Finding Plays

This collection offers short, fresh monologues drawn from sources other than plays, and we're very happy with the wide variety of works we've gathered-161 of them-for use in auditions, classes, competitions, or simply, for your reading pleasure. But, perhaps our title is a bit misleading. Certainly, you'll find many great monologues here from "literature": novels, novellas, short stories, poems, and short-short stories. But when you search for monologue material outside the usual world of dramatic literature, you begin to see and hear-as we did-monologues everywhere: in blogs, essays, creative nonfiction, online journals, memoirs, op ed pieces, oral histories, even in e-mail spam. And all of these forms are represented in this collection. Are they all "literature"? We'll sidestep that question and simply say that each text was chosen because it is everything a monologue should be: a short, self-contained, well-written excerpt that features a unique voice or character, and contains some change in thought, emotion, or action. Each offers an intriguing glimpse into the mind or life of a captivating persona. Literature? Who cares? They're good monologues.

"If brevity is the soul of a good audition, then these titles will prove a great resource." - CHOICE

Actors looking for short pieces to work on in class or to use for auditions need look no further. This volume is loaded with choices from contemporary and classic plays, novels, and stories. Shakespeare, Molière, and Chekhov are represented, along with contemporary writers such as Philip Roth and Steve Tesich. Many of the monologues in this book are from less well-known authors, making it the perfect choice for actors looking for something fresh¿something auditioners have never seen before.

JOHN CAPECCI holds a Ph.D. in Speech Communication and has nearly twenty years experience coaching, teaching, and presenting public performances. John has taught communication techniques and performance theory and practice to high school, undergraduate, graduate, and adult learners. He also has published essays on the performance of literature.

IRENE ZIEGLER ASTON is an actor, teacher, playwright, and novelist. Most recently, she played Maggie Runyon in The Contender (nominated for two academy awards) and can currently be seen as Mrs. Laughlin in Showtime¿s series, Going to California. She has taught speech, oral interpretation, and acting at Eastern Michigan University, Old Dominion University, and the University of Richmond, where she was an Artist in Residence.

John and Irene have co-edited The Ultimate Audition Book II: 222 Monologues from Literature, Two Minutes and Under; The Ultimate Audition Book III: 222 Monologues, Two Minutes and Under from the Movies; and The Ultimate Audition Book IV: 222 Monologues, Two Minutes and Under.

Actresses looking for short pieces to work on in class or to use for auditions need look no further. This volume is loaded with choices from contemporary and classic plays, novels, and stories. Shakespeare, Molière, and Chekhov are represented, along with contemporary writers such as Jane Martin, Christopher Durang, Caridad Svich, Beth Henley, and Wendy MacLeod. Many of the monologues in this book are from less well-known authors, making it the perfect choice for actresses looking for something fresh¿something auditioners have never seen before.

These one-minute gems are specifically written for those one-minute auditions that pop up more and more often. There are exciting and engaging monologues here for all types, ages, genders, and personalities.

This unique anthology provides a wealth of material for actors and acting students, and a wonderful overview of the best recent plays for anyone interested in theatre. The more than 150 monologues cover a diverse range of subjects, and offer a variety of dramatic styles and moods. Each monologue is introduced with a short description of the plot, setting, and character type by the leading plauwrights of our time. Featured dramatists include: Christopher Durang, Wendy Wasserstein, Lanford Wilson, Wallace Shawn, Tina Howe, Caryl Churchill, Athol Fugard, Beth Henley, Sam Shepard, David Henry Hwang, Harry Kondoleon, John Patrick Shanley, Larry Shue, Michael Weller, David Rabe, Marsha Norman, August Wilson, Albert Innaurato, Jules Feiffer, Harold Pinter, David Hare, Jose Rivera, Tom Stoppard, John Guare, David Mamet, Charles Fuller, William Matrosimone, Robert Patrick, Miguel Pinero

Audition monologues from recent works by American playwrights.

Audition monologues from recent works by American playwrights.

