TURNING POINTS – FREE AUDITION MONOLOGUES about key moments in the lives of women

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Liliana Bernal performs the monologue Flowers at an acting workshop directed by Carole Fenstermacher in Naples, Florida.

Are you looking for FREE audition monologues relevant to women of all ages, including women over 40?

Look no further.

Turning Points is a suite of 42 contemporary audition monologues covering the key stages and decisions in women’s lives – available to actors, directors and drama students and teachers for FREE.

Choose ONE or SEVERAL – OR create your own Turning Points show

The lives of women are marked by difficult decisions.

Many of these decisions are unique to women – such as whether to have a child or an abortion. Many are made more difficult because of politics, religion and social mores.

There is no right decision. Each decision is determined by individual values and circumstances,  which is why I have tried to present various perspectives on each topic, without judgement.

My aim is to give voice to these decisions by offering female actors a suite of monologues relevant to their own experiences.

Some of the monologues are based on my experiences as a woman. Others are inspired by the many women I met in my 30-plus years as a journalist, or on the stories of other women in my life. 

Most are stand-alone monologues, so back story is up to you. Character names  and ages are only for guidance.  

Some have been previously published but are included here because they fitted the theme.

The individual monologues are made available for FREE as individual audition or performance pieces  on the condition that I am fully credited, and that you let me know when, where and how they are performed, and provide feedback and photos where possible.

Alternatively, all or a selection may be presented together in a 60-90-minute show called Turning  Points – Key Moments in the Lives of Women by JANE CAFARELLA, for a negotiated fee, depending on whether your group is amateur or professional. (Contact me at jane.cafarella@gmail.com)

Feedback is welcome. Tell me what resonates and what doesn’t, what works on the floor and in front of the camera and what doesn’t. Theatre is a collaborative art and I love to collaborate.

I wish you every success with your acting or directing journey, whether you are a beginner or a professional. As they say in the theatre: “Break a leg!”

Trigger warning: some of the themes may be confronting. Where possible, I’ve also tried to write some monologues that  amuse, as a sense of humour is  essential in this complex world – especially for women.

CHOOSE BY TOPIC

TO MARRY OR NOT?

I DO (DRAMA) – LAUREN, any age, tells her lover why she wants to marry him/her

I DON’T (DRAMA) – PHOEBE, any age, tells her lover why she won’t
marry him

NEVER (DRAMA) – NINA, 40s, tells her friend why she has never married

THE PERFECT DRESS (COMEDY/DRAMA) – ELLA, 20s-30s, explains her own marriage breakup while helping her friend find the perfect wedding dress.

ADVICE TO YOUNG LOVERS ON VALENTINE’S DAY (COMEDY – adapted from the short play) – ALICE, 50s +, gives advice to her granddaughter on her wedding day.

THE GLAD GOODBYE (COMEDY/DRAMA) – SHIRLEY, 60s, who is living in a hospice, reminisces with her husband on their wedding anniversary

THE TIDY GRAVE (DRAMA) – MARY, 40 + visits the grave of her recently deceased husband

THE LAST MINUTE (COMEDY/DRAMA) – MARY tells her husband why she won’t be doing Christmas this year.

MOTHERHOOD OR NOT?

FOR WHEN SHE COMES (DRAMA) – CATHERINE tells her unborn child what she can’t yet tell her husband (from the play e-baby)

SOGGY (COMEDY/DRAMA) – QUINN, 30s – 40s, tells her sister why she doesn’t want to have children

FAKE TEARS (DRAMA) – IRENE,30s – 40s, tells her sister about her miscarriage

LATER (DRAMA) – COURTNEY, 30s, confronts her husband after he tells her he doesn’t want children after all

THE SIXTH CHILD (DRAMA) – EILEEN, 40s, is seated in the confessional talking to her parish priest about her sixth child

QUIET (DRAMA) – BRONAGH, 30-40s, talks to her stillborn son as she dresses him.

THE DILEMMAS OF MOTHERHOOD

THE LESSON (COMEDY) – HAZEL, 30s-50s, tells her local mother’s group about what she’s learned from her son.

