Students may choose to memorize and present one of these or one of their own choosing. Monologues should be about 1 minute long.

Some things to think about as you prepare – STAGE PRESENCE (comfortable and confident onstage), VOICE (volume, diction, tone, pitch), and CHARACTER (tell the audience your “story”).

Note: Do not worry about the gender of the character- feel free to choose whichever monologue you want to perform.

James and the Giant Peach; Character: The Strange Old Man

Come right up close to me, and I will show you something wonderful. (Gestures to his bag) You know what this is, my dear? You know what’s inside this little bag? (Opens the bag and looks inside) Listen to them. Listen to them move. There’s more power and magic in these little green things than in all the rest of the world put together. You’ll never guess what they are… Crocodile tongues! One thousand long, slimy crocodile tongues boiled up in the skull of a dead witch for twenty days and nights with the eyeballs of a lizard! Here. You take it. It’s yours. And now, all you have to do is this. Take a large jug of water, and pour all the little green things into it. Then, very slowly, one by one, add ten hairs from your own head. That sets them off! In a couple of minutes the water will begin to froth and bubble furiously, and as soon as that happens you must quickly drink it all down, the whole jugful in one gulp. And then, my dear, you will feel it churning and boiling in your stomach, and steam will start coming out of your mouth, and immediately after that, MARVELOUS things will start happening to you, FABULOUS, UNBELIEVABLE things – and you will never be miserable again in your life.

Charlotte’s Web; Character: Charlotte

Salutations! It’s a fancy way of saying hello. My name is Charlotte. Charlotte A. Cavatica. I’m a spider and that’s my home. I know it looks fragile, but it’s really very strong. It protects me. And I trap my food in it. My breakfast is waiting for me on the other side of my web. A fly. I caught it this morning. (Charlotte notices Wilbur’s disgusted reaction) That’s the way I’m made. I can’t help it. Anyway if I didn’t catch insects and eat them, there would soon be so many they’d destroy the earth–Wipe out everything. And I don’t really eat them…I drink their blood. I love blood! Spiders are really useful creatures. A spider’s life is an uncertain thing, but I promise that I’ll stay as long as I can. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to have my breakfast.

Alice in Wonderland; Character: Alice

(Angrily) Why, how impolite of him. I asked him a civil question, and he pretended not to hear me. That’s not at all nice. (Calling after him) I say, Mr. White Rabbit, where are you going? Hmmm. He won’t answer me. And I do so want to know what he is late for. I wonder if I might follow him. Why not? There’s no rule that I mayn’t go where I please. I—I will follow him. Wait for me, Mr. White Rabbit. I’m coming, too! (Falling) How curious. I never realized that rabbit holes were so dark . . . and so long . . . and so empty. I believe I have been falling for five minutes, and I still can’t see the bottom! Hmph! After such a fall as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling downstairs. How brave they’ll all think me at home. Why, I wouldn’t say anything about it even if I fell off the top of the house! I wonder how many miles I’ve fallen by this time. I must be getting somewhere near the center of the earth. I wonder if I shall fall right through the earth! How funny that would be. Oh, I think I see the bottom. Yes, I’m sure I see the bottom. I shall hit the bottom, hit it very hard, and oh, how it will hurt!

You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown; Character: Snoopy

Here’s the World One I flying ace high over France in his Sopwith Camel, searching for the infamous Red Baron! I must bring him down! Suddenly, anti-aircraft fire, ‘archie’ we used to called it, begins to burst beneath my plane. The Red Baron has spotted me. Nyahh, Nyahh, Nyahh! You can’t hit me! (aside/to audience) Actually, tough flying aces never say ‘Nyahh, Nyahh, Nyahh’. I just, ah…Drat this fog! It’s bad enough having to fight the Red Baron without having to fly in weather like this! All right, Red Baron! Where are you? You can’t hide forever! Ah, the sun has broken through…I can see the woods of Montsec below…and what’s that? It’s a Fokker triplane! Ha! I’ve got you this time, Red Baron! Aaugh! He’s diving down out of the sun! He’s tricked me again! I’ve got to run! Come on Sopwith Camel, let’s go! Go, Camel, go! I can’t shake him! He’s riddling my plane with bullets! Curse you, Red Baron! Curse you and your kind! Curse the evil that causes all this unhappiness! Here’s the World War I flying ace back at the aerodrome in France, he is exhausted and yet he does not sleep, for one thought continues to burn in his mind…Someday, someday I’ll get you, Red Baron!