(Applause Acting Series). The theater of the 21st century, in many ways, is expanding to require new muscles of its actors, and so should their monologue choices. Contemporary Monologues for Twentysomethings is a compilation of monologues for actors ages 15 to 30, incorporating characters from a variety of backgrounds with different stories to tell, giving you the chance to explore those who are close to you and those who may come from someplace else. These monologues are compiled in order of length, with the shortest coming in a little under a minute and the longer pieces running closer to four minutes. All from plays written between 2000 and 2016, the monologues in this book are useful both for exploration in a classroom setting as well as for auditions. Jessica Bashline, adjunct professor of acting at New York University, has assembled a comprehensive collection, featuring work written by Neil LaBute, Sarah Ruhl, Zach Braff, Naomi Iizuka, and many more. Every playwright in this book is currently writing. Some of these plays have been produced on Broadway and some in tiny theaters in New York, Minneapolis, San Diego, or other cities around the country. This book offers a chance for emerging actors to explore work by playwrights, both emerging and established, that is truly contemporary.

(Applause Acting Series). The theater of the 21st century, in many ways, is expanding to require new muscles of its actors, and so should their scene choices. Today, amid flourishing new play resources, it can be difficult to nail down contemporary scenes for two people. These scenes, all culled from plays written between 2000 and 2016, are useful to actors between the ages of 15 and 30. They range from about two to seven minutes' running time appropriate for different classroom explorations and are grouped by scenes for two males, two females, and one male and one female. Contemporary Scenes for Twentysomethings offers the opportunity for emerging actors to explore work by playwrights, both emerging and established, that is truly contemporary. Jessica Bashline, adjunct professor of acting at New York University, has assembled a comprehensive collection, featuring work written by Samuel D. Hunter, Liz Duffy Adams, Timothy Mason, Nina Raine, and many more. Every playwright in this book is currently writing. The characters included in this compilation come from a variety of backgrounds with different stories to tell, giving you the chance to explore those who are close to you and those who may come from someplace else. When perusing this book, look for scenes that instantly draw you. There is more than enough material to find something that speaks to you, and your passion for a piece will strengthen your final performance!

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.

(Applause Acting Series). In this anthology of diverse monologues and scenes, mature actors will find material by a wide-range of playwrights and their best work. Marriage, sex, work, the changes in a maturing body, memories, and loss of memory, among other themes that reflect the life experiences of middle age and aging are presented for the benefit of actors who are over fifty, as well as younger actors seeking to expand their range. Never before compiled in a single volume, these moving and unusual pieces will serve as a valuable reference and ever-inspiring source of material.

(Applause Acting Series). Three editors, each associated with theatre, collaborated on this book of monologues for actresses. What they discovered, besides bravura pieces for auditions, acting classes, and study, was the pulse of the millennial theatrical scene. A follow-up to the popular previous edition from the 1990s, One on One: The Best Women's Monologues for the 21st Century includes the work of over 70 playwrights, spotlighting the best of Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional, and experimental writings since 2000. A special introduction also explains how to choose, practice, and perform a speech for auditions. Comic or serious or both the monologues are written for young, old, and multicultural players by famous names and up-and-coming talent. Anna Deavere Smith records abuse in "real" relationships ( House Arrest ); August Wilson relates trials of those who survived coming to America and those who did not ( Gem of the Ocean ); and William Gibson recreates the dark, fledgling days of Israel ( Golda's Balcony ). Additional works include Are You Ready? by David Auburn, Bad Dates by Theresa Rebeck, The Committee by Brian Dykstra, and many others.

(Applause Books). Solo! The monologues! The plays! The playwrights! The very best of the 1980s! This collection of 75 solo speeches and performance pieces for actors has been selected from the finest material being written today for theatre in America and England. For the reader who wants to know and for the actor who must know, Solo! presents dramatic monologues on the cutting edge. All selections include acting notes along with the quick and easy guide to the art of auditioning Your Sixty Seconds of Fame .

All actors and acting teachers need The Ultimate Scene and Monologue Sourcebook, the invaluable guide to finding just the right piece for every audition. This remarkable book describes the characters, action, and mood for more than 1,000 scenes in over 300 plays. This unique format is ideal for acting teachers who want their students to understand each monologue in context.  Using these guidelines, the actor can quickly pinpoint the perfect monologue, then find the text in the Samuel French or Dramatist Play Service edition of the play. Newly revised and expanded, the book also includes the author's own assessment of each monologue.