1-Minute Monologues

January 12, 2023 by Tara Meddaugh in 1-minute monologue, absurdist theater, animal theater, allegory, blind casting, child monolog collection, children, Children's theatre, comedic, comedy monolog collection, dark comedy, dramatic, dramatic monolog collecti, fairy tale, gender neutral casting, inclusive casting, monologue by child, monologue collections, monologue for child actor, monologue for female acto, monologue written by chil, Monologues, monologues for male actor, mystical creatures, pre-teen, Teen, teen monologue collection, tween

One-minute monologues are an important way to make a quick impression to agents, casting directors, schools/colleges/universities. While longer monologues definitely have their place, sometimes actors are required to stick with showing their chops in less than 60 seconds. One-minute monologues also fairly easy to memorize because, well, obviously, they’re short, and they work well for younger actors who may not be ready for a 2-minute monologue or longer. One-minute monologues are also great to perform in festivals, competitions or classes, and an accessible way for actors to hone their craft privately or with a coach.

Having only 1 minute to showcase yourself as an actor can be a bit daunting though, so I’ve started a new page of my 1-minute monologues to make things a little bit easier for actors. These monologues have story and character arc, even if short, and they help actors showcase versatility and evoke emotion from their audience. There are dramatic 1-minute monologues, comedic 1-minute monologues, 1-minute monologues for women, men, any gender, teens and children. From candy-inspired monologues for kids to mean girl monologues for teens to hopeful love or scorned love—these 35 monologues allow actors to dig into complexities and give a memorable performance, in one minute.

The Moon River Raft: New Dark Comedy Play for 2 actors

January 06, 2023 by Tara Meddaugh in 10-minute play, allegory, animal theater, blind casting, comedic, dark comedy, dramatic, gender neutral casting, inclusive casting, one-act plays, outdoor theater, Plays, pre-teen, Teen, ten-minute plays, tween, Halloween

A wounded rabbit and her loyal sister, fleeing for their lives, hold onto hope that a secret Moon River Raft will carry them to a perfect land with no predators, filled with rainbows and radish tops as far as the eye can see… All they have to do is wait for this mysterious raft…in the middle of the night…in the woods…until Peak Full Moon…at a very creepy river bank…

You can check out what happens at this creepy river in my new one-act (miiiight slide by as a 10-minute) dark comedy, The Moon River Raft. It runs about 15+ minutes and has two great roles for ages teen through adult (the parts are written with female pronouns but the casting can be any gender). Yes, it’s dark, but it’s also funny as you lean into the cruelty, naivety and absurdity of the world these rabbits are in. It’s a play with minimal setting requirements and could adapt well to outdoor theater. CLICK BELOW TO READ MORE

Pitfalls and Treasures: Published in The Best Ten-Minute Plays 2022

December 29, 2022 by Tara Meddaugh in 10-minute play, allegory, animal theater, blind casting, comedic, dark comedy, dramatic, inclusive casting, outdoor theater, Plays, Publications, Teen, ten-minute plays, anthology

Before we ring in 2023, I’m happy to share that Smith & Kraus’s anthology, The Best Ten-Minute Plays 2022, edited by Debbie Lamedman, is out and available! I’m so honored that my 2-person play, Pitfalls and Treasures, has been published in this fabulous anthology. In the play:

Mary and Andrew are lonely and troubled parking lot seagulls, each ostracized by their former flocks. When Mary happens upon the injured Andrew, she embarks on the desperate challenge to remove twine wrapped around his leg. This play is about, well, yes, seagulls. And being seagulls, in a parking lot, with a numb leg and no flock, the stakes are high. But it’s also about love and loss, hope and failure, trust and apprehension, desperation and resignation. And of course, a seagull and a french fry! It’s a bit dark, a bit funny and a bit sweet.

Along with Pitfalls and Treasures, this anthology includes 50 other great new plays. While all of the plays included are diverse in theme, topic, style, and genre, in her foreword, Ms. Lamedman points out their commonality; they are all, “timely, cutting-edge, thrilling pieces of theatre.”

