Carolyn Bock performs Catherine’s monologue at the premier of e-baby at Chapel Off Chapel in Melbourne in 2015.

Here are 25 monologues for women over 40 to showcase their acting talents

I’ve added a few more to the original 10, plus a short play/scene titled Taking the Plunge for four older female actors.

If you’re looking for a contemporary monologue or scene for your audition, reel or performance, these offer a range of challenging roles.

You’ll find more than 60 monologues on this site, so make you explore the other posts under Monologues, especially Turning Points, which offers more than 40 monologues about key points in women’s lives.

Writing for older women is such a joy, as their range of life experiences is rich and inspiring. In this ageing Australian population, their stories are particularly relevant.

Yet, as more than 100 UK actors recently attested, women over 45 are poorly represented in the film and theatre, which means female actors have a “limited shelf-life”.

The Acting Your Age Campaign (AYAC) is seeking a parity pledge, with equal representation between male and female actors over 45.

For more about the campaign watch this: https://www.instagram.com/p/DBf_AhxI4dW/

Part of the problem, of course, is the lack of roles for older women.

As actor Juliet Stevenson said in The Guardian recently, “The perception of women of my age is so reductive, that they are considered invisible and less interesting. The reverse is true. The breach between your life experience and available parts gets wider. I’m on the up escalator – life is getting more and more interesting – but my parts are on the down escalator, getting less interesting. That’s frustrating.”

I hope to ease such frustration with roles that put women on the up escalator.

Three of these monologues below are from published plays – e-baby, d-baby and Uked! – The first play-along ukulele musical, while the remainder were written as stand-alone monologues or scenes.

The monologues are available for FREE on the following conditions:

*That you let me know where you are located. I keep an online map to keep track of where my work goes.

*That you let me know how you are using them and in what context. e.g. audition, reel, class, workshop etc

*That you send any photos or feedback. This helps me to know what works and what doesn’t and to improve my work.

Please respect these conditions as I can’t continue to offer this free service unless I can keep track of my work.

Click on the links in the descriptions below to read each monologue.

  1. NEW DYSTOPIAN NOVEL – EFFY, 40+, is talking to her friend about the book she is finally writing
  2. NEW JOB DESCRIPTION – Valerie, 50+, answers a question from a curious man at a party.
  3. FOR WHEN SHE COMES – CATHERINE 45, talks secretly to her unborn child. A monologue from e-baby.
  4. THE RIGHT TIME – JUNE, 60, finally tells the truth to her donor-conceived daughter. A monologue from d-baby.
  5. THE LAST MINUTE – MARY, 40s, tells her husband why she won’t be hanging around for Christmas this year
  6. SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH – SUE, 60, tells a depressed neighbour why growing old is not so bad after all.
  7. SOMETHING DIFFERENT – LINDA, 40s, pays a life-changing visit to the hairdresser.
  8. ODE TO KYLIE (from UKED!) – Part of KARLA’s opening monologue.
  9. FLOWERS – SOPHIE, 50s, tells the police officer why she was picking flowers from a public garden.
  10. MAKE HIM SUFFER – ANGELINA, 40, pleads with the authorities to release her husband from a WW2 Internment camp for enemy aliens in Victoria, Australia.
  11. ADVICE TO YOUNG LOVERS ON VALENTINE’S DAY – OLIVE, 50s-60s, a flower shop owner gives advice to a customer on Valentine’s Day.
  12. THE SECRET ROOM – SARA, (any age) a housemaid at a city hotel, tells her boss about a dream.
  13. FINISHED – In a busy café,  JILL tells her husband of 30 years, an uncomfortable truth
  14. HOW TO BE FUNNY – ANDY, (M or F – any age), a stand-up comedian, tells a group of fellow comics about the advice s/he gave to an aspiring young comic.
  15. THE SIT-DOWN COMEDIAN – PEARL (or PAUL), any age, a disabled wo/man who uses a wheelchair, explains why she enjoys doing stand-up.
  16. TAKING THE PLUNGE – Older women, MARY, DEBBIE, SUE and JULIE, are sitting in a plane, all kitted out with skydiving gear, waiting to jump.
  17. GONE TO THE DOGS – Angela, 40s+, is hosting an important Teams meeting from her home computer
  18. HEROES – PHEONA, a woman with a disability, any age, writes a letter to a celebrity.
  19. LEAVING – Over breakfast, DAWN finally tells her husband what she’s thinking.
  20. NO REGRETS – JEN (or BEN), 40+ delivers the eulogy for his/her former high-school friend, MICK.
  21. PIN NUMBER AND OKAY! – BELINDA, 40s, a bored cashier at a busy supermarket, meets a surprising customer.
  22. STRAIGHT TALK – EVIE, 40+ tells her matchmaker friend to stop assuming every gay woman she meets will be a perfect match just because she’s gay.
  23. THE WORLD IN MY HAND – LOUISE, any age, reflects on – and finally rejects – the power of her mobile phone over her life.
  24. UP IN THE AIR – ALISON, 60s, is preparing to write a postcard to her mother.
  25. CONFESSION – JANET, 60-80 visits her husband, who suffers from dementia and lives in an aged care center, to tell him about her new friend.

Thank you for visiting my site. I love hearing from actors, directors and students from all over the world, so don’t be shy about letting me know how my work and your performance is received!

Do you have an idea for a monologue you’d like written? Let me know!

Comment here, or email me at jane.cafarella@gmail.com. If you like my writing and want to know more about me, check out my memoir CLEAVED.