Refresh Your Repertoire With Expand the Canon!
110 Standout Classic Monologues for Any Actor
$24.99
Fresh Classic Monologues From New-to-You Plays
If you’re looking for a classic monologue, you’ll likely turn to Shakespeare, Molière, or Wilde. With that, you’re often choosing from a handful of overused pieces —particularly for femme actors, who have a limited set of options available in those texts. Because of that, directors may tire of hearing certain monologues, educators may be stuck without strong alternative suggestions, and auditioners may struggle to distinguish themselves.
With this book’s 110 monologues from featured Expand the Canon plays, you will have an arsenal of fresh, dynamic, and diverse characters from which to find yourself within 400 years of global classics.
Now Available at Drama Book Shop, NYC
|
The Understudy, Chicago |
The Folger, DC |
Now Available at Drama Book Shop, NYC | The Understudy, Chicago | The Folger, DC |
Classic Monologues,
New Actors
A Competition for Student Actors
A monologue competition for high school and college actors, 16+.
One winner from across the country will be awarded $100, and be featured directly on Expand the Canon's pages. There will also be Tri-State Area Finalists who will get to perform live in Brooklyn at an Expand the Canon event on November 2.
The Deadline to Submit is October 10, 2026.
Praise for 110 Standout Classic Monologues for Any Actor
“A monologue book of staggering consequence from classic plays written by formidable women and gender expansive playwrights. Finally a book making the case to expand what we know about the classics and giving the artist new resources for expression.”
John Douglas Thompson, Tony Award-nominated actor, winner of 2 Drama Desk Awards, 3 Obie Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, and a Lortel Award
"After more than twenty years as a Casting Director, I’ve heard the same classical monologues countless times, especially at EPAs. I’m thrilled that actors will now have access to these monologues, and I can’t wait to dive into many of these plays myself!"
Erica Jensen, CSA, Calleri Jensen Davis Casting, founder of She-Collective
“This is the monologue book I wish I had when I was starting out. Speaking words from these classic plays by poets who shared the experience of being a woman feels fresh and surprisingly intimate. Finally! Women wrote classics, too. It’s time we performed them.”
Krystal Riggs, Actor (Theater for a New Audience, Red Bull Theatre, among others)
“Why have we never been told about this? Why are these plays not in the anthologies? It’s also really humbling – we overlook so many places that we can learn from. I think that’s why work like this is important.”
Chari Arespacochaga, MFA Directing Program Director, Florida State University
“What a gift this collection is to actors and to all of us who will be lucky enough to witness the beautiful stories from these important writers. Thank you to Expand the Canon for uplifting these distinct voices, and for giving actors such rich and compelling material. It’s about time these stories are told!”
Lisa Donadio, casting director for Tony Award-winning shows at Playwrights Horizons and on Broadway, CSA
“Expand the Canon is transforming scholarship and practice in relation to the stories being told on our stages, and provides a great deal of hope for the future of classical theatre.”
Dr. Peter Kirwan, Professor of Shakespeare & Performance, Mary Baldwin University
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