Ten-minute plays are unique pieces of theater. The “short stories” of theater, they give us a window into a few meaningful moments in time, and it’s a delightful challenge as a playwright to make sure the audience is brought in to the world, the characters and the story pretty darn quickly. I love writing in this format, and, short as it may be, I fall in love with my characters, as they become much larger than 10 minutes. I hope may feel a similar way as you dive into a 10-minute theatrical short!

Gregory Perry Photography, WCT 2021 production featuring Rob McEvily and Missy Flower, directed by Mel Nocera.

The original production of Pitfalls and Treasures was especially sweet as I had a fantastic team of people bringing the play to life: Under Mel Nocera’s keen direction, Missy Flower and Rob McEvily made the seagulls Mary and Andrew charming, funny, sharp and heart wrenching. Much gratitude also to WCT and their Executive Director, Alan Lutwin, for producing the play and their dedication to new work. And of course huge thanks and recognition to editor Debbie Lamedman for her amazing work on this anthology!

Click here to get The Best Ten-Minute Plays 2022 on amazon. Additionally, you can read an excerpt of Pitfalls and Treasures here or click below for a complete digital copy of the play:

Pitfalls and Treasures, a 10-minute play

$5.99

Add To Cart

A Post-Christmas Tooth Fairy Monologue

December 28, 2022 by Tara Meddaugh in 3-minute monologue, comedic, fairy tale, Monologues, monologue for female acto, mystical creatures, Teen

My child recently endured a pretty long wait time (like, we’re talking dial-up modem long wait time!) for the Tooth Fairy to come and retrieve his tooth. It sat in a ziplock bag under his pillow for a night or two, then he moved it to the cat tree next to his bed, where it remained (our cat didn’t seem to mind) for the next…um… was it 4 weeks or so? During that time, he lost a second tooth (which he accidentally sent down the kitchen sink drain), and his first tooth oddly split in two while inside the baggie (I have never heard of that! Have you??). When the kids in my theater class were talking about losing a tooth one day, I commented on how the tooth fairy had still not come to retrieve my son’s tooth after several weeks.
(CLICK here for monologue. Click “read more” below for continued post)

30-Second Monologues

December 27, 2022 by Tara Meddaugh in 30-second monologue, children, child monolog collection, comedic, comedy monolog collection, dramatic, dramatic monolog collecti, gender neutral casting, inclusive casting, monologue collections, monologue for child actor, monologue for female acto, Monologues, monologues for male actor, pre-teen, Teen, teen monologue collection, tween

While not as common, these bite-sized monologues can come in handy! So I’ve started a new page solely devoted to these 30-second monologues. Finding an impactful monologue that is less than 1 minute can be challenging. You want to convey engaging emotion, a bit or story and arc, and hopefully have a powerful opening and closing line. This is not easy in such a short time! But I’m up for the challenge and I know you, as actors/directors, are up for that too! So enjoy my growing list of memorable little monologues that can leave your mark in only 30 seconds.

Holiday Treats: Plays, Monologues, Movies and…Chocolates!

December 01, 2022 by Tara Meddaugh in 1-minute monologue, 2-minute monologue, 3-minute monologue, 5-minute monologue, 5-minute play, comedic, dramatic, holiday, inclusive casting, Monologues, monologues for male actor, one-act plays, Plays, pre-teen, socially distant theater, Teen, tween

It’s December 1st, friends! That means I can whip out our family’s 2022 Advent Calendars! Which would you choose? 1) Funko Marvel 2) Chocolates in a penguin 3) Cocktail truffles? Hm… Mind you, young folks, my advent calendar as a kid consisted of opening a door on Santa’s sleigh and the reward was viewing a drawing of a toy! And I had to rotate every third day, sharing with my 2 brothers. Ah, but since we didn’t know what chocolates we were missing, that paper sleigh was still so sweet.

December 1 also means that I can post sans judgment about all the fun Christmas and Holiday theater you’ve been emailing me about and downloading since August! And personally, I’m fine thinking Christmas in August—because holiday theater takes some prep. Auditions for Christmas plays started months ago, and seasonal rehearsals don’t rehearse themselves a week before they open, right?

