AFTERWARDS (political monologue)
1A; 2 minutes
A novelist explains their take on a controversial character and their attitude towards changing it.
ALL OF THE NAPKINS ARE WET (comic monologue for a child)
1F-about 8 years old; 5 minutes
Daphne is not enjoying her tea party.
ARMREST (monologue for a person of size)
1A; 2 minutes
A heavyset airline passenger contends with entitlement and fat phobia from the person they gave their extra seat to.
BETWEEN THE SURF AND THE STARS (dramatic monologue)
1A; 6-8 minutes
Benton stands on the beach by a fire gazing up at the stars. There's more to it than that.
BOY’S STATE (memoir monologue)
1M; 5-10 minutes
A brief memoir about attending the 1985 American Legion Keystone Boys State, involving Stephen King, social anxiety, and boys. (Not like that.)
CHESTBURSTER (gay parenting monologue)
1A; 2 minutes
Not about aliens. A gay parent informs their co-parent about their child's first kiss.
CONSOLATION (monologue, dark comedy)
1F; 2 minutes
Melanie is wet. Her wrists are bandaged. All hope is lost.
Today has indeed been "like, the second worst Valentine's Day ever!"
DELICIOUS, OR “SOY QUESO” (black comedy revenge)
1F; 1 minute
Gerta gave Doolittle one job!
DISCARDED (drama)
1A; 3-5 minutes
A runner. An open field. A tin watering can.
DISSOLUTION (horror comedy)
1F; 1 minute
Gerta gave Doolittle one job!
EIGHTY-SEVEN KEYS (eulogy)
1A; 5 minutes
My eulogy for Rick Unterberg who died of COVID in April 2020.
He will be missed.
END OF A LONG, LONG DAY (dramatic monologue)
1A; 15 minutes
A major discovery in a marriage reveals an emotional disconnect that can no longer be ignored.
ESCALATOR TO THE GALLOWS (monologue, dark comedy)
1F/1M-(non-speaking); 2-3 minutes
Fedora must be honest with Erland about why she wants to break up, especially now since it seems like he's about to hang himself.
FRACTURE (drama)
1A; 1-3 minutes
You found a picture you forgot you had taken.
GHOST VACUUM (drama for Zoom)
1M (East Asian); 5-6 minutes
Christopher observes the earth from space, sending a heartfelt message to the man he loves who is not there.
NOTE: While characters in this piece bear similar backgrounds and occupations to those in The Second World Trilogy, these are not those characters; this is not the same universe.
HOIST (nostalgia, sweetie, nostalgia!)
1M; 6 minutes
An older Bear gives a young Cub some unsolicited advice about sex, love, and expectation. [This is about furry gay men not talking furry woodland creatures.]
Written for Writers Block Radio Hour podcast episode "Machismo”
I DESERVE A BREAK TODAY (comic monologue)
1A; 4-5 minutes
A life story about Big Macs, weight loss, and temptation during the 2020 pandemic.
I LEFT MY HEART IN THE MOJAVE DESERT (comic monologue)
1F; 2-3 minutes
Karen reacts to Chad's marriage proposal. There's good news and bad news.
IN CASE YOU OPEN YOUR EYES AGAIN (vigil for non-binary actor)
1A; 2-3 minutes
Chris needs to say goodbye to a dying loved one. They also need to say a few other things. If only said loved one were still conscious...
This monologue is published in Smith & Kraus's WE/US: Monologues for Gender Minority Characters Anthology.
KNIFE ON A GLASS (political monologue)
1A; 3 minutes
Formalwear and outrage. Heinous things have been said. They must be addressed.
LUMPS (comic holiday monologue for an older person)
1A; 1-minute and 2-minute versions
Lou has just tried to give their niece some gag Christmas gifts. It did not go as hoped.
LUST CHERNOBYL (intimate monlogue/verbal pantomime)
1A; 1 minutes
Taron just wants to make out. That's all.
MUSIC IN THE NAME (monologue for a heavyset man)
1M; 6-9 minutes
Grant is a heavy guy who appeals to a doctor to get smaller.
NIGHT IN TUNISIA (dystopian)
1A; 5-7 minutes
Caspar was on vacation at a gay-friendly resort in Tunisia when a new far-right American government revokes the citizenship of its LGBTQ+ population. Suddenly stateless in a country where homosexual acts are subject to imprisonment, Caspar and their partner need to find a way to safety.
PARAMETERS (drama)
1A; 5 minutes
Dunne is done! They've had to listen to one too many people explain how it's their right not to wear a mask during the COVID pandemic. Dunne calmly explains the logic and provides helpful options. This is a speech about containing rage.
RAINY NIGHT IN A PIAZZA OF STONE (for a dancer)
1F; 6-10 minutes
Suzanna was walking home alone at night. Until she wasn't alone.
SACRIFICE AT THE ALTAR (comedy)
1A; 1 minute
The wedding is off in more ways than one.
THE STUDIO CUT (Hollywood satire)
1A; 1 minute
Art versus commerce.
SUDDEN MOVEMENTS (dramatic)
1M; 1 minute
Lou just wants a romantic night...
SURROUNDED (comic monologue)
1M; 3-5 minutes
Diarmid is having Sharon over to his new place. Unfortunately, it's under siege by wild turkeys.
SWEET, SWEET CHRISTMAS (holiday comedy drama)
1A, middle aged; 1-minute and 2-minute versions
Lindsay is hiding from the family Christmas party… in the kitchen… crying. Desserts are off limits. And while efforts have been made to accommodate, well it’s just not the same.
TAPS (horror monologue)
1A; 1 minute
A hiding person is sought.
THESE EYES (memoir monologue)
1M (East Asian American/Korean American); 2 minutes
A gay mixed-race Korean man in his 50s recalls the difficult journey to accepting his heritage and himself.
THIS IS NOT A TOUCH EXHIBIT (dramatic monologue)
1A; 5-8 minutes
Ollie fell in love today. Briefly.
TIME, MAGIC, AND ANTOINETTE (dramatic monologue)
1F; two versions: 3 minutes and 5 minutes
Millicent has received a mysterious photo that inspires some life-changing decisions! She shares her discovery with her dearest friend, Antoinette.
THE TIME YOU WERE AWAY (black comedy)
1F; 10 minutes
Justine is having a very good day. The little boy she's babysitting is going to be picked up soon, and she's definitely made an impression. Here's hoping he remembers it...
TIMING IS EVERYTHI– (apocalypse monologue)
1A; 1 minute
It's now or ne–
UNNECESSARY BEAUTY (monologue for a non-binary/AMAB actor)
1NB-AMAB; 3 minutes
Rupe, an AMAB non-binary person, is about to spend the night in a cis-het married man’s hotel room. But first, some ground rules.
This monologue is published in Smith & Kraus's WE/US: Monologues for Gender Minority Characters Anthology.
WE RIDE AT DAWN! (comic monologue for a chid)
1A-under 10; 5 minutes
Mill has been wronged! And with the help of the pine tree and the creatures that live in it, this 10-year-old is about to take revenge! (A testament to nerdy children who love horror movies they're too young to watch.)
WHOA! (intimate monologue for a gay man)
1M - 3 minutes
A guy discovers something unexpected about the man he's about to have sex with.
YOUR GAZE (dramatic monologue)
1A; 2 minutes
A person with ADHD explains why they have a problem hearing "I love you."