Sample Pages from Competition Monologues Book Two

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taste of the script to see whether or not you want to use it in your classroom or perform it. ... expressly forbidden without written consent of the author. ..... Dad would kill me if I got a girl ... Tommy is in trouble again for pulling Candace's hair. He.
Sample Pages from Competition Monologues Book Two

Welcome! This is copyrighted material for promotional purposes. It's intended to give you a taste of the script to see whether or not you want to use it in your classroom or perform it. You can't print this document or use this document for production purposes. Royalty fees apply to all performances whether or not admission is charged. Any performance in front of an audience (e.g. an invited dress rehearsal) is considered a performance for royalty purposes. Visit http://tfolk.me/p115 to order a printable copy or for rights/royalty information and pricing.

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All Monologues From Published Plays

COMPETITION MONOLOGUES

BOOK TWO

EDITED BY

Lindsay Price

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Competition Monologues Book Two Copyright © 2007 Edited by Lindsay Price Have You Heard? by Krista Boehnert Stressed by Alan Haehnel All other monologues by Lindsay Price CAUTION: This play is fully protected under the copyright laws of Canada and all other countries of the Universal Copyright Convention and is subject to royalty. Changes to the script are expressly forbidden without written consent of the author. Rights to produce, film, or record, in whole or in part, in any medium or in any language, by any group amateur or professional, are fully reserved. Interested persons are requested to apply for amateur rights to: Theatrefolk PO Box 1064 Crystal Beach, ON, L0S 1B0 Canada Tel 1-866-245-9138 Fax 1-877-245-9138 e-mail: [email protected] website: www.theatrefolk.com Those interested in professional rights may contact the authors c/o the above address. No part of this script covered by the copyrights hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means - graphic, electronic or mechanical - without the prior written permission of the author. Any request for photocopying, recording, or taping shall be directed in writing to the author at the address above. Printed in Canada ISBN 978-1894870-90-0

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COMPETITION MONOLOGUES BOOK TWO

Character

Play Men

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Page

Dunno .......................................Tick Talk ..............................................5 Trevor ........................... Among Friends and Clutter .................................7 Josh ........................................... Stressed ............................................10 Icabod ........................ The Legend of Sleepy Hollow .............................13 Danny ...................................Football Romeo.......................................15 Neil ................................. The Pregnancy Project ..................................18 Eddie ..................................... Humbug High ........................................20 Hades ...................................Circus Olympus.......................................24 Mr. Jackson ................................Ten/Two............................................26 The Customer .............................Ten/Two............................................29 Conrad ............................... Sweep Under Rug .....................................32 Eugene .................................No Horse Town .......................................34 Andy ................................ The Pregnancy Project ..................................38 Tommy....................................... Hairball ............................................40 Sam........................................ School Daze .........................................42 Bradley....................................... Hairball ............................................44 Zak..................................... Have You Heard? .....................................47 Jeremy ..................... ths phne 2.0: the next generation ..........................48

Women Darcy..........................................Moving.............................................52 Tamara ............................... Wait Wait Bo Bait......................................54 Melissa ......................... Among Friends and Clutter ...............................57 Persephone............................Circus Olympus.......................................60 Beeb .......................................... Girl Talk ............................................63 Iris ........................................ Deck the Stage .......................................65 Ariel.................................... Sweep Under Rug .....................................69 Sandy......................................... Girl Talk ............................................71 Alice .......................................... Girl Talk ............................................74 Madge ................................... Humbug High ........................................77 Sharon ............................. The Pregnancy Project ..................................80 Evelyn ...................... ths phne 2.0: the next generation ..........................82 Chelsey ......................................Ten/Two............................................85 Cleo ................................... Have You Heard? .....................................87 Ms. Meyermyer ...................... Deck the Stage .......................................90 Gladys ....................................... Hairball ............................................94 Mia............................................ Hairball ............................................96 Counsellor Kelly .................... Sweep Under Rug ......................................98 Verges..............................Much Ado High School................................101 Caroline.........................................Still..............................................103 Mindy ........................................ Stressed ..........................................105 Envy........................................... Girl Talk ..........................................107

Appendix Performance Hints and Tips.................................................................110

All plays published by Theatrefolk.

