape – Gavin Roach
Character: Zoo employee, gender and age unspecified
Estimated length: 4-5 minutes
Excerpt: ‘I grabbed the wrong gun’ to ‘Wow, I almost shot a kid today’ (p.21-23)
Monologue context: A zoo employee recounts a harrowing experience where they had to decide between shooting an endangered silverback gorilla and a child.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”51784″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/thats-one-damn-sexy-ape-2/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Watermark – Alana Valentine
Character: Narrator
Estimated length: 6+ minutes
Excerpt: There are several lyrical monologues from the Narrator throughout the play – Scenes 1, 5, 8, 12, 15, 26
Monologue context: The narrator describes and embodies the visceral experiences of a flood in a small town.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”7171″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/watermark-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_separator style=”double” border_width=”10″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row el_id=”FemaleMono” svg_background=”%5B%7B%7D%5D”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_column_text css=””]
For Female-Identifying Performers
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Things I Know To Be True – Andrew Bovell
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Character: Rosie, 19 years old
Estimated length: 8-9 minutes
Excerpt: ‘Berlin. A winter coat’ to ‘And I know that I have to go home’ (p.3-5)
Monologue context: Eliza is backpacking around Europe when she meets someone who makes her feel like she is really alive. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”9183″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/things-i-know-to-be-true-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Things I Know To Be True – Andrew Bovell
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Character: Rosie, 19 years old
Estimated length: 4-5 minutes
Excerpt: ‘Her shift finished at three a.m.’ to ‘It goes on’ (p.66-68)
Monologue context: Rosie is driving on a highway when she finds out her mother has died in a car crash. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”9183″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/things-i-know-to-be-true-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
He Dreamed a Train – Margi Brown Ash (in The Belonging Trilogy)
Character: Woman
Estimated length: 3-4 minutes (there are also many other monologues in the play)
Excerpt: ‘But on a good day’ to ‘I’m tired of caring’ (p.119-120)
Monologue context: A woman and her brother try to manage the decline of his neurological condition with humour. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_single_image image=”53054″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/the-belonging-trilogy-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
They Saw a Thylacine – Justine Campbell & Sarah Hamilton
Character: Alison, a zookeeper
Estimated length: 6-8 minutes
Excerpt: The Storm – Part One (p.38-39); The Storm – Part Two (p.41-45)
Monologue context: In Tasmania in the 1930s, Alison is struggling to keep the last known Tasmanian Tiger alive. She wakes in the middle of the night to the Tiger’s cries and struggles through heavy rain, falling branches, and a locked gate to try and save the creature. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_single_image image=”9545″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/they-saw-a-thylacine-4/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Slap. Bang. Kiss. – Dan Giovannoni
Character: Immi
Estimated length: 4-5 minutes
Excerpt: ‘Five to six and you can feel it’ to ‘slap, slap, slap’ (p.2-4)
Monologue context: Rushing home before curfew in a community controlled by ‘peacekeepers’, Immi’s rage grows until she confronts a peacekeeper. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_single_image image=”43934″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/slap-bang-kiss-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Beyond the Neck – Tom Holloway
Character: A girl, 17 years old
Estimated length: 6+ minutes
Excerpt: The text spoken by the girl (number 2) in unbolded font throughout the play can form a compelling extended monologue.
