Audition monologues selected from plays first published in American theatre magazine since 1985.

Here you will find a rich and varied selection of monologues for women, most of which are from plays which were produced and/or published in the 2017-2018 theatrical season. Many are for younger performers (teens through 30s) but there are some excellent pieces for older women as well. The age of the character is indicated in each monologue, but you will find that many may be done by actors of different ages. Some are comic, some dramatic. Some are rather short, some rather long. All represent the best in contemporary playwriting. The monologues include those by Anna Ziegler, Chelsea Marcantel, Joshua James, Lindsey Ferrentino, Tira Palmquist, Clare Lizzimore, Greg Kalleres, Jacqueline Goldfinger, Don Nigro, Clare Barron, Joshua James, Deborah Laufer, Dominque Morisseau, Boni Alvarez, Sandra Daley-Sharif, Julie Myatt, Molly Metzler, Aaron Posner, Tanya Saracho, Rinne Groff, Steven Haworth, Anton Dudley, Meghan Gambling, Libby Emmonds, Gerry Sheridan, Sarah Ruhl, Kayla Cagan, Brooke Berman, Anna Wilcoxen, Torben Betts, Catherine Filloux, Guillermo Calderon, Andre Biss, Adam Szymkowicz, Alena Smith, Irene Kapustina, John Cariani, C.S. Hanson, Emma Goldman-Sherman, Sam Graber, Meghan Kennedy, Maura Campbell, Beau Willimon, Jeff Tabnick, Lauren Ferebee, Karen JP Howes, A.J. Ciccotelli, Susan Eve Haar, David Simpatico, Chisa Hutchinson, Susan Soon He Stanton, Mora Harris, Greg Kalleres, Merridith Allen, Deborah Savadge, Dana Goldstein, Lynn Nottage, Cayenne Douglas, Susan Bernfield, Paola Lazaro, Martha Patterson, Amy witting, Catherine Weingarten, Daniel Guyton, Bara Swain, David MacGregor, Nandita Shenoy, Wendy MacLeod.

Nya, an inner-city public high school teacher, is committed to her students but desperate to give her only son Omari opportunities they’ll never have. When a controversial incident at his upstate private school threatens to get him expelled, Nya must confront his rage and her own choices as a parent. But will she be able to reach him before a world beyond her control pulls him away? With profound compassion and lyricism, Pipeline brings an urgent conversation powerfully to the fore. Morisseau pens a deeply moving story of a mother’s fight to give her son a future — without turning her back on the community that made him who he is.

original paperback

Welcome to our new book of monologues for women, chosen for you by the team at True Acting Institute. The monologues that have been chosen are presented here in the book along with details about the playwrights.

Renowned editor Lawrence Harbison brings together approximately one hundred never-before-published women’s monologues for actors to use for auditions and in class, all from recently produced plays. The selections include monologues from plays by both well-known playwrights such as Don Nigro, Saviana Stanescu, and Len Jenkin and future stars such as Lia Romeo, Steven Hayet, Lori Fischer, Will Arbery, and Carey Crim. There are terrific comic and dramatic pieces, and all represent the best of contemporary playwriting. This collection is an invaluable resource for aspiring actors hoping to ace their auditions and impress directors and teachers with contemporary pieces.

The love lives of two cyclists are contrasted as one fights to save his marriage while the other avoids commitment. Background music. 9 scenes, 2 men, 1 woman, 1 exterior.