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 Monologues for Men 

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COMPETITION MONOLOGUES BOOK TWO

DUNNO PLAY: Tick Talk GENRE: Drama TIME: 1:15

———————— DESCRIPTION Tick Talk examines the difficulties some teens have communicating. In this moment, Dunno‘s silent frustrations with life, school, and family all come to a bubbling head. He confronts his best friend Fine and tries to push her away before he collapses.

ACTING HINTS The hardest part of this monologue is the silent action, where Dunno goes from a ball of fury and frustration, to sinking to his knees in despair. Don‘t rush this moment. There‘s a lot of emotion here. Remember too that this is the first time Dunno speaks these thoughts aloud. It should be hard for him. Make sure you vary the tone. Do not yell from beginning to end! Dunno says ‘I don‘t know,‘ three times at the beginning, and ‘Why‘ three times at the end. Don‘t run them together. Think about what he‘s saying with each repeated phrase. Choose a different subtext each time.

———————— Would you go already? Get out of here. Leave! I don‘t want you here! You don‘t know me. No one knows me. You don‘t know anything! He turns away pacing, back and forth, back and forth, not looking at FINE. He lets out a cry of frustration and anger. He finally collapses to his knees at the edge of the stage and buries his face in his hands. I don‘t know. I don‘t know. I don‘t know. I don‘t know anything. I don‘t know what I want to be or do. I don‘t know why my parents hate me. Copyrighted Material for promotional purposes. Do not print or copy. Performances for an audience subject to royalty regardless of whether or not admission is charged. Visit http://tfolk.me/p115 to order a printable copy or for rights/royalties pricing.

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DUNNO Everyone hates me. I hate me and I hate that I hate me. I‘ve got a hurt like a fist in my chest and it never goes away. Every morning I wake up and it‘s there and I don‘t know what to do about it. Everything is pushing in, and pushing in and I wake up and the hurt in my chest and I can‘t breathe. And if I don‘t do something to get this hurt out of my chest….. When do I know what I want? When am I going to be able to explain myself or be myself without it being wrong? I don‘t know what‘s wrong with me. Why does everyone think there‘s something wrong with me? Why? Why? Why? 

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TREVOR PLAY: Among Friends and Clutter GENRE: Comedy TIME: 1:45 ———————— DESCRIPTION Trevor‘s younger sister has just told him she is pregnant. Trevor reacts poorly.

ACTING HINTS Trevor is not the most ‘with it‘ guy, and yes he is a goof. That‘s his M.O. for most of the play. But that does not give you, the actor, permission to act extra goofy. Let the humour come from Trevor‘s honest reaction to the situation. He‘s not trying to be funny. If you try to be funny, the humour will come off as fake. As you block the monologue make sure you know exactly where Marie and George stand so you can look at them and address them.

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TREVOR screams and clutches his chest. He is talking to his sister and her boyfriend. Pregnant! I‘m pregnant? I can‘t be pregnant, that‘s biologically impossible. Oh. You‘re pregnant. You‘re pregnant. Pregnant. Oh. OH!!!! How did that happen? I don‘t mean how did it happen, I mean how did it happen? I mean you were safe, right? You were safe, right? Answer me Marie. George. What did you do to my sister George? What did you, you lowlife miserable excuse for a human being. I‘LL KILL YOU, YOU NO GOOD...

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TREVOR He moves as if to go after GEORGE and pulls himself back. Sorry, sorry. I know George is a good guy. Right, George? It‘s an older brother‘s prerogative to try and hurt someone. On the whole, we don‘t know what to do so we resort to brute force. Usually works. (to MARIE) Are you going to keep it? Give it away? Join the Foreign Legion? I‘m sorry. I‘m sorry. It was a feeble attempt at humour. It was sub-humour. Below that. Sub-sub-humour. I‘m babbling, right? (GEORGE says, ‘Right‘) Shut up, George. Have you told Mom or Dad yet? I‘ll take that as a no. Dad would kill me if I got a girl pregnant. Dead. Everyone in the neighbourhood would go on TV and talk about our father as one of those nice quiet guys who goes on a killing spree. Only they‘d say he was justified ‘cause his stupid son knocked up his girlfriend. (he takes a deep breath.) You have to tell them. You have to be responsible here. This is a big thing. It‘s like the goldfish. I killed the goldfish. I came clean. (looks hurt as MARIE and GEORGE

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COMPETITION MONOLOGUES BOOK TWO

TREVOR don‘t like his goldfish analogy) It‘s the same principal. Come clean. You‘re not a kid anymore. Relax, George. I‘ll be your silent support. Besides, things always work out better when I don‘t open my mouth. 

