Next Narrative® Monologue Competition

About NNMC

True Colors Theatre Company’s Next Narrative Monologue Competition (NNMC) is a national competition for high school students in grades 9-12. All high school students in Massachusetts – and neighboring states – are eligible to register for the Boston Region NNMC workshops.  Registered students will participate in ten workshops to select, develop, and finetune their monologues, coached by theatre arts industry professionals. Then students will progress through a set of competitive rounds. The top three scoring performers from Boston’s Regional Finals will receive cash prizes, and the top two performers will receive an all-expense-paid trip to New York City to compete at the National Finals alongside other regional winners in May 2026. This trip includes workshops with theatre professionals, tickets for a Broadway show, the opportunity to perform on stage at the Apollo in Harlem, in addition to cash scholarships for the top three National winners. 

The objectives of the True Colors’ NNMC are to introduce students to today’s leading contemporary Black writers, expose students to acting techniques that enhance their knowledge of the art and skill of performance, utilize the arts to support students in making co-curricular connections, investigate how history and culture influence personal perspective through artful exploration, and embolden students to use their voices to inspire social action. Commissioned by True Colors Theatre Company and published by Theatrical Rights Worldwide, the compendium includes original monologues on the themes of class, gender, ableism/inclusivity, relationship to technology, family/community, cultural celebration/competency, global warming/environmental, immigration/international relationships, social/emotional/physical health, and abstract/non-thematic. 

For more information about True Colors Theatre Company, visit their website.