Netflix's "Dead To Me:" On Guilt, Grief, Friendship & Lov

November 18, 2022 by Tara Meddaugh in Community, dark comedy, dramatic, Drama in real life, Grief, love, Shows, social, Streaming Videos, Television, What I'm Watching, women, women in the arts

I first discovered the Netflix show, Dead To Me, when my dear friend, Jessica, recommended it when it aired in 2019. Jessica and I became best friends when we were 14 and she went from home-schooling on her family farm to attending my small public school (she thrived and never looked back!). We acted in plays together, went on family vacations together, tons of sleepovers, visited each other at college and beyond, made crazy recordings, dated brothers once, spent every moment we could together. And for the next few decades, we shared almost daily phone calls as teens, to regular calls and letters as we made it through young-adulthood, to almost daily calls again, as we shared marriage and motherhood. We talked about anything and everything—relationships, society, philosophy, politics, families—and also cooking, cleaning hacks, books, tv. When I recommended the book Pachinko, she read it. When she recommended a recipe for a homemade ice cream cake, I made it. So when she recommended “Dead to Me,” I watched it. I remember her saying it was not like any other show she’d seen.

“Dead to Me” is a show about mistakes and consequences—and how you deal with both. It’s dark and funny. It’s tense and poignant. It’s a lot about guilt, but it’s also about motherhood and daughterhood. And at its core, it’s about friendship and love.

I’m actually a little shocked when I see that this show aired in May 2019 because Jessica was battling Stage 4 cancer at the time. She passed away 4 months later.

Shocked isn’t the right word.

Anyone who has lost a loved one knows that Grief kind of jumps up in your face and screams at you at any random moment it feels like.

October 2022 Newsletter

October 27, 2022 by Tara Meddaugh in Newsletters

Check out my October 2022 Newsletter here.

Dramatic and Comedic pieces for Halloween Monologue Competitions

October 18, 2022 by Tara Meddaugh in 1-minute monologue, 10-minute monologue, 2-minute monologue, 5-minute monologue, child monolog collection, comedic, comedy monolog collection, dark comedy, dramatic monolog collecti, dramatic, Halloween, monologue collections, monologue for child actor, monologue for female acto, Monologues, monologues for male actor, mystical creatures, Suspense, Teen, teen monologue collection, thriller, tween

If you’re looking for a great monologue to use in a Halloween Monologue Competition, check out the monologues below, beginning with creepy Halloween monologues, followed by comedic Halloween monologues. Monologues range from 1 minute to 10 minutes, children, teen and adult.

A Play for International Raccoon Appreciation Day

October 03, 2022 by Tara Meddaugh in 10-minute play, animal theater, comedic, dark comedy, dramatic, gender neutral casting, Grief, inclusive casting, outdoor theater, Plays, ten-minute plays

**20 MAGICAL MINUTES OF DARKNESS & SILENCE & PEACE**, featuring Brian Bagot and Brenda Hettmansberger. Directed by Susan Ward at WCT. Gregory Perry Photography

October 1 was International Raccoon Appreciation Day! I only just discovered this today, but even though we are two days past the official date, we can all still celebrate these pretty amazing and adorable creatures. Raccoons are not simply partying around that pile of trash they dumped out of your curbside can. They’re important for many reasons. They distribute seeds from berries and nuts. They help keep our land clean by taking care of (aka eating) dead animals which would otherwise attract disease and insects. They also eat insects (including ticks) and rodents.

I love that the idea of this Appreciation Day is not only to celebrate raccoons, but all creatures who are commonly misunderstood as “pests,” but who play vital roles in our ecosystem. Isn’t this an important message that can apply to many facets of human living too? Many of us feel misunderstood at times, but we all have value and place in our world. I also personally love that raccoons exemplify “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure” (In fact, in my play, Pitfalls and Treasures, two seagulls refer to trash cans as “treasure cans.”). What is “trash” after all?

