Some people are born actors, some people have the greatness of acting skills thrust upon them, and some actors achieved heights of greatness with practice. Irrespective of the three categories you belong to, you will never stop learning in this lifetime. And reading books is a great way to nurture your acting talent and abilities. Some of the greatest acting books can give you nuggets of gold about self-marketing, auditioning, acting skills and techniques, monologues, soliloquies, and everything else that is important for any actor to achieve success in life. Likewise, if you are a parent and looking for a high-quality acting class for kids, you should always introduce the habit of reading acting books for overall personality development. However, acting books can be subjective for different personalities. But monologue books are different. They can be a great start for your acting career irrespective of your background. Moreover, monologue books can be highly rewarding, whether you love acting as an overall craft or looking to grow as an actor in the current world. They are entertaining and powerful. Are you preparing for your next big audition or looking to hone your skills before your next script? In this article, we will talk about 5 monologue books for women that should be on your bookshelf if you are into acting.
With a net worth of $10 million, Clint Howard has established himself as a successful actor in the entertainment industry.
Top Monologue Books For Women:
- “Monologues They’ll Remember You By” by Andrew Biss: Finding the perfect monologue book may sometimes be a difficult job. We often find that monologue books use exhaustive and boring plots that have been performed by millions of actors across the globe. But this book takes us on a journey through engaging and fresh monologues that can create memorable character portraits. It features vitality and depth that are important to steal the spotlight as an actor. This book by Andrew Bliss offers 40 male and 40 female monologues along with gender-neutral and age-neutral ones that can broaden your options for performance. Moreover, each monologue comes with a brief summary of the plot, character profile, and overall setting to create a better picture in your mind. It is truly an invaluable resource for every actor.
- “Monologues for Teens: 60 Original Monologues to Stand Out, Inspire, and Shine” by Mike Kimmel: Sick of playing the same monologues on YouTube again and again? Discover a fresh wealth of options in this book by Mike Kimmel which brings us more than sixty monologues that are relevant to the contemporary world. Apart from being a sketch comedy performer at the famous Tonight Show and a full voting member of the National Television Academy, the author of this book has been producing, writing, and acting for decades. This collection of monologues is from some of his best comedy and drama compilations which are known to be family-friendly, relatable, and real-world topics. You will not require any props or costumes as these gender-neutral and unique scenes can be performed on almost every stage.
- “Hear Me Now: Audition Monologues for Actors of Colour” edited by Titilola Dawudu: Edited by Titilola Dawudu, commissioned by Tamasha Theatre Company, with a foreword written by Noma Dumezweni, this is a brand new compilation of original audition pieces. They have been performed and written by actors of color. Featuring over eighty original monologues, they are ideal for actors who are preparing for auditions or people associated with theater who are passionate about improving diversity.
- “The Oberon Book of Queer Monologues” edited by Scottee: Known to be the first of its type, this book is edited by the award-winning artist Scottee. It chronicles over a hundred years of trans and queer performance that combines contemporary and classic stage plays with both performance art and spoken word. Featuring over 40 extracts from some of the most exciting stage works, this book is a celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community. It is considered to be an essential tool for actors who are seeking gender-neutral monologues for nailing auditions.
- “Best Contemporary Monologues for Women 18-35” edited by Lawrence Harbison: This book is a collection of over 100 outstanding monologues from contemporary plays that are meant for women. The character age range is from 18 to 35 and is perfect for acting classes and auditions. From dramatic monologues to comic monologues, one can find many compelling contemporary stories for performance.
There is a wealth of great choices when you are into monologue collections. Whether you are sharpening your toolkit, recording a self-tape, or looking to prepare for drama school auditions, these contemporary monologue books for women will take you off the beaten track of audition tapes that sound like a broken record in the 21st century. Irrespective of your playing age or the kind of audition you are preparing for, these monologue books can resonate with you and fit your casting bracket. These books are from some of the finest writers which means that they are highly rewarding reads for every aspiring and veteran actor.