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COMPETITION MONOLOGUES BOOK TWO

TOMMY PLAY: Hairball GENRE: Comedy TIME: 1:05 ———————— DESCRIPTION Tommy is in trouble again for pulling Candace‘s hair. He muses on his particular addiction.

ACTING HINTS It‘s very much an absurd piece, as no kid would go into this kind of philosophical diatribe on hair pulling! It‘s important for the character to be sincere. Let the humour come from his serious thought on the subject, not on you trying to be wacky about the subject. I would suggest that Tommy almost come across as a Ph.D. student!

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(pouty, very much a kid, stamping his feet) I don‘t know why I pull her hair! He turns, gets very philosophical and less kid-like. I can‘t say I think about it much. It‘s rather instinctual. See hair. Pull hair. See hair. Pull hair. Why, oh why does there have to be more to it than that? I don‘t suffer from any hair pulling trauma in my family. I never saw my fragile mother sobbing into a handkerchief because of the aftermath of having her curly locks tugged savagely. It‘s just there. It‘s hair. Candace sits in front of me. She‘s always wearing pigtails. Do I have to draw a diagram! See hair! Pull hair! (pause) Although, I must admit, if I‘m being completely honest with you Ms. Green, that there are few things in my young short life that give me Copyrighted Material for promotional purposes. Do not print or copy. Performances for an audience subject to royalty regardless of whether or not admission is charged. Visit http://tfolk.me/p115 to order a printable copy or for rights/royalties pricing.

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COMPETITION MONOLOGUES BOOK TWO

TOMMY much more satisfaction that pulling hair. I check if the coast is clear. There‘s a twitch in my fingers. The moment before, as I agonize once again over doing something so terribly wrong, that feels so terribly right. Perhaps I‘m not well after all. Perhaps there‘s is something quite wrong with me that knows I should not torment Candace Finley-Pratchit day after day after day and yet I do. Lock me up if you must and throw away the key. My name is Tommy Marsh. I am a hair puller. 

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SAM PLAY: School Daze GENRE: Comedy TIME: 1:15 ———————— DESCRIPTION It is the first day of Middle School. Sam stands side by side with Pat at the door of the cafeteria. They are both holding trays with lunch on them. They don‘t know each other.

ACTING HINTS Sam is stressed out by his first day of school. On top of that he has to take his first step into the cafeteria without knowing a soul. Have you ever been in that situation? How did you feel? Sam says things he normally wouldn‘t, and in normal circumstances is a pretty normal person. This is an extraordinary situation. Think of Sam as a normal guy who‘s feeling very abnormal. That‘s the emotional key of the piece. On top of that, how does he stand? Does he shake? Does he tap his foot? Is he constantly looking around? Also keep in mind that he‘s holding a tray. Is there a place to put it down in the monologue?

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Hi. (pause) First day. (pause) Lunch. (pause) You know anyone? Me neither. (pause. Looking around.) So… So nothing. I‘m not saying anything. You. Me. Standing. Doesn‘t mean squat. I‘m not trying to talk to you. Why would I do that? You. Me. Standing. Doesn‘t mean squat. What? Me? Ha ha! Noooooooo. I‘m not freaking out. I‘m not. I‘m just not having a great day. That‘s all. What happened? What hasn‘t? I‘ve been late to every class because I keep getting lost. I have Copyrighted Material for promotional purposes. Do not print or copy. Performances for an audience subject to royalty regardless of whether or not admission is charged. Visit http://tfolk.me/p115 to order a printable copy or for rights/royalties pricing.