In honor of International Raccoon Appreciation Day, enjoy my short play, 20 Magical Minutes of Darkness & Silence & Peace. The play features 2 raccoons, Grace and Joffrey. Yes, there is talk of pizza in a dumpster, but the play transcends exclusive “raccoon issues,” and is mainly about personal connections. After a tragedy, Joffrey has run off from the gaze. Grace is charged to find him and bring him back home. But when she discovers him at a train station parking lot, he refuses to come back with her. Yet. He is reeling in grief, and in order to find solace and closure, he has to do something first. At this train station. And he needs her help.

Check out an excerpt here, or get the full play below.

20 MAGICAL MINUTES OF DARKNESS & SILENCE & PEACE

$5.99

Add To Cart

The Bronze Lining: New 2-Person 10-Minute Drama/Comedy

September 22, 2022 by Tara Meddaugh in comedic, Drama in real life, dramatic, Grief, outdoor theater, Plays, Teen, ten-minute plays, women, virtual theater, Zoom plays

In 2019, I wrote The Bronze Lining, a 10-minute dramedy, with 2 great female roles. It’s about estranged sisters who attempt to reconnect during a hike after their mother’s death. There’s a lot of damage between them, stemming not only from some traditional sibling rivalry, but also from how each one handled the sickness of their mother, the process of dying, and now, the process of grieving. You can read an excerpt of the play here or get the whole play here.

This play was originally inspired by a painting, as part of The Living Art Event, a collaboration between visual artists of the Ossining Arts Council and the performing artists of Westchester Collaborative Theater (WCT). Jill Kiefer's piece, "Such a Bewilderness...", drew me in. I loved the richness, the muddiness, the twists, the brown and white and black, the textures, and that dragonfly escaping the mire into the air. The sisters in The Bronze Lining are also entrapped in their shared history, intertwined in the muddiness of complicated relationships that ebb and flow, damage and repair. Siblings have a connection that is going to bind them forever—although what sisters Mindy and Anne choose to do with that bond in the future, especially now that both of their parents are gone, is uncertain.

The production of this play has had its own complicated history, not without grief. In January 2020, at our first round of auditions, I met the director slated for this festival, Joe Albert Lima. He was smart, good-natured, experienced, and I immediately felt I could trust him with my play. He apologized for being a bit out of breath and coughing occasionally; he used an inhaler and mentioned his asthma had been bothering him. Tragically, less than a week later, he was hospitalized and passed away. While I didn’t know him well or long, I was shocked and pained by this loss, especially for his family and close friends. The theater community also felt this loss as he had a long history as a director in the area and was a founding member of WCT.

Meanwhile, covid-19 was making more and more headlines abroad.

JACK AND DEAR RAVEN: A new 10-minute 2-person comedy/drama

September 14, 2022 by Tara Meddaugh in 10-minute play, allegory, animal theater, children, Children's theatre, comedic, dramatic, fairy tale, family, gender neutral casting, inclusive casting, one-act plays, outdoor theater, Plays, pre-teen, Reader's Theater, Teen, ten-minute plays, tween

Jack is known as being a “dull boy” around the village. But would a “dull boy” impulsively climb up a random giant beanstalk that grew up in his back yard over night and then once he reached cloud-level, suddenly miss his mom and turkey and fence post, want to go back home, and now be too scared or stuck to climb back down?

Um…Maybe…

At least, this is one of Jack’s worries (besides being pecked to death, falling to death, starving to death—stuff like that!). He has something to prove to his village. He IS more than the boy who chased a baby bear thinking it was a sack of gold coins. He may get into more pickles than the average fairy tale boy, but he also always finds ways to get out of those pickles. He’s made it up this giant beanstalk because he has the spirit of adventure inside of him—and that passionate spirit will ultimately get him off this beanstalk too. It’s just might happen in the order he thinks it will…

In Jack and Dear Raven, high in the clouds, Jack begs for the help of a raven passing by—the only creature who has shown Jack any attention as he’s clung to this slippery beanstalk through the wee morning hours. This bird, whom Jack quickly dubs “Dear Raven,” has their own worries in raising a brood of birdlings while trying to finish their novel, Aviary Ethics (which no other bird seems to care about). Dear Raven is not only curious about this human in the sky, but also irritated as Jack and his giant beanstalk are blocking an important flight path. Jack and Dear Raven need to figure out a way for Jack to get off this beanstalk. Now. Before the hawks and eagles come to peck out his eyes after their morning mice.

