Q&A for How to Write a Monologue for a Play

Really consider who the character is addressing in the monologue so you can get a more believable performance.

Here are a few ways to end a monologue: Give your monologue a cohesive rounding. Link back to the beginning. Round up by explaining your points again. Use short sentences for dramatic effect. Include something that will leave the audience thinking. Ask a rhetorical question.

Use a hook to grab your listener. Something like, "I didn't know that meeting him would change everything." If you're going for more of a comedic monologue, then start with a joke, or maybe something like the example above, but with a humorous twist.

You will have to imagine the context. Use the four W's to come up with a plot: What, When, Where, Who. What is happening to whom and when/where? Then imagine how your character might react to whatever is happening and write your monologue based on that.

Most monologues contain no instructions at all.

One minute to one minute and a half tops. It’s better to have a well acted short monologue than a long, poorly acted one.

Typically the other characters stand or sit and listen to the monologue, or they continue quietly doing whatever they were doing when the monologue began.

Think of a specific scene you want to make a monologue for. An example would be that the character is on their death bed they can have a monologue explaining how they died. Keep it relevant to that character and try to intertwine pieces of their personality into it.

Yes, in a movie you can use a voiceover to present a monologue this way. Indicate this by putting (V.O) next to the character's name for these lines. Be sure to include something of visual interest, though (many voiceovers are given over montages, for example). And for obvious reasons, all monologues in a play must be spoken aloud.

No, your audition monologue should not be original. The people in charge of casting want to see how well you interpret somebody else's writing, not how passionate you are about your own material.

You can still show emotion when playing a shy character; it might just be not as noticeable. Even a slight chance in facial expression, physical movement or a vocal change (e.g. different tempo, different pitch) can make a difference in the delivery of emotion.

If you were to write a conversation between two people, it would no longer be considered a monologue.

You can do both if you wanted. For instance, you can include a quotation that the person has said that has been recorded in history. As long as what the person says fits the time frame and is historically accurate (you don't want your character talking about Ben and Jerry's ice cream if he lives in the 1700s!), then you should be fine.