About Us
Finding Inspiration in Every Turn
Thanks for your interest in submitting your original work for Talking Horse Productions' Original Monologue Contest: Season Two!
Monologue Submissions Are Now Closed
Stay tuned for information on how to submit to the next season.
Rules and Details
1. All submissions must be original and self-contained. No cuts from larger plays, scenes, or sketches.
2. Monologues must be no longer than 8 minutes. Submissions accepted that exceed that length may be cut at the discretion of the performer.
3. All submissions are due no later than March 26, 2021 at 11:59pm.
4. By submitting your work to this contest you are consenting to your work being performed, recorded, and hosted on this website and the social media account of Talking Horse Productions.
Your submission will be read and reviewed by our team for length and content after the deadline. (Please note that due to the popularity of this contest it may not be possible to produce every monologue submitted.) If your monologue is accepted it will be randomly assigned to a participating actor for performance. Actors will not know who wrote their monologue. Actors will then have until April 28 at 11:59pm to perform and record their piece. Video submissions will then begin May 1, 2021 on our FaceBook page as well as this website. Once a video is posted patrons may begin casting their "vote" for their favorite monologue by donating to the theatre through the provided means. After the final video submission is posted on May 31, 2021, a final donation period will continue until June 13, 2021 at 11:59pm. The video submission that received the most donations will be declared the winner and the amount raised for the particular submission will be split out evenly between the actor and the writer.
Tips
Writing
01/
It's All About Character
Great monologues should give the audience a clear idea of 1) who the person speaking is 2) who they are speaking to and 3) why they have to speak now.
02/
Keep it Active
Actors want a challenge! Monologues with action will allow them to show their range and ability to convey emotion. Create a monologue that requires more than just story telling.
03/
To Whom?
Most people don't talk out loud to their selves (exceptions apply) so focus the content of the monologue to be delivered to another unseen character.
04/
Why Now?
Speaking with purpose is generally more exciting than exposition. The character speaking should be focused on an objective in the moment as opposed to telling a story of something that happened before.
01/
Share Often
Encourage your audience to look for your submission on the date that your piece is scheduled to premiere. Share the FaceBook or website link on your personal social media, website, or e-mail.
02/
You're It!
Be sure to tag "Talking Horse Productions" in social media posts to reach out to our local audience. Be sure to also tag your friends and family in the posts you'd like them to see.
03/
Set a Goal
While we won't be able to track donations live, our team plans to update frequently in the final donation period. Encourage your fans to donate a specific amount. Our last winner took home over $500!
04/
Have Fun!
Use this contest to promote your own work to friends and family world wide! The more attention your submission grabs the better. This is a great time to finish a piece you've started or try something totally new!