30 Contemporary Plays for Young Adults (16-25)

30 Contemporary Plays for Young Adults gathers carefully selected published play scripts for actors seeking modern plays with monologues.

For thousands of free original monologues check out our main Monologue Hub, wherein each monologue is derived from a play script.

Where can I find contemporary plays for young actors?

It is one of our goals here at Monologue Blogger to throw our hat in the ring and help nurture the performing arts by giving voice to young acting students in need of monologue dramas from plays.

That isn’t to say we all can’t draw from the fantastic writers past and present who have written and are actively making incredible work in the theatre.

We always encourage artists of any age to read contemporary plays from writers around the world.

Monologue Blogger is a young company that strives to create stories for both theatre and film.  It is our mission to simply write good stories.

We invent stories that cover a wide range of genres, characters and situations.  Everything from drama or comedy, to horror or thriller, to surreal or thought-provoking.

We enjoy challenging ourselves with story structure to find interesting ways of expressing modern, yet universal ideas.

The 30 contemporary plays for young adults presented here are chosen from stories we’ve written that we hope will have a creative impact toward your own creative passion.

Let’s begin!

You Were Never There

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Faye
• Age: 15
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Faye gets an unexpected visit from her father while working at an ice-cream parlor.
• Monologue Snippet: “At least you could have had the decency to look me in the eye, and tell me that you are sorry, that you wanna make things right between us, that you’ve…ah, hell, why am I wasting my time? ” ~Faye
• [Read Full Monologue]

Winter Will Never End

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Jason
• Age: 20’s
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Jason is depressed over the fact that the woman he loves just got married.
• Monologue Snippet: “Look at her dance..so beautiful, a Goddess isn’t she? The most gorgeous woman in the world. She’d often speak about wearing a dress just like the one she’s wearing..silky, long, flowing, clinging to the waves of her slight frame.” ~Jason
• [Read Full Monologue]

To The Wolves

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Sally
• Age: 20’s
• Duration: 1-2-minute monologue
• Description: Sally talks about the crushing debt and difficulty she has keeping up with all her bills.
• Monologue Snippet: “I’ve been too exhausted to clean up this apartment, which I can barely pay each month and I’m falling, falling into this dark feeling that nothing is gonna get better and so I drink a bit of wine, so I can breathe!” ~Sally
• [Read Full Monologue]

The Dance

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Chester
• Age: 20’s
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Chester tries to admit a self truth to Elsie in order to push their relationship forward in a positive way.
• Monologue Snippet: “Maybe you’re right…maybe I need to let myself go and dive into the madness you seem to imagine I can’t throw myself into.” ~Chester
• [Read Full Monologue]

The Signing

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Eliza
• Age: 20’s
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Eliza is beside herself after her fiancé offers her a prenuptial agreement to sign before getting married.
• Monologue Snippet: “If he wanted to have a prenuptial agreement then he should have told me early on in our relationship.  Not now!  Now he tells me.” ~Eliza
• [Read Full Monologue]

A Shade or Two Darker

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Lion
• Age: 18
• Duration: 1-2 -minute monologue
• Description: For the first time in his life, Lion stands up to his parent over race, family, and justice.
• Monologue Snippet: “Well, I’ve got news for you both, I may be your son, but I am not going to live my life like the two of you have. I will never allow the injustices I’ve witnessed to be overlooked. Anymore!” ~Lion
• [Read Full Monologue]

Along With You

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Tilly
• Age: 20’s
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Tilly is secretly flattered after Gerard questions if she is leaving town.
• Monologue Snippet: “That’s a good question…I just wanted to see who would notice, and you know somethin’? You’re the only person who noticed.” ~Tilly
• [Read Full Monologue]

Before The Night Blows Cold

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Billy
• Age: 20’s
• Duration: 1-2-minute monologue
• Description: After three months of not being around, Billy shows up at Azumi’s place, expecting her to hide him from all his troubles.
• Monologue Snippet: “…I been trying ever since to raise the cash back and I’ve come close a few times, but…tonight I thought I finally had it but as always I have no luck and it’s worse cause I took off at some card game, took some lumps but barely got away and now I have all kinds of people after me…” ~Billy
• [Read Full Monologue]

Fallen Money

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Ruby
• Age: 17
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Ruby has been secretly contemplating freedom and thinks she has found it by way of Paul
• Monologue Snippet: “We have a plan, and we’ll work on it. We’ll execute it, find the money, make the money, and then let’s see what the hell happens.” ~Ruby
• [Read Full Monologue]

