Nostalia and the Season: My Top Three Christmas Movies You Might Not Have Heard Of

December 17, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Community, family, Film, Movies, christmas but not theater

Nostalgia rings loud and clear this time of year—scents, songs, books, movies. My mother passed away two years ago, and my childhood (and adulthood) memories with her practically explode this time of year. Our main December holiday in my family is Christmas, and my mother made this holiday so special for us. From parties to games to crafts, cookies, books, music, cards, service, prayers and more! All those singing stuffed animals in our hallway? Gifts to my kids from my mom. The burlap Advent Calendar hanging on our wall? My mom made it. The ornaments on our tree with permanent marker dates on the bottom? My mom dated of all of those. While nostalia comes in many forms, one thing that harkens me back to the magic of childhood Christmas is simply: Christmas movies. Those classic tales of…

Christmas Plays: talking reindeer, mistletoe melancholy, Christmas tree blood and more!

December 03, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in children, monologue for child actor, monologue for female acto, Monologues, monologues for male actor, monologue collections, 2-minute monologue, 3-minute monologue, 30-second monologue, 5-minute monologue, 5-minute play, child monolog collection, Children's theatre, Christmas, comedic, comedy monolog collection, dramatic monolog collecti, inclusive casting, one-act plays, Plays, pre-teen, socially distant theater, Teen, teen monologue collection, tween, virtual theater, play collection

Check out my Christmas theater below (one-act plays, a 5-minute monologues, and monologues for kids to adults)! Click on the links to read excerpts from all of the holiday monologues or holiday plays or to get the full versions. Enjoy the holiday season!

Black Friday Deal on Tara Meddaugh plays: 20% off all purchases!

November 23, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Plays, promotions, sales

Whoohoo! Yes, even my plays are on sale for Black Friday - as my thank you to YOU—my loyal patrons, fellow artists, actors, directors, writers, friends, teachers, designers, students…I’m grateful for all of you! So enjoy 20% off your purchase now through November 25! Just use coupon code BLACKFRIDAYPLAYS at the checkout. Happy shopping and Happy Creating!

November 2018 Newsletter: Black Friday Discount and new 5-Minute Monologue

November 19, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Newsletters

Check out my November Newsletter, featuring a Black Friday Discount, a new 5-minute monologue play.

Now Available - 5 Minute Children's Play: My Best Myself

November 16, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in 5-minute play, children, Children's theatre, Plays, Reader's Theater

If you’re looking for a short play for children, check out this fun and poignant 5-minute comedic play for 2 female actors. While Megan and Kel are waiting for their school bus to arrive, Megan challenges Kel to prove how she received her latest Girl Scouts badge. But revelations soon afford the girls an opportunity to put down their rivalry and consider maybe, just maybe, becoming friends…

New Christmas Holiday Comedic Monologue for male (or female) actor: Still Standing Under the Mistletoe

November 13, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in dramatic, Monologues, monologues for male actor, Teen, Christmas

If you’re looking for a monologue for a male actor desperately trying to cling to an old romance, hopefully anxious, nervously excited (so much fun to act!), then check out my new monologue, Still Standing Under the Mistletoe. Larry is at a Christmas party and speaks to his ex-girlfriend Mindy. She is standing under the mistletoe and he nervously confesses he still has feelings for her. He hopes that she still has feelings for him too, and that if she notices she is standing under the mistletoe, she will not move away from it…

This is a comedic monologue for a male actor (teen through adult) and is approximately 1.5-2 minutes along,

19 Children's Monologues from Christmas Superpowers and Believing in Blitzen: Monologue Packet

November 09, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Children's theatre, family, monologue for child actor, monologue for female acto, Monologues, monologues for male actor, one-act plays, monologue collections, child monolog collection, comedy monolog collection, dramatic monolog collecti, Christmas

Enjoy a new monologue packet, featuring 19 comedic monologues for children extracted from the one-act play, Christmas Superpowers and Believing in Blitzen. Monologues range from 30 seconds to 3 minutes, and average approximately 1-2 minutes long. Check out two free sample monologues from this packet, Santa’s Lousy Job and Shepherd Superheroes. About the play: Take a snowy walk through the child-like magic of Christmas, where reindeer talk, Santa is real, and who wants super powers?…

How to Write a Cheesy Romantic Christmas Movie in 10 Easy Steps (Or, Writing for the Hallmark Channel)

November 02, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in family, Movies, screenwriting, Television, comedic, Community, Drama in real life, holiday, romance, Streaming Videos, christmas but not theater

Well, Thanksgiving is not quite here, but we’re already into November, so…you know what that means? Tis the season for Cheesy Romantic Christmas movies! On November 2, the first new one of the season popped up on my Netflix account, boasting the crazy magical cupid-like hijinx of none other than, that’s right, an advent calendar. It’s not just angels, santas and mystical animals bringing you Holiday romance anymore. It’s now inanimate calendars too! I've been watching these types of movies for years, and have learned, as similar as they may be, it never hurts to add another 25-50 new Hallmark-Channel inspired Christmas movies to the season (I say Hallmark Channel, for those old enough to know that term, but it’s not just the Hallmark anymore. The digital services have the format down pat.)! So here I've given you 10 easy steps on how to write your own Cheesy Romantic Christmas movie. And who knows, if you follow these guidelines, maybe your screenplay will be produced in the next Amazon prime line-up of Holiday-themed romances! Write away!

