Q: I’ve been having a hard time finding monologues from plays for my 10-year-old son. Do you have any suggestions?
—@Notthatmom, Backstage Community Forum
I know the challenge of finding age-appropriate material for young actors is real. You may find that you’re spinning your wheels, wasting money buying useless monologue books filled with overused material unsuitable for your son’s age and type, spending hours reading plays that aren’t right. I will try to help you; however, not knowing your son or what the monologues are for, I will just give you some general ideas and resources. I think you will find these helpful.
Look at the play version of “Peter Pan” by J.M. Barrie, the nonmusical version of “The Secret Garden” adapted by Tim Kelly, and the play “A Thousand Clowns” by Herb Gardner. All three have young male roles that are approximately the same age as your son. If he needs monologues for class, I suggest he perform any from these three plays without an accent, in his own natural speaking voice.
There are also a great number of plays to be found at YouthPlays.com, where you can browse various titles. And Playscripts.com has a middle school category that lets you search. You will need to do some research, but these references can help guide you to age-appropriate material. Backstage’s The Monologuer is also a great resource that allows users to filter by age and gender.
Be sure you (and he) read the entire play before deciding if there’s an appropriate monologue within. And embrace the process of learning about playwrights and the joy of reading plays. He may find a new passion!
I wish you and your son good luck in your search. And please tell your son to always be joyous, brave, and himself in auditions.
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