Checking In

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Rob
• Age: 18
• Duration: 2-minute monologue
• Description: After his mother’s death, Rob confronts his father over his disappearance and lack of family involvement.
• Monologue Snippet: “Why start a family to begin with if you aren’t strong enough to keep em?” ~Rob
• [Read Full Monologue]

Delivery

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Kelly
• Age: 18
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Kelly confesses to her friend about an attempted robbery she made on them.
• Monologue Snippet: “Watching you and seeing how good you are to me…I don’t even know why I’m telling you the truth..I don’t like this feeling of guilt all over me.” ~Kelly
• [Read Full Monologue]

Dog Anxiety

• Genre: Comedy
• Character: Zara
• Age: 20’s
• Duration: 2-minute monologue
• Description: Zara spills her guts to her neighbor over the torturous night she has had babysitting for her friend’s new puppy.
• Monologue Snippet: “She asks me to watch her puppy, Oscar. I say sure, I mean, how bad could it be to watch an innocent, harmless, cute little puppy? Right? Right? WRONG!” ~Zara
• [Read Full Monologue]

Cartwheel Leaf

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Riza
• Age: 16
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Riza talks about how her boyfriend’s tattoo has changed her perspective in relation to her mother.
• Monologue Snippet: “Like if we take our point of view about something that makes us angry as hell, if we flip our perspective on it, see it from the opposite side, we might realize all this negative feeling we have inside of us, is all for nothing.” ~Riza
• [Read Full Monologue]

For All We’ve Got

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Luna
• Age: 17
• Duration: 1-2-minute monologue
• Description: Tash explains why she needs the chance to leave to go to New York City for what she believes is a better life.
• Monologue Snippet: “A person deserves a chance, even if it’s only a single chance at something greater than themselves.” ~Tash
• [Read Full Monologue]

Tina, Hank, Hank, TIna

• Genre: Comedy
• Character: Hank
• Age: 20’s
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Hank arrives at his brother’s place in order to help him avoid being killed.
• Monologue Snippet: “How the hell do you live this way? HOW?! The moment I arrived here it’s been nothing but misdirection, running in circles and getting shot at. ” ~Hank
• [Read Full Monologue]

Catching Summer

• Genre: Comedy
• Character: Pam
• Age: 20’s
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Pam tells her boyfriend off because he has a terrible habit of fainting whenever he crosses paths with a turtle.
• Monologue Snippet: “You’re a damn fool, if there ever was one. Told you to eat before we left. Did ya listen?” ~Pam
• [Read Full Monologue]

Waking Hours

• Genre: Serio-Comedy
• Character: Willis
• Age: 20’s
• Duration: 1-2-minute monologue
• Description: Willis talks to his girlfriend about how he watched two birds crash into the same building on different days.
• Monologue Snippet: “I have one of those damn personalities. You know the one. The kind of guy that flares up over stupid nonsense. That’s me. I don’t want to be. Just by nature. I work at it. I work at keeping calm, but I see things that bother me.” ~Willis
• [Read Full Monologue]

Nothing Matters

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Amber
• Age: 16
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: As awkward as Amber can be, she communicates with honesty and truth.
• Monologue Snippet: “I believe it helps to not know someone too well or not know them at all and just pour your heart out and walk away.” ~Amber
• [Read Full Monologue]

Midnight Sighs

• Genre: Serio-Comedy
• Character: Dom
• Age: 20’s
• Duration: 1-2-minute monologue
• Description: Dom is dumbfounded over the fact that the woman he’s been chasing for years has suddenly went off with another man inside of an hour.
• Monologue Snippet: “I’ve been at it for three years. Three years. Not even a cup of coffee. Believe that? I couldn’t even strike up the nerve to ask her out for a cup of coffee. I’d come in here every week, I couldn’t take my eyes off her, thinking about how beautiful she is, I always made her laugh. Loads of times, good times.” ~Dom
• [Read Full Monologue]

See Me

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Alina
• Age: 18
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Alina is saddened by the fact that no drama school is willing to accept her.
• Monologue Snippet: “…Don’t know what more I can do, wish they knew how much I cared. I needed this, I needed it to happen, would’ve kept me out of trouble for a while, an’ at least then I’d be given some kinda guidance, you know?” ~Alina
• [Read Full Monologue]

