Monologues
Next Narrative Monologue Competition: True Colors Theatre Company
True Colors’ Artistic Director Jamil Jude conceived of the Next Narrative Monologue CompetitionTM (NNMC) in the context of his desire to center the Black artist in an environment that understands the context of their work. The theater commissioned work from fifty Black playwrights that reflect the rich diversity of the Black community.
NNMC serves high school students, grades 9-12. In each participating region, students progress through three rounds of competition: preliminaries, semi-finals, and a regional final.
Below are the monologues I contributed to this project.
Breathe
A teen battles an anxiety attack—and wins.
I DON’T WANT TO BE ANOTHER “FIRST STORY”
A young Black student is interviewed after winning a prestigious award, but she resists being defined solely as a ‘first’ or by the hardships she has faced. Instead, she insists the article captures something fuller: the joy of being young, gifted, and Black.
I WANT YOU TO KNOW
At a group therapy session, a teenager refuses to participate in an exercise about their experiences with bullying. But as they challenge the activity, they begin to realize that speaking about the past may be the first step toward healing.
