What are conemporary monologues?

Question

what are contemporary monologues and where can I find them online? for teens...

Answer 1

I believe that "contemporary" refers to anything written after 1950.  A monologue is a piece of a play where the character speaks alone.  An audition usually only needs one or two minute monologues, so don't pick something too long or too short.

The absolute best way to find monologues is by reading plays with characters you can relate to and could feasibly play.  That way you know the context of the monologue itself, which is much better for performing.  Find plays written after 1950 and read them!

I'd recommend some if I knew what you needed them for, because then I could at least find something in a similar style.  I do know of a good comedic one from "Happy Birthday, Wanda June" by Kurt Vonnegut.  The character is ten years old, but is played by a teenager.  The monologue I'm thinking of is after she got hit by an ice-cream truck and is describing what heaven is like.  It's good stuff.

When I first started out I used a lot of Neil Simon stuff, but that's pretty overused.  Wouldn't recommend it.  Rose also has a good one in "Street Scene" that I used for a few college auditions.

Good luck!