Pizza from Carlos

• Genre: Serio-Comedy
• Character: Corky
• Age: 20’s
• Duration: 2-minute monologue
• Description: Corky shows up at a strangers apartment offering pizza in order to tell her story.
• Monologue Snippet: “To think, I love this woman, actually love her more than anything in this world…why is it so hard to control our emotions? (beat) I’m asking you guys…why?” ~Corky
• [Read Full Monologue]

String of False Starts

• Genre: Serio-Comedy
• Character: Henry
• Age: 20’s
• Duration: 1-2-minute monologue
• Description: Henry visits his brother in order to give him a wake up call for his life.
• Monologue Snippet: “Look at yourself. Look where you are…you happy? Living home with mom with no direction for your own life. No girlfriend, no friends and now you’ve quit the first good job you ever had.” ~Henry
• [Read Full Monologue]

Destination Wrong

• Genre: Serio-Comedy
• Character: Clara
• Age: 20’s
• Duration: 1-2-minute monologue
• Description: Clara becomes fast friends with a guy named Crosby who offers her a place to stay warm during winter.
• Monologue Snippet: “I’ve always witnessed such miracles…they just never happen to me. I do get awfully close, but never close enough.” ~Clara
• [Read Full Monologue]

Raison d’ être

• Genre: Serio-Comedy
• Character: Marlo
• Age: 20’s
• Duration: 2-minute monologue
• Description: Marlo complains and whines to his girlfriend about hoe he believes he’s cursed with no luck.
• Monologue Snippet: “I’m tired. Gifted at nothing and raving mad at..everything. The walls, the stars, the holes in my socks..stuck in this oversized arm pit I call home, with a landlady who wants to eat me for lust.” ~Marlo
• [Read Full Monologue]

The Ghosts of Our Ancestors

• Genre: Drama / Period Drama
• Character: Tiara
• Age: 21
• Duration: 2-minute monologue
• Description: Tiara tries to concoct a plan with her uncle in order to save their family’s estate.
• Monologue Snippet: “Haven’t you taught me to remain independent minded? To never allow others to bring fear upon me?” ~Tiara
• [Read Full Monologue]

Songs From the Courtyard

• Genre: Serio-Comedy
• Character: Paul
• Age: 20’s
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Paul drunkenly explains to his girlfriend that he doesn’t know how to fix himself.
• Monologue Snippet: “I’d have to be rebuilt, or somethin’…. yeah? I’ve got to get torn down and made from scratch, ’cause that’s the only way I could love you without threat. I could love you with wings.” ~Paul
• [Read Full Monologue]

The Woebegone

• Genre: Serio-Comedy
• Character: Lex
• Age: 20’s
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Lex tells her boyfriend how beautiful Italy was when she traveled to it.
• Monologue Snippet: “When we first arrived in Naples, we walked along the perimeter of the shoreline, the ocean was an aqua green color, I never saw the ocean look so friendly before and when we jumped into that emerald abyss I instantly felt like I was cleansed spiritually, all of a sudden I felt this lightness come over me” ~Lex
• [Read Full Monologue]

Half of Nothing

• Genre: Serio-Comedy
• Character: Willard
• Age: 20’s
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Willard wants his money back from the friend that he borrowed it to.
• Monologue Snippet: “You’ll think you paid me back, or you’ll forget you even borrowed from me to begin with. And I’ll be left stranded on a deserted island named FORGOTTEN. ” ~Willard
• [Read Full Monologue]

Beer and Bobby’s Lasagna

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Kutch
• Age: 20’s
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: While helping his friend move, Kutch explains why he doesn’t feel so hot.
• Monologue Snippet: “If I stink of beer and lasagna, good. I hope the aroma travels all through this lousy house, cause it’s better than breathing in mothballs, which is what I was hit with when I first entered the place.” ~Kutch
• [Read Full Monologue]

Brush of Wind

• Genre: Serio-Comedy
• Character: Mullen
• Age: 20’s
• Duration: 1-2-minute monologue
• Description: Mullen flirts with Lucretia in order to get her attention and see if she finds him interesting.
• Monologue Snippet: “Perhaps I was wrong in my assessment of the moment, but I believe that deep down, it’s what you most wanted. It is what you’ve always wanted since the moment I laid eyes on you.” ~Mullen
• [Read Full Monologue]