New 10-Minute Dark Comedy for 2 Actors: 20 Magical Minutes of Darkness & Silence & Peace

August 24, 2022 by Tara Meddaugh

Well, folks, here’s another 10-minute play about animals! In my new dark comedy 10-minute play, 20 MAGICAL MINUTES OF DARKNESS & SILENCE & PEACE:

Grace, a raccoon, is begrudgingly charged to find, and bring back, her fellow raccoon who has gone missing after a shocking personal tragedy. When she finally finds the depressed Joffrey in a train station parking lot, he refuses to come back with her—yet. Because he has something important he has to do first. In this parking lot. And he needs her help.

This is a play where our feature characters (in fact, our only characters) are raccoons. They talk about cat food and their gaze and pizza from a dumpster and being tired when staying awake during the daylight. But at its core, this is a story about love, loss, pain, grief and ultimately friendship—which is 100% relatable to humans.

"Forgiveness and Defeat At a Pokemon Gym" and "If I Were A Flower" included in Performer Stuff's list of 10 "Monologues for Carefree Kids"

August 03, 2022 by Tara Meddaugh in children, Children's theatre, comedic, inclusive casting, gender neutral casting, monologue for child actor, Monologues, monologues for male actor, Teen, tween

Happy to have two of my pieces (Forgiveness and Defeat at Pokemon Gym and If I Were A Flower) featured in Performer Stuff’s collection of 10 Monologues for Carefree Kids (article written by Amanda Grace).

Summer Monologues

August 01, 2022 by Tara Meddaugh in 1-minute monologue, 2-minute monologue, 3-minute monologue, 30-second monologue, 5-minute monologue, absurdist theater, allegory, blind casting, child monolog collection, children, Children's theatre, comedic, comedy monolog collection, dark comedy, dramatic, dramatic monolog collecti, gender neutral casting, inclusive casting, mermaids, monologue collections, monologue for child actor, monologue for female acto, Monologues, monologues for male actor, mystical creatures, Teen, teen monologue collection, thriller, tween, summer

If you’re looking to beat (or lean into!) the heat of the season with a summer-themed monologue, check out this list of 17 monologues that go along nicely with Summertime. Whether it’s someone’s connection to growing veggies, a safari vacation that goes amiss (in all the coolest ways), seeing a lame mermaid at the beach, pushing someone in a mud puddle, spooky things that happen in the woods at night, or ice cream your dog can’t have—enjoy these 17 comedic, dramatic, thriller, teen and children’s monologues that are great for Summer!

Monologue from When Marshmallows Burn to be published in Smith & Kraus's "The Best Men's Stage Monologues”

February 15, 2022 by Tara Meddaugh in 1-minute monologue, animal theater, allegory, dark comedy, dramatic, monologue for female acto, monologues for male actor, Monologues, mystical creatures, outdoor theater, pre-teen, Suspense, Teen, ten-minute plays, thriller, thriller play, tween, 10-minute play

I’m honored that a monologue from my dark-comedy play, WHEN MARSHMALLOWS BURN, has been selected to be published by Smith & Kraus in the anthology, “The Best Men's Stage Monologues 2022” (editor Debbie Lamedman).

In the play, When Marshmallows Burn, Sammy and his mom are enjoying roasting marshmallows by the fire, under the full moon, when something very strange starts to happen. Sammy’s arms look a little furry. His teeth look a lot like fangs. And he has a sudden urge to kill squirrels—and eat them raw. What (or who) else will he have an urge to kill? Is there anything his mother can do to stop him, or can she ultimately accept and love him? This is a dark comedy about a boy becoming a werewolf, but it’s also a story about acceptance and love, in the face of changing identities.

