Learning Curves: 10 Monologues on Growth

Written by Amanda Grace

May 16th, 2021

You aren’t the same person you were yesterday; neither are these characters. Turn to the panel and face the changes—however strange—with the monologues below.

From A Cappella by Vynnie Melo

(Female, Serio-Comic, Mature 50s)

Years ago, Leona gave up her singing career to take care of her nephew, who has been plucked from his gospel roots and thrown into the boy band scene. When her town gears up for a centennial celebration, Leonna realizes she was made to do more than tear tickets.

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Goodbye Zeus… Hello Zeusy! by Scot Walker

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

Up on Olympus, Zeus, king of the gods, has just learned his last believer on Earth has died. It’s time for a rebrand.

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From Plummet by A.D. Hasselbring

(Female, Dramatic, Young Adults 20s)

When Laura was 16, she married a cold man to escape an abusive household. A year after she left him, her former husband reappears to haunt Laura with the memory of her mentally ill mother, suggesting Laura, too, simply doesn’t remember how things really were. Today, Laura knows better.

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Too Old to Learn by R.J. Ryland

(Any Gender, Serio-Comic, Kids & Juniors 5-13)

On vacation at the lake, this Kid is about to swim for the first time—and they are terrified, until a much younger child jumps in the water.

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From What is Gained is Loss by Evan Guilford-Blake

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

Natalie grew up on the same farm her father has worked. Now, it’s time for her to move on.

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From All in the Faculty by William Ivor Fowkes

(Male, Dramatic, Adults 30-40s)

Ned believes that you can only appreciate a film by seeing it over and over again until you know it moment-by-moment. It’s the same tactic he’s been using to maintain a surface-level relationship with Marlene. A confrontation starts him out of moving forward on 50%.

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From Magic Trick by Mariah MacCarthy

(Female, Serio-Comic, Young Adults 20s)

Bana, a hard-headed and feisty wheelchair user, has taken up a secret relationship wit a burlesque dancer named Clara, unbeknownst to Bana’s boyfriend, Eric. The thing is, since Clara’s been in her life, Bana feels like living again.

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From Blue Ridge by Abby Rosebrock

(Male, Dramatic, Adults 30-40s)

Cole has just finished a stay at a psychiatric facility and moved into St. John’s Service House. Social worker Grace prompts Cole to introduce himself to his new halfway house-mates, and he shares that all he really wants is to have a dog again.

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From Pride and Prejudice by Rebecca Gellott from Jane Austen

(Female, Dramatic, College 18-22, Young Adults 20s)

Elizabeth refused Darcy’s proposal… but since then, she’s been proven wrong in her understanding of his character. To haughty Lady Catherine’s horror, Elizabeth is determined to have a different answer, should Darcy ever ask again.

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From Trying Not To Stare by Ellen Margolis

(Male, Dramatic, Adults 30-40s)

Mitra, Rob’s wife, has been admitted to hospital after collapsing at work. Since she’s been away, Rob found her extensive schedule kept for their two children. It’s the first time he’s realized the stress Mitra is under every day.

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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.
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