Monologue context: Struggling with the grief of losing her father, a teenage girl is influenced by online conspiracy theories. Her mother takes her to Port Arthur, Tasmania, the site of her father’s death.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_single_image image=”3148″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/beyond-the-neck-2/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
The Black Sequin Dress – Jenny Kemp
Character: Woman in Black Sequin Dress 1
Estimated length: 3-4 minutes (there are many evocative monologues throughout the play)
Excerpt: ‘I see a beautiful nightclub’ to ‘And down we go’ (p.7-8)
Monologue context: A woman arrives at a nightclub, a mythic underworld space, and encounters a surreal meeting of bodies and minds.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_single_image image=”53123″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/the-black-sequin-dress-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
You and Me and the Space Between – Finegan Kruckemeyer
Character: Eve
Estimated length: 6-8 minutes
Excerpt: Scenes 8 & 9 (p.18-20)
Monologue context: Eve belongs to The Island of the Proud Circle, a group of people forced to leave their home. Eve grapples with a profound sense of loss, even as she learns to adapt to the life, language, and people of her new home.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_single_image image=”47417″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/you-and-me-and-the-space-between-2/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Prima Facie – Suzie Miller
Character: Tessa, age 30s, a criminal defence barrister
Estimated length: 6-8 minutes
Excerpt: Scene 1 – Thoroughbreds (p.1-12)
Monologue context: A skilled and confident lawyer, Tessa cross-examines a witness.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_single_image image=”9670″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/prima-facie-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Prima Facie – Suzie Miller
Character: Tessa, age 30s, a criminal defence barrister
Estimated length: 6-8 minutes
Excerpt: Scene 17 – Voir Dire aka Finding One’s Voice (p.89-95)
Monologue context: While testifying, Tessa ‘finds her voice’ (also known as a voir dire), where the jury is sent out of the courtroom temporarily. Tessa connects her experience of sexual assault with the experiences of all women.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_single_image image=”9670″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/prima-facie-2/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Jasper Jones – Kate Mulvany
Character: Eliza, 14 years old
Estimated length: 6-7 minutes
Excerpt: ‘This is where Laura died’ to ‘You knew where she was all this time and didn’t tell me?’ (p.69-73)
Monologue context: Talking to her friend Charlie, Eliza reveals what she knows about the death of her sister.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_single_image image=”8820″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/jasper-jones-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
The Seed – Kate Mulvany
Character: Rose, 30, embodies a memory from her childhood
Estimated length: 5-6 minutes
Excerpt: ‘Out this far’ to ‘in the middle of a massive black ocean’ (p.52-53); ‘As we head back to shore’ to ‘Because it just makes us hold on tighter’ (p.61-62)
Monologue context: Rose sees a different side of her father when they bury a neighbour’s dog at sea.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_single_image image=”53124″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/the-seed-2/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
The Lies We Were Told – Shopfront Arts Co-Op
Character: Megan
Estimated length: 2-3 minutes (the script contains several short monologues)
Excerpt: ‘On my very first day of high school’ to ‘who I could become’ (p.11)
Monologue context: Megan describes how it was important that her father lied to her about what school would be like.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_single_image image=”45624″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/the-lies-we-were-told-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Julia – Joanna Murray-Smith
Character: Julia Gillard
Estimated length: 6-8 minutes
Excerpt: ‘And just like that. I am PM’ to ‘And delete the voyage from memory’ (p.12-16)
Monologue context: It’s Julia Gillard’s first night as Prime Minister of Australia and she can’t sleep. Julia reflects on how her life has led her to this moment and re-imagines herself as Lady Macbeth.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_single_image image=”47847″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/julia-2/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Lemon Tree on Dreg Street – Amy May Nunn
Character: Twiglet, early twenties
Estimated length: 2-3 minutes
Excerpt: ‘The dawn is almost dressed’ to ‘so this is it…’ (p.3-4)
Monologue context: It’s first light at a ramshackle house on the outskirts of a city, in a heightened and poetic world. Twiglet gives her morning address, “an ode to the beginning of things”.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_single_image image=”51263″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/lemon-tree-on-dreg-street-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Letters to Lindy – Alana Valentine
Character: Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton
Estimated length: 6-7 minutes
Excerpt: ‘So let’s start at the beginning then’ to ‘And that’s where it begins’ (p.5-6); ‘The night before’ to ‘let’s talk again afterwards’ (p.11-12); ‘Nineteen days after I went to jail’ to ‘Mummy’s coming home’ (p.20)
Monologue context: These excerpts span Lindy Chamberlain’s reflections on how she could have performed different emotional responses to the loss of her child, her experience of evil, and giving birth while in prison.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_single_image image=”9180″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/letters-to-lindy-2/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Watermark – Alana Valentine
Character: Gia
Estimated length: 4-5 minutes
Excerpt: Scene 24 (p.53-54)
Monologue context: Gia lost everything in the flood but the insurance company won’t pay out. With a wry sense of humour, she shares a ‘fantasy’ about the ‘city fella’ insurance guy experiencing a natural disaster of his own.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_single_image image=”7171″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/watermark-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
The Mermaid – Cassandra Fumi
Character: Mermaid, a teenager
Estimated length: 5-7 minutes
Excerpt: Scene 10: No Prince Home (p.12-14)
Monologue context: The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, Denmark, speaks of how she has been the subject of graffiti and dismemberment throughout history, and her yearning to be reunited with the sea.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_single_image image=”53666″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/the-mermaid-2nd-edition-2/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
How to Vote – Julian Larnach
Character: Tash, a university student
Estimated length: 3-4 minutes
Excerpt: ‘When I was younger’ to ‘Real power’ (p.1-2)
Monologue context: Tash explains the origins of her lifelong obsession with power and politics.
