American Dramas from Short Contemporary Plays

American Dramas from Short Contemporary Plays gives actors reading material when searching for monologues from published plays.

If you are new here, Monologue Blogger is a digital publishing house that provides original published plays for independent artists, actors, directors, and storytellers.

Where can I find American dramas from contemporary play scripts?

What’s exciting about sharing our own American Dramas on Monologue Blogger is that the pieces are original stories you most probably haven’t heard about from someone else’s list.  It’s always nice to hear about new stories, especially if you love reading and hunting for new performance material.

The monologues taken from these modern plays are from one-act plays.  Meaning, the play acts have a running time of approximately 10-20 minutes, plus.

Five Months Later

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Bree
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Bree shows up at Carlston’s apartment late in the night. The story unfolds the following morning as Carlston and Bree discuss the issues coming between their feelings.
• Monologue Snippet: “I knew she saw something in us. I saw something in her too; I just couldn’t stay. I couldn’t.” ~Bree
• [Read Full Monologue]

Paper Ink, Flesh Bone

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Richard
• Duration: 1-2-minute monologue
• Description: Richard makes it clear to his daughter that he wishes for her to meet with a man with the intention of marrying her off.
• Monologue Snippet: “Now, in order to survive, we had nothing left, mind you..I turned to Henley Wellington. We struck a deal. His son James is to marry our daughter in exchange for shares in a legitimate business wherein we own seventy percent. Henley of course has no idea of my financial stress but think of it Hannah, everything will be restored, so long as Delilah marries James Wellington.” ~Richard
• [Read Full Monologue]

I Saw Two Clouds in the Sky Kiss Once.

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Luna
• Duration: 2-minute monologue
• Description: Luna takes her anger out on a counselor who is part of the rehabilitation program we are in.
• Monologue Snippet: “You, a person who has drowned to death, yet with one giant burst of breath received to your lungs, would gasp and grasp at life..eyes blazing, thoughts racing toward rosy red cheeks, pulsating veins and muscle spasms..fingers clenched with passion.” ~Luna
• [Read Full Monologue]

In the Face of the Beast

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Father Lewis
• Duration: 2-minute monologue
• Description: Father Lewis tries to give good warning to Willa, who does not seem intimidated by the murderous beast roaming their town.
• Monologue Snippet: “You were lucky the other day, very lucky. Luck is a gift one must not ever take for granted. Luck can alter the mind wrongfully. ” ~Father Lewis
• [Read Full Monologue]

Midst of Summer

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Mama
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Cal confesses to his mother that he plans on proposing to the woman he loves, but his mother isn’t happy because she feels that someone is taking her beloved son away from her forever.
• Monologue Snippet: “A mother knows these things. And where will you go? What will you do? Gonna leave me alone here to die with Billy?” ~Mama
• [Read Full Monologue]

Recovery Room

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Ola
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: James realizes that he is trapped in strange place by force with a woman he’s never met. 
• Monologue Snippet: “It fades. Today will fade. Tomorrow will too. Everything almost does…we all fade away into mist and ash and dung.” ~Ola
• [Read Full Monologue]

Natural Causes

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Carlston
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Carlston threatens a journalist after his reputation was tarnished for a crime he may or may not have committed.
• Monologue Snippet: “What you have is a deep desire to get your story out to the masses and hurt everything I’ve worked so hard for because it will make you shine and make you a rock star journalist.  Am I right? ” ~Carlston
• [Read Full Monologue]

Holding On To Time

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Patricia
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Morris has lost his wife and business and now his daughter Patricia turns to him to help him and herself by trying to improve their relationship.
• Monologue Snippet: “Why is that? I know you love me. I’m your daughter, how can you not love me? You just never picked me up in your arms and told me.” ~Patricia
• [Read Full Monologue]

The Notes

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Lucas
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Lucas has been brought in by Mr. Chestnut to discuss if he had received and read through the notes,  and if he is willing to accept the necessary changes. 
• Monologue Snippet: “The adjustments suggested will morph me into something less coherent, perhaps unrecognizable, in what I believe would be an absolute decline in my purpose.” ~Lucas
• [Read Full Monologue]

Day In, Day Out

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Scarlet
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Scarlet finally tries to open up to her mother in an attempt to bring them closer together.
• Monologue Snippet: “Maybe we could do these things together. I would learn if you showed me. I wish we could be together like that, instead of all these emotions. I have a lot going on too, you know?” ~Scarlet
• [Read Full Monologue]

In the Murk of Night

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Edith
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Edith explains to her son why she should have taken more risks in her life.
• Monologue Snippet: “All that destruction I avoided in order to fit in and see another day. Another day, the same as the last. And what for, Joaquin?” ~Edith
• [Read Full Monologue]

Woman With Wings

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Kelton
• Duration: 2-minute monologue
• Description: Kelton shares his morbidity with Liza, expressing to her his hopeless state of existence.
• Monologue Snippet: “I began to think about my death…my life…my purpose and lack thereof…thinking about various images that have stood out in my memory over time…thinking about whether or not I’ve been kidding myself all along into believing that any aspect of this existence actually matters. ” ~Kelton
• [Read Full Monologue]

In the Hour of Rain

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Alanna
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Alanna does her best to justify her reason for drinking so much.
• Monologue Snippet: “I drink to get away from it, the memories. To free myself. I don’t have the kind of memories you have as a kid, Mia.” ~Alanna
• [Read Full Monologue]

Stroke of Bad Luck

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Marcus
• Duration: 2-minute monologue
• Description: Marcus gives a haunting, indirectly intense speech to Mrs. Krimley about how he imagines the world being.
• Monologue Snippet: “I’ve come to an understanding, and I think I want everyone else to know what I know. I want everybody who thinks poorly of me to suffer. Does that make me wrong, evil? Is it bad of me?” ~Marcus
• [Read Full Monologue]

Venomous Impulse

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Reloya
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Reloya is given an ultimatum from her Father that she has no choice but to accept. 
• Monologue Snippet: “How can I break out from myself? (beat) I’m stuck inside this skin. If I could exit this body, this mind, I would… but I can’t; I’m held here captive forever.” ~Polly
• [Read Full Monologue]