Short One-Act Dramas of the 21st Century

Short One-Act Dramas of the 21st Century is where you will find contemporary plays for actors and drama teachers.

Each one of the published plays shared here comes with a character monologue.  You may use our scripts for both scene study and monologue practice in the classroom.

Where can I find short one-act drama play scripts?

On Monologue Blogger you will find hundreds of one-act drama play scripts that are available to be used for drama lessons for teachers and acting students. MB publishes new one-act plays on its platform each and every week.

The short one-act dramas presented here are 21st Century dramatic plays.

Last Day of June

• Genre: Drama
• Character: June
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: June explains to her neighbor how she was planning on killing herself.
• Monologue Snippet: “I was going to kill myself. I was going to lay in my bathroom tub and toss my blow dryer in it. But something odd happened, something unexplainable.” ~June
• [Read Full Monologue]

I’m Sorry You’re So Beautiful

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Amanda
• Duration: 1-2-minute monologue
• Description: Two up and coming actors playing on Broadway begin seeing one another behind the scenes but things quickly get in the way of their work.
• Monologue Snippet: “What matters most, not just to me but to us…what matters most? Why can’t we just put an end to it?” ~Amanda
• [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]

The Floating Room

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Martin
• Duration: 1-2-minute monologue
• Description: Martin confesses to Marsha about how he believes he failed in his duty of being a doctor.
• Monologue Snippet: “…There was a man, a dying man, under my care. It was about two thirty in the morning, and his hour of passing had come. I spoke with his son on the phone; his son was overseas and therefore couldn’t make it to the hospital in time. Needless to say, this young man asked if I could relate a message to his father.” ~Martin
• [Read Full Monologue]

Fallen Money

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Ruby
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Ruby tries to connect to Paul to get him to understand her need to leave the town they both grew up in.
• 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. Because what’s the alternative for us anyway?” ~Ruby
• [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 Correct Source

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Dillard
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Dillard shows up at the gym to antagonize Ewen over something he claims he witnessed him do.
• Monologue Snippet: “That’s the trouble these days; people who specialize in a particular field have grown idle, all since Covid. Remember Covid? Nobody wants to work anymore. It’s all pushed aside.” ~Dillard
• [Read Full Monologue]

All That Matters Most

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Clyde
• Duration: 1-2-minute monologue
• Description: Clyde tries to keep himself emotional restrained as he explains to his wife that they may be losing their home.
• Monologue Snippet: “I can’t make people come into my store…doing all kinds of marketing, everything’s draining whatever money I have left in the budget…nothing works and time is running out, fast…we’re on the brink…living day to day is haunting me, making me remember the early years when we were first starting out together…in some ways those were the best years of my life, but we struggled a whole lot, didn’t we?” ~Clyde
• [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]

Waves Wash In

• Genre: Drama
• Character: Polly
• Duration: 1-minute monologue
• Description: Polly shares her concerns about a tragic event that took place.
• Monologue Snippet: “I hope she doesn’t remember any of it. Carrying around that sort of trauma can be devastating. Don’t you think?” ~Polly
• [Read Full Monologue]