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COMPETITION MONOLOGUES BOOK TWO

SAM absolutely no idea what‘s going on in math and it‘s just the first day! And my brother freaked me right out - Well who wouldn‘t freak out? We‘re standing here like idiots and the whole cafeteria is filled with people talking and laughing and everyone has friends and everyone‘s in little groups and I like brown bread peanut butter and lettuce sandwiches! There I said it. Shun me if you must! I like brown bread peanut butter and lettuce sandwiches and my brother said that I would be banished to outer Siberia in the school‘s social standings if I showed up today with brown bread peanut butter and lettuce sandwiches. Everyone would laugh at my lunch, which really means they‘re laughing at me which is so unfair but that‘s the way life goes, Stevie says. So I didn‘t bring one. And now I‘m stuck with this, this… (looks down at tray) Really gross food. Really gross food. The pizza‘s cold, I hate pudding and I all want is a brown bread peanut butter and lettuce sandwich. Is it really that weird? Outer Siberia weird? (PAT says it‘s a little weird) Oh. (lifts his head) But so what? So what? So what. Stupid Stevie and his stupid Siberia. So what! Do you want to sit down? Great.  Copyrighted Material for promotional purposes. Do not print or copy. Performances for an audience subject to royalty regardless of whether or not admission is charged. Visit http://tfolk.me/p115 to order a printable copy or for rights/royalties pricing.

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BRADLEY PLAY: Hairball GENRE: Comedy TIME: 1:50 ———————— DESCRIPTION Bradley goes to see his guidance counsellor to get something off his chest.

ACTING HINTS As with all comedy, it‘s important for the character to be serious about his plight. Never try to ‘act‘ funny. The more serious Bradley is about losing his hair, the funnier the monologue will be. Think of the monologue as a roller coaster. There should be both peaks and valleys in the emotional quality and energy of the piece. All monologues, even comedies, should show versatility and range.

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Thanks for seeing me on such short notice Dr. Goodstein. I‘m really upset. I didn‘t know who to turn to and… It‘s been tearing me up inside! I just want to know… I… How long do I have left? (looking up, a little grossed out) Dying? Who‘s thinking about dying? No! Geesh Doc, that‘s a real downer. He looks around to make sure no one is listening and then whispers with horror. It‘s my hair. My hair, my hair, how long do I have left with my hair?! I just found out my dad lost his hair at 23. That‘s five years, man. Five! I know! I know. I thought I was saved. I thought it would all work out. But the horrors don‘t stop Doc. Everyone is bald on my mother‘s side. Great Copyrighted Material for promotional purposes. Do not print or copy. Performances for an audience subject to royalty regardless of whether or not admission is charged. Visit http://tfolk.me/p115 to order a printable copy or for rights/royalties pricing.

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COMPETITION MONOLOGUES BOOK TWO

BRADLEY grandfather, grandfather, uncles, aunts. They‘ve all got the chrome dome man! Uh huh. Alopecia. Aunt Betty‘s bald as a cue ball. I never used to think about my hair. Never gave it a second thought. Wash and go. No conditioner. No special cut. But now I‘m running out of time and I‘m freaking out. I have treated my hair so bad up to now. I was thinking, I was wondering if it would work - I wanted to get your thoughts on this little idea, if I start treating my hair good, maybe it‘ll want to stick around. Maybe it won‘t fall out because it‘ll be living the high life. I want to give it parties. I want to take it to museums. Take pictures. Be there for my hair. It‘s gotta make a difference, don‘t it? It‘s got to! I‘m counting the number of hairs that fall out every day. What‘s the normal number? Do you know? Is a hundred a day normal? Am I already too late? Am I on my last legs? Am I on a speeding train to becoming a cue ball? Am I going to wake up tomorrow look in the mirror and see Aunt Betty? He falls off the chair on to his knees as he wails. Nooooooooooooooooo!!!!!

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BRADLEY stands and brushes off his jeans. He takes a deep breath and smiles. All evidence of his trauma gone. Whew. Thanks Doc. I had to get that out. It was building it up inside me like a big ole hairball. Had to get it out! I guess I just have to play the cards I‘ve been dealt. And use conditioner. See you later Doc! 

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COMPETITION MONOLOGUES BOOK TWO

ZAK PLAY: Have You Heard? by Krista Boehnert GENRE: Drama TIME: 0:40 ———————— DESCRIPTION Zak describes how his girlfriend broke up with him.

ACTING HINTS Throughout the play Zak talks about how he can‘t believe his girlfriend actually likes him. He has a lot of self-esteem issues and problems with his parents. Decide what he did to break his girlfriend’s heart. Think about how his public and private personas differ. How do people see Zak?

