Middle school students benefit from monologues because they develop their public speaking and acting skills. As part of a drama club performance, as part of an English class or as an audition piece, they can be used in many ways. You should choose a monologue for middle school that you can relate to and enjoy performing.
Free Complete Monologues
Here are four contemporary monologues for auditions, rehearsals, and practice. The scripts are written specifically to help young actors demonstrate specific acting skills. Check out LoveToKnow’s Guide for Adobe Printables if you need help downloading or printing these free printables.
Monologue to Demonstrate Acting Range
The monologue takes you through a variety of emotions within a short period of time, demonstrating your ability to switch between emotions quickly. In this monologue, the main character starts out angry, then moves into reminiscence before returning to anger and ending in intense sadness. There are so many other emotions displayed throughout the monologue in addition to anger, and the ability to transition from one to the next is impressive. A young actor’s versatility is quite impressive, but it’s important for any actor to have.
Short Comedic Monologue
A fast-paced cadence is required to deliver this monologue as comedy. A smart-aleck barista learns a quick lesson about not suggesting too many things to inquiring customers in this monologue. You will demonstrate your ability as an actor to pull off comedy by presenting this monologue in a comedic way.
Short Intense Emotion Monologue
In this monologue, you can demonstrate intense emotion – the kind of emotion that transforms you into the character. I think the character in this monologue is a little crazy, or at least out of touch with reality. This monologue can only be successfully delivered by actors who are fully committed to their roles.
Physical Versatility Monologue
Being an actor is more than just delivering lines – it’s also knowing how to control your body movements on stage (or in front of the camera). While telling the story of how his or her mother wants to control the way the character presents themselves to the world, the character in this monologue displays body postures. Physical improvisation is required for this monologue, which involves a variety of stances and body positions.
Free Monologue Resources
All of these websites offer free monologues for middle schoolers. Follow the instructions on the website to use the free monologues legally. Each website has different requirements for using the monologues.
Brian Heath
A selection of teen monologues is provided by filmmaker Brian Heath. Monologues are conveniently labeled as male or female and with the emotions conveyed.
Jonathan Dorf
Jonathan Dorf offers students a variety of monologues for free. For students under 18, he requests that the monologues be used individually. Please include “please” and “thank you” in an e-mail to Dorf requesting permission to perform the monologue.
Jimmy Brunelle
Jimmy Brunelle’s one-act plays for middle and high school students contain monologues that students may use for free. Middle school students can also benefit from Brunelle’s monologues for adults.
Matt Buchanan
In three short monologues and two ten-minute monologues, Matt Buchanan explores issues common to middle school and high school students.
Stage Page
You can find a number of monologues written by G.L. Herbert. With a short description, character’s age, and length, these scripts are perfect for auditions and classroom exercises.
Stage Agent
Audition monologues are available for all ages at Stage Agent. With the handy search feature, you can narrow down your selection by age, gender, category, length, and type.
American Rhetoric
Despite not being monologues, many famous speeches can be substituted for monologues and serve the same purpose. A large collection of free speeches is available for students on American Rhetoric, including speeches from history, a rotating selection of movie speeches, and the 100 best speeches in history. From the top 100 speeches of all time, these are some of the best speeches for middle school:
- The I Have a Dream speech by Martin Luther King Jr.
- Every Man a King speech by Huey P. Long
- The Meaning of Color in the U.S. Capital by Mary Church Terrell.
- The farewell address of Lou Gehrig to baseball
Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s works are all public domain, so the monologues they contain can be performed freely. Some of Shakespeare’s monologues that are appropriate for middle school students are:
- Act 3, Scene 2 of Henry V, “The Boy”
- At the end of Act 1, Scene I of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Helena
- Act 2, Scene 2 of Twelfth Night, Viola
- Romeo and Juliet’s Queen Mab speech by Mercutio
- Romeo and Juliet’s balcony speech
What to Look For
The following items should be considered when looking for a middle school monologue:
- Decide on a monologue that highlights your strengths. Is it your favorite thing to make people laugh? Is it possible to cry whenever you want? Make sure your script works with you, not against you.
- Is the script appropriate for the time you have allotted? Is there a natural place to cut content if not?
- Does the content meet the age requirements? Consult your teacher or director if you are unsure.
- Does the monologue have any restrictions? It is common for playwrights to allow you to use their work for class or auditions, but you may have to acknowledge and compensate them if you plan to perform it in front of an audience.
- Stand out from the crowd with something fresh.
- It is important to have a strong beginning, in order to capture the audience’s attention, and a strong ending, in order to leave them satisfied.
Highlight Your Acting Chops
A little research and thought can lead you to free middle school monologues that highlight your strengths. The audience will see you as the superstar you really are if you find the right script and learn the material.