Monologues

A Chair, A Light, A Voice

Monologues for performance, education, and those moments when a single voice can say it all.

What It Is

A Chair, A Light, A Voice is a collection of original, modern, theatrical monologues, written for actors of all ages and abilities. Each piece is designed to be performed by one person, with minimal staging, just a chair, a light, and a voice. The collection covers a wide range of characters, tones, and themes, from sharply funny to quietly devastating, and everything in between.

Whether you’re preparing for a drama school audition, staging a solo theatre night, running a GCSE drama class, or simply looking for rich, human stories to read or perform, this book offers a versatile and compelling resource.

Inside, you’ll find:

• Over 20 monologues

• A wide range of characters (ages 13–70+) and a special section for shorter pieces aimed at young voices

• Comic, tragicomic, reflective and dramatic tones

• Monologues written specifically for teenagers, young adults, and mature performers

• Each piece is self-contained and requires no additional voices, props, or complex staging. Although if you want to put them on as part of a production there is no reason not to have a full stage set for theatre or for filming

This collection is perfect for performance but also deeply satisfying to read aloud, alone, in your own voice.

Who It’s For

Actors & Drama Students
Use these monologues for auditions, showreels, classwork, or festivals. Pieces range in length from 5–20 minutes and are designed to let you show range, emotion, and character in a short space of time.

Teachers & Schools
We offer a specially curated Schools Edition as a free PDF, featuring selected monologues suitable for Key Stage 3–5 students. It’s ideal for drama lessons, individual performance assessments, and character work. All pieces are self-contained, age-appropriate, and require no extra tech or staging.

Youth Theatres & Directors
These monologues are a fantastic fit for scratch nights, festival pieces, and actor showcases. They’re easy to rehearse, impactful to perform, and leave space for creativity in voice and physicality.

Readers & Theatre Lovers
You don’t have to be a performer to enjoy these stories. Read them aloud, read them quietly, or read them again and again. These are characters you’ll recognise—sometimes uncomfortably so.

How To Get It

The Book
A Chair, A Light, A Voice is available in both paperback and Kindle formats, perfect for actors, teachers, and theatre-makers. The full edition contains all 20 monologues with staging notes, character summaries, and suggested running times.

Free PDF for Schools
We believe in supporting arts education. A free downloadable PDF version of A Chair, A Light, A Voice: Schools Edition is available for schools, drama teachers, and youth groups. It includes a selection of monologues suitable for classroom use, with teacher guidance notes and clear age indicators.

A Note from the Writer

“I wrote these monologues to be performed by real people, not just perfect actors. They’re messy, funny, sad, and sometimes a bit odd, just like the rest of us. All you need is a chair, a light, and your voice. The rest is up to you.”

Mark Coltman