10 New Dramatic Monologues for Young Adult Females
Written by Tiffany Weagly-Wilkie
April 5, 2017
Ladies, are you looking for the perfect dramatic monologue for your upcoming audition? We’ve selected ten from our collection that showcase the trials and struggles of modern women.
A monologue from In the Shadow of My Son by Nadine Bernard
(Female, Dramatic, 20s)
Four women reveal the secrets behind this taboo side of motherhood. Powerful accounts, riveting drama, shocking facts, humor, and hope. You’ll be cheering for the woman inside every mother! Tristyn had her first baby six months ago and has been suffering from post-partum depression, but she’s really good at putting on a happy face and hiding it. Here, she shares with the audience the truth about how she really feels.
A monologue from You Belong to Me by Debbie Lamedman
(Female, Dramatic, 20s)
The play centers around Allison, a quiet honor student who has never had a real boyfriend. Her girlfriends decide to fix her up with a date for the winter formal. At first, things go well with David, but then he insists she must give him her undivided attention, to the point of making her skip school to be with him. Allison’s friends suspect something is wrong, but don’t know what to do. Allison herself, inexperienced in dating relationships, isn’t sure at first that something is really, really wrong. This is one of the Interludes that occurs throughout the play. The Interludes are used as transitions between the scenes surrounding Allison’s story. During the Interludes, other victims and abusers share their experiences. This is a Female Abuser’s experience.
A monologue from Magic Trick by Mariah MacCarthy
(Female, Dramatic, 20s)
Bana met a beautiful burlesque dancer, Clara, in the bathroom of the dive bar where she performs. Although Bana has a boyfriend named Eric, she and Clara are immediately attracted to each other and share an obvious connection (and a few passionate kisses). Later, Bana takes a private burlesque lesson from Clara that she hides from Eric supposedly so she can surprise him with the dance but towards the end of the lesson, she admits to Clara that she has considered leaving Eric.
A monologue from Burying Miss America by Brian Golden
(Female, Dramatic, 20s)
A funeral home in Nebraska. Jean, the daughter of the deceased, recounts for her brother the moment she learned of their mother’s death. She sees their mother’s heart attack, and her inability to understand it, as a metaphor for all the ways she never understood what made the woman tick. She fixates not on the sadness of the news, but on the out-of-body experience of hearing such monumental news.
A monologue from Jealousy by Ricardo Soltero-Brown
(Female, Dramatic, 20s)
Al has come to Celia and Gunner’s apartment to steal Celia away. Celia refuses, telling him that she is leaving to go out west, and she’s invited Gunner to go with her. Al, in desperation, puts $223 on the table as a proposition. Gunner picks it up, and Celia, getting the idea, protests Al’s idea of paying for her company.
A monologue from Migration by Chad Eschman
(Female, Dramatic, 20s)
Jana works as an assistant to a very demanding woman and is in a relationship with a very helpless man. When she meets a young boy in the park who has flippers for arms, the conversations they share make her finally start to think about what her own needs are. Last night, despite her protestations, Jana had to take her boss’ nephew out for dinner. The upside is that he was charming and handsome. The downside is that Jana already has a boyfriend. Today she’s back at work, and both guys call her at the same time.
A monologue from Know Your Role by Brandi Owensby
(Female, Dramatic, 20s)
Taylor stands and delivers this monologue after a gender reveal party. Everyone at the party had been so ecstatic about learning whether it’s a girl or boy, noting all of the differences in excitement a new mother would feel upon hearing the news one way or the other. In this monologue, Taylor explains how mothers truly do care what their child will be. Before they are born, a mother has decided ahead of time their clothing, activities, and career and will either cry tears of joy, or tears of sadness upon this news.
A monologue from Nobody by Crystal Skillman
(Female, Dramatic, 20s)
Ilona, the waitress at the restaurant, recounts to the audience a few moments and feelings from her life. She describes a fantasy she’s had about being hired as an actress on a soap opera, which leads into an anecdote about the time she realized that her mother had been married when she met her father. All of this ties together when she explains that she’s been going to doctors in an attempt to diagnose her depression.
A monologue from Stage/Mother by Kristine M. Reyes
(Female, Dramatic, 20s)
Marielle, a Filipina-American actress, has been cast in the first ethnically diverse production of The Glass Menagerie, which will have its premiere in London ahead of its Broadway bow. Meanwhile, her mother Isabel has been undergoing cancer treatments for a brain tumor. They have just found out that Isabel’s condition has worsened and she likely won’t have much longer to live. Marielle is now forced to decide whether she’ll still go to London and take advantage of the biggest break of her career, or stay in New York and take care of Isabel. She debates the difficult decision with her husband Kevin, who has been supportive of her but now feels that she should stay.
A monologue from Fractured by David-Matthew Barnes
(Female, Dramatic, 20s)
In 1965, a young college student named Anthony befriends a classmate out of sympathy because she’s struggling to fit in at their school. In an attempt to deny his homosexuality, Anthony spends a night with Wendy, causing her to become frighteningly obsessed with him. After Anthony reveals to Wendy that he’s transferring to another school in the morning, she responds.
Looking for other monologue collections? Check out the ones below!
- 10 Comedic Monologues for Girls, Ages 14 – Young Adult
- 10 Monologues for High School Males They Haven’t Heard
- 10 Monologues from Characters Who Are People of Color
- 10 Monologues from Latino, Latina, and Hispanic Characters
- 10 Monologue from Characters Coping With Mental Illness
- 10 Comedic Monologues from Characters Suffering an Identity Crisis
- 10 Monologues from Characters Seeking Approval
- 10 Monologues from Characters Who Need to Apologize
- 10 Monologues from Male Characters: Fathers, Brothers, and Sons
- 10 Monologues for Women Who Speak Their Mind
- 10 Greek and Roman Monologues for Men
- 10 Monologues for People Who Have a Bone to Pick
- 10 Great Monologues from LGBTQ-Identifying Characters
- 10 Monologues for Characters Who Have Theatre on the Brain
- 10 Male Monologues from Characters Dealing With Death
- 10 Great Shakespearean Monologues for Women
- 10 Great Shakespearean Monologues for Men