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I never meant to break her heart. I meant to keep it safe. To protect it. But in the end, that‘s what I did. Broke it, I mean. Not a lot, really. I didn‘t shatter it, or smash it to smithereens. I just lost track of it for a moment. Watched it slip through my fingers. I just couldn‘t seem to hang on to it. It just seemed to fall through my hands. I cracked it a bit is all. Enough to make her take it back, though. She didn‘t trust me with it any more. Didn‘t believe that I wouldn‘t break it. So she took it back. And kept it for awhile. And then she gave it to someone else. And that, that broke my heart. 

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JEREMY PLAY: ths phne 2.0: the next generation GENRE: Comedy TIME: 2:00 ———————— DESCRIPTION Jeremy describes why he‘s not picking up his messages.

ACTING HINTS Jeremy doesn‘t understand why he can‘t just talk on his phone. His frustration with his phone and his family is the emotional key of the piece. Show his frustration emotionally and physically. Aside from Jeremy, the sister and the mother also make an appearance. Give these additional characters specific voices and postures. Don‘t make fun of them, because the character‘s not making fun of them. It‘s quite a challenge to play more than one character in a monologue. The best advice for doing multi-character monologues is to be specific. Give each character specific physical gestures. Make sure you know the differences so the audience will know.

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Hi. You‘ve reached Jeremy. I can‘t pick up right now. My phone and I aren‘t speaking. My phone wants all the new paraphernalia. All the gadgets and gizmos. Gotta watch movies on the phone. Gotta listen to music on the phone. Gotta take pictures, access the web, unlimited texting, a thousand contacts each with their own ring tone! I do not want any of these things. I want a phone. To talk into. To communicate with. Apparently, this is wrong and completely out of touch with the sane world. My whole family is on my phone‘s side.

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COMPETITION MONOLOGUES BOOK TWO

JEREMY I don‘t care about ring tones. My sister says, “You have to care about ring tones! The ring tone says who you are. A stranger will hear the ring tone and know you.” “That,” I say, “is decidedly creepy.” (as sister) “I spent three weeks coming up with the right ring tone. It had to be exactly right. I finally decided on Don‘t Phunk With My Heart, the acoustic version! (or similar popular song that would sound bizarre acoustic) Shows how cool and unique I am. Takes a certain person to go acoustic. What does your phone do?” she asks. “It rings,” I say. (as sister) “Yes but HOW does it ring, Jeremy? What is your phone telling the world about you? How does it ring?” (he looks confused) “It rings like a phone. Like a normal phone. An ordinary, normal phone.” (to audience) Apparently this is wrong and completely out of touch with the sane world. I don‘t care about having a camera in my phone. “But what if something happens,” my mother says. “What if you see a star, walking down the street, and you‘re the only one there, and they are wearing something awful and you could take their picture and sell it to the tabloids for a million dollars and set me up with an island off of the coast of France.” “Mom,” I say, “isn‘t that Copyrighted Material for promotional purposes. Do not print or copy. Performances for an audience subject to royalty regardless of whether or not admission is charged. Visit http://tfolk.me/p115 to order a printable copy or for rights/royalties pricing.

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JEREMY completely mental? Decidedly mental?” “Get me to France, Jeremy,” she says. My family isn‘t listening to me and now my phone is threatening me. Threatening! My phone says, “I‘m going to lose all your messages if you don‘t step up and get with the program! I need unlimited texting!” (yelling directly at phone) I won‘t charge your battery if you lose one message! Do you hear me! Uno message-o! (he sighs) So we‘re at a standstill. A standoff. A silence. I‘m the one in charge here. That‘s what I keep telling myself. I‘ll use a payphone till the day I die if I have to. So don‘t leave a message. I won‘t get it. And if you see me at the pay phone on the corner of First and Dorchester say hi! 

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 Monologues for Women 

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DARCY PLAY: Moving GENRE: Drama TIME: 1:00 ———————— DESCRIPTION Darcy is 16 years old. She is preparing for a date with a much older man, much to the dismay of her friends. They think he‘s too old and she‘s moving too fast. Finally Darcy has had enough and tells her friends just what she thinks.