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For Male-Identifying Performers
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Kingswood Kids – Angela Betzien
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Character: Kyle, 11 years old
Estimated length: 3-4 minutes
Excerpt: ‘Dear Journal’ to ‘stickin the knife inta me stumuk’ (p.20)
Monologue context: It’s Friday, Kyle’s favourite day of the week – but Kyle’s violent father shows up for the KFC family dinner. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”9183″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/things-i-know-to-be-true-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Who’s Afraid of the Working Class? – Andrew Bovell, Patricia Cornelius, Melissa Reeves, Christos Tsiolkas and Irine Vela
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Character: Leon
Estimated length: 6-8 minutes
Excerpt: Dream-town – Leon monologue (p.40-41)
Monologue context: Leon reflects on how a hand injury precipitated a downward spiral in his personal relationships and work life, leading to a fleeting brush with fame on news media. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”4942″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/things-i-know-to-be-true-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Saving Henry – Angus Cerini
Character: Henry, a boy
Estimated length: 4-5 minutes (the play is an extended lyrical monologue)
Excerpt: ‘An icy breeze perks up’ to ‘leaves out the side door’ (p.20-22)
Monologue context: Henry watches a confrontation unfold between his mother and grandfather, with dire consequences.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”47417″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/saving-henry-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
The Call – Patricia Cornelius
Character: Gary, 20s, works in an abattoir
Estimated length: 4-5 minutes
Excerpt: ‘I didn’t know it would feel like this’ to ‘if I needed to’ (p.26); ‘The Taklimakan Desert’ to ‘Its mysteriousness’ (p.44-45); ‘If I think of what I was like’ to ‘He’ll keep me strong, I reckon’ (p.46)
Monologue context: These excerpts chart Gary’s dreams of a new life (‘the call’ referred to in the play’s title) as he converts to Islam and seeks new experiences overseas.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”53126″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://www.currency.com.au/books/drama/the-call/?ref=2092″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Lady Tabouli – James Elazzi
Character: Danny
Estimated length: 2-3 minutes
Excerpt: ‘A year ago’ to ‘This is your problem not mine’ (p.65-66)
Monologue context: Talking to his uncle, Danny describes the tension of hiding his sexuality from his family and Lebanese community.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”53127″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://playlabtheatre.com.au/shop-publications/new-releases/lady-tabouli-by-james-elazzi/?ref=1119″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Europe – Michael Gow
Character: Douglas
Estimated length: 3-4 minutes
Excerpt: ‘Better things to do here’ to ‘so you can go on thinking you’re the best’ (p.29-30)
Monologue context: Douglas, a young Australian man, talks bitterly of the cultural cringe Australians feel towards Europe.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”9282″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/europe-4/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Toy Symphony – Michael Gow
Character: Roland
Estimated length: 7-8 minutes
Excerpt: ‘No Jake, I didn’t go on at them’ to ‘Goodnight’ (p.42-44)
Monologue context: Roland is a writer with writer’s block. He tells his friend Jake about delivering the eulogy at his mother’s recent funeral, where he expounded on multiple universe theory to the entire congregation.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”53122″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/toy-symphony-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
As We Forgive – Tom Holloway
Character: Him
Estimated length: 6-8 minutes (the play is written for one performer)
Excerpt: ‘I… I guess I should just show you’ to ‘staring at me’ (p.22-24)
Monologue context: A man wakes up mysteriously soaked in blood that seems to be coming out of his pores. He ends up in hospital, surrounded by baffled doctors and nurses.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”4833″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/as-we-forgive-2/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Rhomboid – Eric Jiang
Character: Xavier, twenties, described as “outspoken, erratic, east asian, well-meaning, disorganised”
Estimated length: 4-5 minutes
Excerpt: ‘RHOMBOID’ to ‘Or that not saying it was the reason you… left’ (p.77-78)
Monologue context: Xavier arrives at his friend Sebastian’s place to share his true feelings with him.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”51267″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/rhomboid-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Relative Merits – Barry Lowe
Character: Clay, late teens/early twenties, country born and bred
Estimated length: 6-8 minutes
Excerpt: ‘Since I was 12 years old’ to ‘I just want to get to know him a bit better before…’ (p.21-22)
Monologue context: Clay’s older brother Adam is living with AIDS. At Adam’s hospital bedside, Clay speaks of a gay hate crime committed by himself and his friends, and his subsequent guilt.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”47417″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/relative-merits-2/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Lose to Win – Mandela Mathia
Character: This one-person show is a personal account of Mandela Mathia’s journey as a refugee from South Sudan to Egypt to Australia. Special care should be taken with casting.
