Recommended by Asher Wyndham

A powerful short monologue with deep emotion that addresses toxic family dynamics and history. Really got to me. Take your time, read it slow, appreciate the pause between the lines. Surprisingly, it ends on a note of love and hope. You might nod along with this 18-year-old HS graduate. A great monologue for a young Latine/a actor.

This solo play tackles our civilization's/culture's fascination with cruelty and violence. The images and actions -- to be brought to life by design (media/lighting/sound) remind of theatre of cruelty, disgusting at times like Guyotat's imagery. I would love to see this on stage. Maybe it's best performed in a gallery/museum.

mic drop. bam. audience members will be silent in the end just like the characters in this play. really makes you think.

I love the images each joke conjures. The audience will have fun with this. Any monologue writer will feel seen, we do this, joke after joke -- monologue after monologue -- even if we're trying to play it serious about the human condition.

Weibezahl reveals the emotional state of his characters with poetic reflection that never feels contrived. He knows the characters deep down and you can feel it. Beautiful, devastating, another compelling monologue from one of my favorites on NPX.

The speaker makes a compelling argument why we shouldn't judge her. When she says don't look at me like that, it's directed not just at the unseen listener (an adult child), but all of us. This short monologue asks big questions about marriage and taking care of a love one. A great voice for the stage. A great role for a senior actor in their 70s.

There are some shocks in this monologue, some zaps just like the referenced electric fence. You get them from the speaker, unexpectedly, and makes you think differently about who this person is. There's a danger for the listener, the unseen girl, that disturbs you. Even more disturbing is that it comes from someone acting like a nice old woman. A great role for an actor.

With imagery that makes me think of a Scooby Doo cartoon, this graduation speech smartly pokes fun at the state of higher education in America and how colleges treated students during the pandemic. A great choice for your Halloween showcase.

Delivered almost matter-of-fact, this monologue comes from the heart of a man struggling most definitely with PTSD but also with his place in this world after his war experiences. Conjuring hellish images of war, Soucy's monologue will stay with you. Perfect for a festival on war and veteran themes.

These few pages offer a lot for performers and directors in respects to space, movement, and intimacy. The language of body feels communal and holy, fearless and sexy. Beautiful writing that our stages need right now.