Speeches for Thrivers Over Thirty

Written by Amanda Grace

September 9th, 2020

This list goes out to the Big Adults in all their experienced, all-knowing glory. From care-ridden to couldn’t-care-less, these ten characters perform with perspective gained from years spent loving, losing, and learning.

A monologue from At Last by Mary Weems

(Female, Dramatic, Mature 50s, Adults 30-40s, Young Adults 20s)

At Last combines history, imagination and song to tell the complex and socially charged stories of eleven Black women. Here, June Jordan, poet, essayist, teacher, and activist, asks how people can be activists only some of the time when injustices are occurring at every moment.

Get the Monologue Here

A monologue from Saint Thea by D.T. Arcieri

(Male, Comedic, Mature 50s)

Benjamin is asking his grandfather, whom he believes to be dead, questions he wishes he could have asked earlier—like, how many women has he been with? His grandfather is disappointed with Ben’s number… and a number of other things.

Get the Monologue Here

A monologue from Cougar by Holli Harms

(Female, Serio-Comic, Mature 50s, Adults 30-40s)

Kate has entered this bar in hopes of seeing her old college boyfriend; instead, she meets his son, Jose. Jose has decided not to find someone like Kate, as his late father advised him, but to find Kate herself. During his appearance at the bar, another patron tells Kate that she will look ridiculous with this young man in a fit of jealousy. This speech is Kate’s response.

Get the Monologue Here

A monologue from Terrible Infant by Chris Van Strander

(Male, Dramatic, Mature 50s)

May, 1842: Duffy, the aging actor-manager of a decrepit New York theater, reflects on a life lived in service of the stage. Here, he begs Emma, his theatre’s young ingenue, to continue performing. 

Get the Monologue Here

A monologue from BlueShift by John J King

(Female, Serio-Comic, Mature 50s)

In this dark comedy about depression and time travel, Jean has discovered Martha passed out after a suicide attempt. After reviving her, Jean makes cocoa and food, and helps make plans that tie Martha to the future.

Get the Monologue Here

A monologue from Holiday of Errors by Frank Lawler & Daniel Flint

(Male, Comedic, Mature 50s, Adults 30-40s)

It’s nearly Christmas and Will Shakespeare, haunted by writer’s block and the ghost of Christopher Marlowe, has 12 days to create the perfect holiday play for Her Majesty. In this scene, Will is rehearsing a sequel to Richard III with the company, who are distracted with fears of the permanent closure of their theatre. This speech is Will’s rallying cry. 

Get the Monologue Here

A monologue from Cutaway by Tabia Lau

(Female, Dramatic, Mature 50s, Adults 30-40s, Young Adults 20s)

A man and woman discuss divvying up their possessions as part of their divorce. The Woman is so full of anger that she tailspins into wanting half of experiences, half of whole things, and half of moments they lived together.

Get the Monologue Here

A monologue from Dragness of God: and the Naked Holy Ghost  by Michael Wanzie

(Male, Serio-Comic, Mature 50s, Adults 30-40s)

In this drag-queen-inspired spoof of Agnes of God, we have just found out that Mother Superior is in fact Agnes’ mother, and Agnes is not Agnes, but a boy named Jasper. Here, Mother describes her turmoil as a child and how she came to find solace in the church.

Get the Monologue Here

His First English Words by Tara Meddaugh

(Female, Dramatic, Mature 50s)

This vignette is one of seven comprising The Victory Garden Plays, chronicling the lives of participants in the Victory Gardens project, created to supplement limited food supply whilst soldiers were abroad during WWII. Grace is a Catholic widow who takes in a Jewish refugee child in the 1940s. She knows very little of his experience, culture, or language, and strives to find a way to connect.

Get the Monologue Here

A monologue from En Avant! An Evening with Tennessee Williams by William Shuman

(Male, Dramatic, Mature 50s)

Tennessee discusses his first real and by far his greatest love, the dancer Kip Kiernan. The affair lasted less than two months, but this monologue reveals the intensity of the relationship and its lasting impact on the American playwright hailed as a genius.

Get the Monologue Here



Looking for more material? Check out our other stories below!

Amanda Grace is an actor, writer, composer, improvisor and director whose work has graced stages from  Central Florida to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. She is based in London, where she is studying to obtain her M.F.A. in Actor & Performer Training at Rose Bruford College. Amanda holds an honours B.A. in Theatre Studies and a B.A. in Psychology, as well as a certificate in Shakespearean Performance from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Her original albums can be streamed at amandagrace.bandcamp.com.
Photo credit:
Photo by yerling villalobos on Unsplash
Photo by Artem Labunsky on Unsplash
Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash
Photo by BBH Singapore on Unsplash
Photo by panitan punpuang on Unsplash
Photo by Fred Kearney on Unsplash
Photo by Eye for Ebony on Unsplash