BECKY’S MUM (DRAMA) – SYLVIA, 30s+, explains why she sometimes regrets motherhood.

THE ADDICT 1 (COMEDY) – CLARA, 20s-30s, calls a support group about her son’s addiction

THE ADDICT 2 (DRAMA) – BRONWYN, 50 +, tells her friend about her plans to see her son for Mother’s Day – but the voice in her head tells another story.

SPECIAL NEEDS (DRAMA/COMEDY) – RUTH tells her friend how she learned to finally say ‘NO!’

THE GIFT (COMEDY) – WHITNEY, 40s, writes a post card to her husband on Mother’s
Day.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT (DRAMA) – LINDA, 40s-60s, tells her husband about her trip to the hairdresser.

TO LEAVE OR STAY?

GONE (DRAMA) – ANITA, 30s-40s tells her husband why she’s leaving.

PEACHY (COMEDY) – IMELDA, 40s-60s, tells her husband why she’s not leaving, despite his affair

THE SECRET SIN (DRAMA) – SARAH (any age) prays for guidance to help her husband overcome his porn addiction

HUNGRY (DRAMA/COMEDY) – ROSEMARY (any age) tells her porn-addicted husband why she’s leaving

FOOLISH (DRAMA) – FAYE, 50s plus, tells her husband why she’s staying – despite his affair

TO KEEP DATING OR USE A DONOR?

THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE (DRAMA) – LISA, 36, tells her mother that she’s pregnant – via a sperm donor.

UNBEARABLE (DRAMA) – PHILIPPA, 60s, tells her daughter why she doesn’t want to be a grandmother.

MR RIGHT (COMEDY) – CHANTI, 32, invites her YouTube subscribers to help choose her sperm donor.

PERFECT MATCH (COMEDY) – NORA, 37, tells her sister she’s about to hear the patter of little feet.

IMPERFECT MATCH (COMEDY/DRAMA) – LUCY, 30s-40s, tells her friend she’s finally met the man of her dreams.

GRATEFUL (COMEDY/DRAMA) – HANNAH, 17, asks her donor siblings for a group selfie to show her mother.

UNGRATEFUL (DRAMA) – ELIZA, 18, tells her mother why she’s no longer grateful to be donor conceived.

TO TERMINATE OR NOT?

THE HARDEST DECISION (DRAMA) – GRACE, 40s, tells her daughter about the hardest decision she’s ever had to make

NOT TOO LATE (DRAMA) – DENISE, any age, confronts a protester outside an abortion clinic

WORTH IT (DRAMA) – DOREEN, 30s to 40s, tells her suicidal daughter why her life is worth living.

INHERITANCE (DRAMA) – LORRAINE, 70 + tells her granddaughter a long-held secret

TO REPORT AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP – OR NOT

THE GRASSY HILL (DRAMA) – DEBRA, any age, tells her abuser about an important decision.

FAULT LINES (DRAMA) – ANNA, any age, tells her sister-in-law about her brother’s abuse.

SNAPPED (COMEDY) – ALLIE, 40s -60s, tells a police officer about her passion for photography

THE FIRST TIME (DRAMA) – BREE, 20s-30s defends her violent husband while taking refuge with her sister.

THE LAST TIME (DRAMA) – BREE, 20s-30s, dials an emergency service as she hides from her violent husband.

CHOOSE FOR WOMEN OVER 40 

  1. Popping the Question – 3 (Drama)
  2. Something Different (Drama)
  3. Advice to Young Lovers on Valentine’s Day (Comedy)
  4. The Glad Goodbye (Drama)
  5. The Tidy Grave (Drama)
  6. The Gift (Comedy)
  7. For When She Comes (Drama)
  8. The Last Minute (Short version – Drama)
  9. The Addict – 2 (Drama)
  10. The Lesson (Comedy)
  11. Gone (Drama)
  12. Peachy (Comedy)
  13. The Secret Sin (Drama)
  14. Hungry (Drama)
  15. Foolish (Drama)
  16. Unbearable (Drama)
  17. Imperfect Match (Drama)
  18. The Hardest Decision (Drama)
  19. Worth It (Drama)
  20. Inheritance (Drama)
  21. The Grassy Hill (Drama)
  22. Fault Lines (Drama)
  23. Snapped! (Drama)

