Free Monologues - Frankie

From 4 A.M.


Frankie, male or female and a lonely short-wave radio DJ, broadcasts from his "studio," aka his bedroom. The actor performing the piece could make the sound effects called for in the stage directions.  4 A.M., my widely produced one-act about a group of teens all awake at that magical hour, is published by Playscripts.  Click here to order a copy.  (A full-length musical version is published by YouthPLAYS here.)

(Warning: Using this monologue without permission is illegal, as is reproducing it on a website or in print in any way.)

FRANKIE
This is Frankie 4 A.M. in the studio, so don’t be rudio. I am live with a special guest. You all think about him when you’re lying there alone: he’s the merchant of death, he’ll take your breath away--literally. Put your hands together and give it up for the man who’ll make you a permanent sleeper--it’s the big guy in the hood, the Grim Reaper.
(sound of AUDIENCE APPLAUSE)
Hey Grim--may I call you Grim?--thanks for coming by. I know you’re a busy man...er, entity. And you’re very tall. The pictures do not do you justice.
(beat)
So, uh...Mr. Reaper, how does it feel to be the taker of lives, the stealer of souls, the harbinger of doom?
(long pause)
The silence is really scary--and I mean really scary, but...
(beat)
Uh--the finger wagging in my direction is about to make me wet my pants, but nobody can see it.
(beat)
This is radio! You can’t gesture silently on the radio!
(beat)
We’re going to go to a commercial, and hope we can get a word, any word, after the break.
(There’s a MUSICAL INTERLUDE, one of Frankie’s cheesy radio fill-ins. Trying to disguise his voice)
It’s been called ergonomic. The chef’s ultimate weapon. Four inches of drop dead sexy. But don’t take our word for it that this four inch tower of chopping and peeling power will give your knife life the edge it’s been missing. Ask our customers.
(as the First Customer)
I love this knife. It couldn’t peel a boiled potato, but it looks so beautiful.
(as the Second Customer)
If I had a kid that was as bad as this knife, I’d kick his lazy butt out of the house and change the locks.
(as the Third Customer)
Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you...for making such crappy knives.
 
Co-Chair of the Alliance of Los Angeles
Playwrights
, member of The Dramatists Guild of America, and life member of the Philadelphia Dramatists Center.

Final Draft Resident Playwriting Expert and author of Playwriting101.com.

Resident Playwriting Expert of The Writers Store.





Recent News
Online Playwriting Class Starts on May 21st!
I will be teaching a month-long online playwriting class through Writers University beginning on May 21.
Festivals, Festivals, Festivals
I am excited to be attending a number of national conferences in the coming months.  First up, the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska in late June, where I'll be teaching a quartet of writing workshops and hanging out at the Playscripts booth!
The Locker Next to Mine Now Available
My new play, The Locker Next to Mine, is now available.  It's a full-length drama, though spiked with humor, about teen suicide and dealing with loss.  I'm looking for a group to stage the world premiere.  Could that be you?


Upcoming Productions
Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Clay High School Limelighters (Toledo, OH), May 2012

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
Circle Arts Theatre (New Braunfels, TX), May 2012

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
Paris Community Theatre Teen Theatre (Paris, TX), May 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
East High School (Cheyenne, WY), May 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Hutchinson High School (Hutchinson, KS), May 2012

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
Fremont High School (Sunnyvale, CA), May 2012

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
Bay Theatrix: Dover Bay Secondary (Nanaimo, BC, Canada), May 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Fernley High School (Fernley, NV), May 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Kellam High School (Virginia Beach, VA), May 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Sequoia Middle School (Pleasant Hill, CA), June 2012

Pepperoni Apocalypse
University of Tasmania (Launceston, TAS, Australia)

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Tuckahoe Middle School (Richmond, VA), June 2012

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
Jane Addams K8 (Seattle, WA), June 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Luton Players (Rochester, United Kingdom), June 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Topeka Civic Theatre & Academy (Topeka, KS), June 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
St. Mary's Anglican Girls' School (Perth, WA, Australia), July 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Fort Myers High School (Ft. Myers, FL), August 2012

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
Lyndale Secondary College (Dandenong North, VIC, Australia), August 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Yokohama International School (Yokohama, Japan), October 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight
Drama With a Difference (Melbourne, VIC, Australia), December 2012

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
Westwood High School (Palestine, TX), January 2013

 
Rumors of Polar Bears: 

Though the one-act version, available from Playscripts, stands on its own (and is perfect for competition!), this play was always intended to be a full-length composed of three acts:  Rumors of Polar Bears, Ursa Major and Northern Lights.  Look for the other two plays in the cycle sometime in 2012.


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