Audition better by taking advantage of the access Yale Library provides to monologues in print and online!

A simple way to start is to search Yale Library's holdings in Quicksearch using "monologues" as a keyword, and then using subject headings within the records to find more you might like. Yale Library has many collections of monologues, in print and ebook formats, often organized by characteristics including age, gender, or race of actor, as well as type or length of monologue. Sort search results by "published latest" to see our most recent additions.

Just a few examples:

• The Oberon Book of Queer Monologues 
• Hear Me Now: Audition Monologues for Actors of Colour
• Audition Speeches for Black, South Asian and Middle Eastern Actors: Monologues for Women
• The Best Men's Monologues from New Plays
• The Best Women's Monologues from New Plays
• Rebel Voices: Monologues for Women by Women 
• The Kilroys' List: 97 Monologues and Scenes by Female and Trans Playwrights
• LGBTQ Comedic Monologues That Are Actually Funny
• 222 More Comedy Monologues 2 Minutes and Under
• The 24 Hour Plays Viral Monologues: New Monologues Created During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Drama Online has a monologue finder as well as a play search. Click the "Find Monologues" button and search full-text playscripts for selections by keyword, gender, and word count. 

With a little more searching, many of our online playscript collections can also be used to find text for monologues, especially if you have a particular character or playwright in mind. Browse these online collections:

• Asian American Drama
• Black Drama (plus second and third editions)
• Contemporary World Drama
• Latin American Women Writers
• Latino Literature
• North American Indian Drama
• North American Women’s Drama
• Twentieth Century North American Drama

New Play Exchange lets you search for plays by living playwrights according to how they identify their gender, sexuality, and race.