Contest Specifics:

The script must be original, typed in 12-point Courier font with pages numbered.

• Once registration closes, you will receive a link to a google form. When you are ready to submit, you will use that link.
• The following information must appear on the first page (cover page): title of the monologue, student’s name, school, current grade, email address, home address, city, state, zip code, home phone number, name of teacher, and signed statement certifying the originality of the submitted work.
• The following information must appear on the second page (title page): title of the monologue. No other information may appear on this page.
• Students may collaborate on a single monologue.
• Students may not submit more than one entry.

Judging:

A professional, working playwright will read your monologue and choose winners. The number of winners will be based in part on the number of entries.

Prizes:

The METG will host an in-person reading of the winning piece(s) if current public health conditions allow. Prizes will be determined by the METG Board of Trustees.

What do we mean by a monologue?

• A dramatic monologue is any “speech” of some duration addressed by a character to a second character or characters.
• How long should my written monologue be? When reading or performing the monologue it should be approximately twenty seconds in length or more. If your monologue goes beyond three minutes you may want to consider edits.

Following are some recommendations for our writers.

• Action is core to any dramatic work. The character should be doing something through their speech. If the character has a need or a goal it makes the writing dynamic.
• The Character should have a real need to pursue an objective through the monologue.
• Lively and well written monologues explore the unique rhythms and vocal patterns of a character.
• Monologues are responses to something that another character said or did. If you are having trouble getting started, give your character something really big to react to.
• Look for opportunities, in the middle of the monologue to surprise yourself, your character and hopefully the audience.
• Ending a monologue is difficult. Unlike a play you need not wrap up all of the action at the end of the monologue. That said, there should be some sort of movement forward in the character’s journey.

Workshop Information:

The writing workshop(s) are included in your registration! The first Monologue Writing Workshop will be Monday, November 21st from 4:30pm-6:00pm on Zoom. The workshop will be led by Katie Cappiello.

Katie Cappiello is an award-winning writer and director of numerous critically-acclaimed plays that shed light on pressing social issues, including SLUT and Now That We’re Men. With a degree from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Katie has spent over 18 years sharing her love for theater and acting with young people worldwide. She has been invited to speak on the power and importance of fusing arts and activism at The White House, The National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Brooklyn Museum, The US Department of State, United Nations, National Institute of Peace, Google and high schools and colleges across the country. Katie has been honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and, for her work combatting human trafficking, was recently named one of New York’s New Abolitionists alongside Meryl Streep, Senator John Lewis and Gloria Steinem. Katie is the Founder of GoodCapp Arts, a theater production company and training studio for young artists. She is also the Creator/Executive Producer of the Netflix original series Grand Army, named one of “The Best Shows of 2020” by Rolling Stone Magazine.