ACTING HINTS Darcy is a character who‘s always moving forward. She reveals feelings here she‘s never said out loud – not even to these girls who are supposed to be her best friends. There is an anger here and a desperate desire to get away. Are these logical feelings? Decide if Darcy is a character who is in control, or out of control. How does that affect her physical and emotional action?

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Maybe I‘m special, ever think of that? Huh? Maybe he likes me. Me. Maybe we connected and he‘s got crap parents too and he knows what crap parents can do to you when they try and run your life till you can‘t see straight. Maybe that‘s why he‘s going out with me. Maybe age has nothing to do with it. You think I‘m moving too fast? You have no idea what you‘re talking about or what any of it means. Maybe I should be sitting on the front porch sucking on a popsicle and holding hands with some cutie who blushes when you say his name and never looks you in the eye? Moving too fast? You bet I am. If I could move faster I would. If I could fly right out of Copyrighted Material for promotional purposes. Do not print or copy. Performances for an audience subject to royalty regardless of whether or not admission is charged. Visit http://tfolk.me/p115 to order a printable copy or for rights/royalties pricing.

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COMPETITION MONOLOGUES BOOK TWO

DARCY here, you wouldn‘t see my feet. I‘d be gone. The less time I have to spend in this house, this place, this town, this stupid sixteen-year-old body, the better. The sooner I get out from under everybody‘s thumb, everybody‘s expectation, the better and you can as sure as hell believe I won‘t look over my shoulder. Not once. I‘ll be gone and I won‘t look back. What about you? I don‘t know. What about you? I never said anything because I knew you wouldn‘t listen. You‘re not moving fast enough. None of you. 

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TAMARA PLAY: Wait Wait Bo Bait GENRE: Comedy TIME: 1:55 ———————— DESCRIPTION Tamara has been waiting all day by the phone because a boy has said he was going to call her. The waiting has made her a little crazy.

ACTING HINTS There‘s lots of room here for physical and vocal gymnastics. Take this monologue to the extreme. Twitching, laughing, lots of changes in volume and tone. It‘s better to think that the character has truly gone crazy because the boy didn‘t call, rather than to ‘act‘ crazy. When Dylan asks her out decide whether she initially plans to turn him down and changes her mind, or if she is for it from the get go. How does she say the last line? With glee or with a little bit of menace?

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TAMARA is curled up in a ball behind a chair. From behind the chair, a hand emerges. The hand is held like a puppet, using the fingers and thumb as a mouth. The hand can be bare or covered by a sock, to make a sock puppet. (from behind the chair so that only the hand can be seen – it‘s as if the puppet is speaking) Where‘s Tamara? Where‘s Tammy? How come she‘s not sitting by the phone anymore? What‘s the matter with Tammy? Could it be that‘s because she‘s lying on the floor in a pit of despair? (the puppet shakes back and forth) Oh no. Not our Tammy. She‘d never lie on the floor in a pit of despair just because she waited all day Copyrighted Material for promotional purposes. Do not print or copy. Performances for an audience subject to royalty regardless of whether or not admission is charged. Visit http://tfolk.me/p115 to order a printable copy or for rights/royalties pricing.

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COMPETITION MONOLOGUES BOOK TWO

TAMARA and all night for a boy to call and (yelling) HE NEVER DID. (the other hand comes up to clamp down on the puppet) Oh. Oh. Inside voice. No need to shout. Suddenly the phone starts to ring. The hand looks down at the ringing phone. What‘s that? Is that the phone? I do believe that‘s the phone. But who could it be? It couldn‘t be Dylan. Nooooooo. That would be too precious. Make a girl go absolutely crazy bonkers and then call. That would be a treat. TAMARA appears from behind the chair. She sits in the chair. She looks somewhat disheveled. She tries to fix her hair. She takes a deep breath and picks up the phone. Hello? Loony Bin Incorporated. Who? Tammy? Hold on a sec I‘ll get her. (she stares into space humming for a second, then goes back to the phone.) Hello? Yes this is she. Why, Dylan! Dylan Blankers-Wallace. It‘s Dylan Blankers-Wallace I‘ve got on the phone. Isn‘t that a treat. Isn‘t that precious. Why no! There‘s nothing wrong with me. Nope. I‘m like fresh bread. Fresh bread rising in a pan, that‘s what I feel like Dylan Blankers-Wallace. I feel like a big ole loaf of fresh bread. Is there something you wanted? Is Copyrighted Material for promotional purposes. Do not print or copy. Performances for an audience subject to royalty regardless of whether or not admission is charged. Visit http://tfolk.me/p115 to order a printable copy or for rights/royalties pricing.