The monologue selected for the anthology (What My Fangs are For) takes place the moment Sammy has returned from his first kill in the woods. He is proud he found his late-night snack without troubling his mom for help. As he relays killing the squirrel to her, he realizes his mother is becoming increasingly scared of him and his pride turns to fear that she will no longer love him as a werewolf.

A Whole Lot of Monologues About Love

February 02, 2022 by Tara Meddaugh in 1-minute monologue, 2-minute monologue, 3-minute monologue, 5-minute monologue, comedic, comedy monolog collection, dark comedy, dramatic, dramatic monolog collecti, holiday, love, monologue collections, monologue for female acto, Monologues, monologues for male actor, romance, Suspense, Teen, teen monologue collection, valentine's day

Well, we are less than 2 weeks from Valentine’s Day! If you’re looking for a monologue about love for a performance, monologue slam, audition or anything else, check out these pieces. From dark to hopeful, you can find passionate monologues for women and men (and many for any gender), highlighting love in its various dramatic forms.

Pitfalls and Treasures to be published in Smith & Kraus's "The Best Ten-Minute Plays"

January 04, 2022 by Tara Meddaugh in absurdist theater, animal theater, allegory, blind casting, comedic, dark comedy, dramatic, gender neutral casting, inclusive casting, one-act plays, outdoor theater, Plays, Publications, socially distant theater, Teen, ten-minute plays, theater of the absurd

I’m honored that my dark comedy play, PITFALLS AND TREASURES, has been selected to be published by Smith & Kraus in the anthology, “The Best Ten-Minute Plays 2022” (editor Debbie Lamedman).

In the 2-person play, Mary and Andrew are lonely and troubled parking lot seagulls, each ostracized by their former flocks. When Mary happens upon the injured Andrew, she embarks on the desperate challenge to remove twine wrapped around his leg. This play is about, well, yes, seagulls. And being seagulls, in a parking lot, with a numb leg and no flock, the stakes are high. But it’s also about love and loss, hope and failure, trust and apprehension, desperation and resignation. And of course, a seagull and a french fry! It’s a bit dark, a bit funny and a bit sweet.

Huge thanks to the super talented original team: actors Missy Flower and Rob McEvily, director Mel Nocera, and all those at Westchester Collaborative Theater for its first production.

The play will be published in the anthology toward the end of the year, but you can read an excerpt of Pitfalls and Treasures here or click below for a complete digital copy of the play.

December 2021 Newsletter: Christmas Plays & Monologues

December 15, 2021 by Tara Meddaugh in Newsletters

Check out my December 2021 Newsletter here:

Happy Holidays!

As we wind down 2021, I wish you all a happy and peaceful holiday season. And if you're looking for some last-minute festive theater, whether performances or readings, check out my monologues and short plays below. From a large-cast children's play to a 5-minute one-woman show, from a play which transitions easily into virtual productions to new short monologues - theater is a joy during the holidays! To get you more into the magical holiday mood, be sure to watch Nevaeh Cable's performance of "Begging Blitzen."

Warmly,
Tara

Click here for the complete December 2021 Newsletter.

New 2-Minute Woman's Christmas Monologue - More Than Santa

December 13, 2021 by Tara Meddaugh in 2-minute monologue, Christmas, comedic, dramatic, holiday, love, monologue for female acto, Monologues, romance, Teen, women

So…you’ve fallen in love with the Mall Santa. I mean, what’s not to love, right? (Well…) But what if you’ve never seen him sans-white beard and velvet coat? Can you be sure you’ve fallen for the real man behind the suit? Will you still be happy to share hot cocoa with him when he doesn’t smell like candy canes?

This is the situation Brandy, and her new Mall-Santa-Boyfriend, Kris, find themselves in. Kris is scared Brandy won’t love him when he doesn’t hold Holiday Celebrity Status anymore. He’s been dumped by women post-Christmas before. In the monologue, More Than Santa, Brandy has to convince Kris that she is not only attracted to his white beard (because, come on—that beard!), but she will keep on being attracted to him when she sees him for the first time tomorrow, December 26, not dressed as Santa.