CHOOSE BY LENGTH 

One minute 

  1. Imperfect Match (Drama)
  2. Gone (Drama)
  3. Peachy (Comedy)
  4. Foolish (Drama)
  5. The Last Time (Drama)
  6. Quiet (Drama)

 90 seconds 

  1. Popping the Question 2 (Drama)
  2. The Addict 1 – (Comedy)
  3. The Addict 2 (Drama)
  4. The Gift (Comedy)
  5. Becky’s Mum (Drama)
  6. The Right to Choose (Drama)
  7. The Hardest Decision (Drama)
  8. Grateful (Drama)
  9. Hungry (Drama)
  10. Snapped! (Drama)
  11. Unbearable (Drama)
  12. The Secret Sin (Drama)

  Two minutes 

  1. Popping the Question – 1 (Drama)
  2. Popping the Question – 3 (Drama)
  3. The Perfect Dress – (Comedy)
  4. The Tidy Grave (Drama)
  5. Fake Tears (Drama)
  6. Later (Drama)
  7. The Lesson (Comedy)
  8. Ungrateful  (Drama)
  9. Not Too Late (Drama)
  10. Worth It (Drama)
  11. The Grassy Hill (Drama)
  12. Fault Lines (Drama)
  13. The First Time (Drama)

 Three minutes 

  1. Advice to Young Lovers on Valentine’s Day (Comedy)
  2. Soggy (Drama/Comedy)
  3. The Glad Goodbye (Drama)
  4. Perfect Match (Comedy)
  5. Inheritance  (Drama)
  6. Something Different (Drama)
  7. The Last Minute (Drama)

 Four minutes 

  1. Mr Right (Comedy)
  2. For When She Comes (Drama)

 

Below: Rachel Heslin, after performing The Tidy Grave at Big Bear Theatre in California.

I also have two full-length plays, e-baby (a two-hander about surrogacy) and d-baby, a four-hander about donor conception, available for license, and a selection of short plays available for FREE.

Two of my short Dickens-inspired plays, Oliver with a Twist and Greater Expectations were were produced by student directors at the Alliance Academic in Oregon City for a high school play festival.  

Here’s what actors and directors are saying about my work: 

I deeply appreciate the authenticity of “The Tidy Grave” as a monologue. I lost my own husband last year, and in a mere two-minute scene, you managed to capture the complex mixture of confusion, heartbreak, and love that carries on. It was perfect. – Rachel Heslin, Monologue Workshop, Big Bear Theatre Project, Big Bear, California.https://www.bigbeartheatreproject.org/ 

Absolutely amazed and delighted to wake up this morning to the news that I am a Clean Sweep Badge Winner in The World Monologue Games this year. Next stop Regional Finals. Huge thanks to Jane Cafarella for giving me permission to perform The Last Minute. – Clare Martin-Reed, Northhamptonshire, UK.

 It was an honour to interpret “Flowers”, under the guidance of Carole.
I really loved it and had fun doing it! I am a total amateur and it was my first opportunity to act speaking English. My native language is Spanish. – Liliana Bernal, participant in the Acting Workshop directed by Carole Fenstermacher, Naples, Florida, USA.

 Thank you.  Thank you. Thank you.  The monologue is delicious. … I really cannot say enough about how much I enjoy your writing and sense of play.  – Allison (Allie) Parlin, New Jersey, USA, re the bespoke monologue “Snapped”.

Thank you so much for these plays! I love Oliver With A Twist, because it is funny, and a clever story. – Greyson Neumayer, student director, Alliance Charter Academy, Oregon City, Oregon, USA.

And thank you, to the actors and directs who reach out to me. It’s so valuable to me as a writer and gratifying to be able to help actors and directors all over the world  

I’m also happy to work with you to produce a personally tailored monologue or to tweak an existing one to suit.   My aim is to engage with the acting community globally and to particularly encourage older women actors, amateur or professional, as well as students of all ages.  Get in touch!

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