Halloween Newsletter 2018

October 29, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Newsletters

Check out my latest newsletter, featuring a few theatrical Halloween treats!

17 Creepy Monologues for Halloween

October 29, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Halloween, monologue for female acto, Monologues, monologues for male actor, monologue collections, comedy monolog collection, dramatic monolog collecti, thriller

If you’re looking for some eerie or dark monologues in the spirit of Halloween, check out these creepy monologues!

Great Plays for Halloween

October 26, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Plays, one-act plays, ten-minute plays, dark comedy, Halloween, play collection

If you’re looking for an eerie, creepy or thriller play in the spirit of Halloween, check out these plays that just might give you a chill or two! From the witch in that gingerbread house, to a mysterious heart, a domineering bingo chip, a lust for human hair—and more—enjoy these uniquely dark (and sometimes comedic) plays by Tara Meddaugh…

Dramatic/Thriller monologue: Shelley Knows

October 26, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Halloween, monologue for female acto, Monologues, thriller play, women

If you’re searching for a dramatic/thriller (in time for Halloween!) 1-minute monologue for a female (or could be male) actor, check out Shelley Knows. In this monologue, Louise, riddled with guilt after murdering Shelley in a fit of passion, fears this friend may be coming for her, from beyond the grave…

New dark comedy/thriller monologue: F For Friendship

October 25, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in dark comedy, Halloween, monologue for female acto, Monologues, Teen, thriller play

If you’re searching for a dark comedy/thriller monologue that is only 1 minute long, for teens to young adults, check out this monologue, F is For Friendship. In it, Michelle, holding a gun in her hand, rates the friendship of fellow mean-girl, Alicia. And Alicia is not scoring well…

New dramatic/thriller monologue: Buddy's Mommy

October 24, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Halloween, thriller play, 2-minute monologue, love, Monologues, Suspense, thriller, women

If you’re searching for a dark, dramatic or thriller monologue for a female (in time for Halloween!), check out Buddy’s Mommy. In this 2-minute monologue, amidst the sounds of sirens drawing near, Cali imparts her final motherly words to her young son, Buddy. She hopes he will remember her for the strong love she has for him, not for the murder(s) he’s going to soon hear about…

This a great monologue for someone looking to tap into complex emotions and the process of a breakdown. Cali is riddled with grief, guilt, regret—but also love and her confidence that what she did was necessary and the right thing to do. There is horror, there is desperation, there is panic, and at the core, there is the deep, crazy, consuming love of a mother to her child.

New dark comedy/dramatic monologue: Rachel's monologue from Seventeen Stitches

October 23, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in dark comedy, monologue for female acto, Monologues, dramatic

Check out this newly released dark comedy/dramatic monologue for a teen/young adult, from the one-act play, Seventeen Stitches. Rachel and Peter are standing in a kind of vortex-like line, Rachel recounts Peter, how she first met him. It all started at the teeter-totter…

New dark comedy/thriller monologue: Remove the Rock, Please

October 19, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in dark comedy, monologue for female acto, thriller play, women, Halloween

Keeping in line with my month of Halloween/eerie drama, here is a newly released monologue of mine, Remove the Rock, Please. What happens when a reasonable request made by a good upstanding citizen is repeatedly ignored by the town mayor? A Banana Republic dress gets blood on it, apparently. Check out the dark comedy/thriller/dramatic monologue below, for a female actor.

Now available: Seventeen Stitches, a one-act dark comedy thriller for 2 actors

October 17, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Halloween, one-act plays, Teen, dark comedy, thriller play

In this one-act dark comedy/thriller, Rachel and Peter meet in a vortex-like space between opposing lines of people. While Rachel is simply passing the time before she returns to her place in line, Peter has stepped out of his line in protest. As the lines begin to close in on them, he must make a life-altering decision by choosing to continue forging his path in his father’s line, or join the haunting allure of Rachel’s line, the “line of diamonds.”

New Comedic Halloween Monologue for a Male Actor: A Dad's Defense

October 04, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Halloween, Monologues, monologues for male actor, 2-minute monologue

Okay, parents, Halloween is quickly approaching…You’re going to make, buy, rent or borrow your child’s Halloween costume, you’re going to traipse around town in the dark, carefully monitoring your child so s/he doesn’t get lost in the shuffle of dressed-up children mobs. You’re going to tend to sugar-high meltdowns, freak-outs when… [Skip here to get the comedic male monologue, A DAD’S DEFENSE]

Newsletter: The Monologue Edition

October 02, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Newsletters, Monologues

You can check out a few updates from my October 2018 Newsletter, The Monologue Edition. Enjoy!

17 Compelling Monologues About Bullying

October 01, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in children, monologue for child actor, monologue for female acto, Monologues, monologues for male actor, Teen, monologue collections, child monolog collection, comedy monolog collection, dramatic monolog collecti, gender neutral casting, teen monologue collection, 1-minute monologue, 30-second monologue, blind casting, comedic, dark comedy, Drama in real life, dramatic, tween

Part of the beauty and magic of theatre is that we can use drama to give voice to an emotion, challenge or experience we might not otherwise express. Below are eight monologues that center around the idea of bullying in some capacity. Whether it is covering your ears in the shower, imagining you’re a shark, or instructing teddy bears to jump out a window, these dramatic, comedic or darkly comedic monologues show different ways people cope with the effects of bullying. ..