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COMPETITION MONOLOGUES BOOK TWO

TAMARA there a reason for this ever-so-timely call? A date. You want a date. Next weekend. 7:00. A movie! Isn‘t that precious. Oh I love movies. Well, Dylan Blankers-Wallace let me tell you something. Let me give it to you straight. Let me lay it on the line for you. I would… I would like to say… I just want to… Yes! Yes! I would love to go on a date with you. I would love to see a movie with you. I would love to go out next weekend at seven o‘clock. Just one thing. Don‘t be late. I‘m a girl who doesn‘t like to be kept waiting! 

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APPENDIX Performance Hints and Tips: Things to think about when choosing a monologue. For Auditions... 

If you‘re auditioning for a specific part, find a monologue that’s going to help you get the part. If the play is a comedy, do a comedic monologue. The director wants to know if you can be funny. Same is true for a drama. If the character is a mean stepsister, find a play with a character with similar qualities.



If you‘re auditioning for a school, look for variety and versatility. You only have a couple of minutes to show what you can do - don‘t spend that two minutes in one emotional tone, and one physical action.



Never look at the director in an audition. It forces the director to focus on you, instead of the monologue.



In general, go for comedy. So many actors do the big overly-dramatic turn. An actor who makes a director laugh is more memorable than one who weeps and wails.



Know that a director usually makes their mind up in the first 30 seconds.

For Individual Events... 

Properly begin each piece. Take a pause, take a look, make a definite gesture, have a defined action. Pause between the introduction and the monologue.

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Properly end each piece. Make sure there‘s a defined beat between the end of one piece and the beginning of the next. I was watching an IE and it wasn‘t until he finished completely that I figured out he had done two pieces. There was no break in-between!



Even though each monologue in this collection has a time listed, it‘s going to be different for every actor as they put on their own interpretation. Therefore, you must time your pieces. There‘s nothing worse than seeing an IE that‘s going so well but goes over time.



Contrast, contrast, contrast. Make sure your pieces are clearly different.



Know the name of the play and the author! It shows a lack of preparation if you can‘t come up with this information.

And furthermore… 

Yelling does not equal emotion. Even in the most intense monologue you should not raise your voice for more than two sentences.



If you’re not moving for a specific reason, then stand still! It‘s very distracting to watch an actor wander. It‘s the actor moving about and not the character. It shows you haven‘t put thought into the blocking.



Who are you talking to? Where are they? What do you want? What happens to you elsewhere in the play?



Read the whole play. Read the whole play. And yes, read the whole play. 

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COMPETITION MONOLOGUES BOOK TWO Edited by Lindsay Price Collection of 40 Monologues [18M 22W] Another book full of monologues just for you! Whether it‘s for a competition, an audition or for class, these monologues will help you get the job done. Specifically geared for students, this collection contains a wide variety of characters, genres and lengths. The monologues come from plays published by Theatrefolk and include approximate timing, character/story background, and performance suggestions.

Original Playscripts

PO Box 1064, Crystal Beach, ON, Canada L0S 1B0 Tel 1-866-245-9138 / Fax 1-877-245-9138 Email [email protected] / Web www.theatrefolk.com

Copyrighted Material for promotional purposes. Do not print or copy. Performances for an audience subject to royalty regardless of whether or not admission is charged. Visit http://tfolk.me/p115 to order a printable copy or for rights/royalties pricing.

  PO Box 1064, Crystal Beach, ON,  L0S 1B0, Canada  Toll-Free Phone: 1-​ 866​ -245-9138   Toll-Free Fax: 1-​ 877​ -245-9138  Email: [email protected]   Web: ​ www.theatrefolk.com 

 

Want to Read More? Order a full script ​ through the link above. You can get a P ​DF file ​ (it’s printable, licensed for one printout, and delivered instantly) or a traditionally bound and printed book (​ sent by mail).