Estimated length: 10 minutes
Excerpt: 16. Soccer (p.24-27)
Monologue context: Mandela’s childhood passion for soccer wanes when he encounters racist attitudes in Australia.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”51782″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/lose-to-win-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Jailbaby – Suzie Miller
Character: gender and age unspecified. In the premiere production, AJ was played by a young male-identifying actor
Estimated length: 4-5 minutes
Excerpt: ‘Big cop arrives’ to ‘Where are you taking me?’ (p.30-34)
Monologue context: In court, AJ listens as their soccer coach gives a character reference, before hearing the verdict from the judge.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”46282″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/jailbaby-2/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Jailbaby – Suzie Miller
Character: gender and age unspecified. In the premiere production, the roles of AJ and Sam were both played by a young male-identifying actor
Estimated length: 7-8 minutes
Excerpt: Scene 28 (p.84-91)
Monologue context: The playwright suggests that AJ and Sam be played by the same actor for symbolic purposes. This is a scene including both AJ and Sam. They meet outside a nightclub, and both of their lives are irrevocably changed.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”46282″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/jailbaby-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Colder – Lachlan Philpott
Character: David, 33, speaking from the perspective of his younger self
Estimated length: 6-8 minutes
Excerpt: ‘I see a boy’ to ‘never leave my mother’s side at all’ (p.133-137)
Monologue context: David is haunted by a man and a boy who follow him, but who his mother can’t see.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”7165″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/bison-4/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
The Spook – Melissa Reeves
Character: Martin, 19 years old
Estimated length: 9-10 minutes
Excerpt: ‘Testing. Testing’ to ‘I was wondering if I get that back at all?’ (p.1-4)
Monologue context: It’s 1965 and Martin is an ASIO spy embedded in Bendigo. He files his first, meticulously detailed, report about a party he has just attended.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”53120″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/the-spook-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Night Letters – Susan Rogers and Chris Drummond
Character: Robert, an Australian author, recently diagnosed with HIV
Estimated length: 3-4 minutes (these excerpts could be combined with other short monologues throughout the play)
Excerpt: ‘I’ve cancelled the cooking course’ to ‘Because now I know I can’t have it’ (p.25); ‘I need a cigarette!’ to ‘I have to get away’ (p.49-50)
Monologue context: Robert is talking to his partner Peter, grappling with his HIV diagnosis and a desire to leave Australia.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”8674″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/night-letters-2/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][vc_column_text css=””]
Kayak – Katherine Thomson
Character: Luke, 15 years old
Estimated length: 4-5 minutes
Excerpt: ‘Who’d a thought you could just hire a boat’ to ‘it is the best day of your life’ (p.8-11)
Monologue context: Luke is enjoying a fishing trip in a hired boat with a friend. When they see a woman in a kayak, they decide to disturb her calm solitude.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_single_image image=”47417″ img_size=”185×250″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”” link=”https://apt.org.au/product/kayak-2/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/6″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator style=”shadow” border_width=”3″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row el_id=”MonoColl” svg_background=”%5B%7B%7D%5D”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_column_text css=””]
Other Monologue Collections
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_column_text css=””]We also recommend the following monologue collections:
- Not in the Script: Performance Monologues edited by John McCallum and Jenny Nicholls
- First Nations Monologues edited by Jane Harrison
- The Monologue Collective (Playlab)
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