Tone: Dry persuasion
Suggested performers: Adults and young adults; any gender
Length: 168 words; approximately 60–90 seconds
Format: one speaker addressing a silent listener
Timing is a starting estimate, not a guaranteed audition length. Time your own delivery with pauses. This is an original standalone piece, not an extract from a published play.
The Emergency Contact Interview: full monologue
Before you say no, emergency contact is mainly an honorary position. Like being a godparent to a printer. Nobody expects you to raise it.
I just need a name for the gym form. My mother will hear the word emergency and arrive with a casserole and a theory. You would ask whether I had validated my parking. That is the energy I need.
There are almost no duties. Answer your phone. Know my surname. Try not to introduce yourself to the doctor as 'the fun one.' Actually, write that down.
Yes, I remember the airport incident. You came to the wrong airport. But you came immediately. That is a very strong start, geographically speaking.
Look, I don't have many people who would abandon a perfectly good lunch because I needed them. You would. You'd bring the lunch, and complain that the hospital didn't have mustard, but you'd be there.
So can I put your name down? Great. Now, just for the spelling: how do you spell your surname?
What is happening in this scene?
An adult tries to persuade a famously unreliable friend to become their emergency contact.
You are speaking to: Your friend, who has just asked why you did not put your mother on the form.
You want: Get your friend to agree before they notice how much responsibility you are offering.
The change to explore: The list of reassuring exclusions runs out, and you admit why this friend matters.
Acting choices to try
- Which objection have you prepared for, and which one surprises you?
- How does the airport memory change your confidence in the pitch?
- Can the admission about lunch be sincere without losing the comic rhythm?
Give the opening as a practical explanation. On the second pass, imagine your friend starts backing toward the door after every sentence. Notice which arguments become shorter or more urgent.
These are starting points. Try a different intention or pace, and let the response you imagine from your listener affect your next thought. You do not need to copy the recorded delivery.
Rehearse this comedic monologue free in CueRoom
Open the complete piece in CueRoom. Use Practice my lines to hide the words and recall each beat, or Listen to the recording to hear the prepared reading. Prompt plays the current beat when you need help; bookmarks let you return to a difficult transition.
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Prepare it for an audition or class
Check whether the brief permits original standalone material. Learn the shifts in thought as well as the wording, then time a full take at performance pace. If you need a shorter cut, make the cut before memorizing it; the free demo always rehearses the complete text above.
Use the monologue preparation plan for a short deadline, or try the recall exercises in How to Memorize Lines.
More comedic monologues to explore
- The Roommate Agreement — A roommate presents a new household agreement, then discovers that their own belongings break every rule.
- The Plus-One Application — A friend makes an absurdly professional case for being someone's wedding plus-one.
- The Group Project Funeral — an existing teen comedy from the library.
Browse comedic monologues → · Explore the complete monologue library →
Try a scene with two characters
A monologue gives you one character to rehearse. To hear CueRoom read a scene partner, try The Last Train. Choose Maya or Jules and let the recorded reader play the other role.
Explore this gender-flexible piece alongside roles written as women in Monologues for Women, with playing-age guidance and contrasting audition pairs.
Explore this open-casting piece alongside named male characters in Monologues for Men, with playing-age guidance and contrasting rehearsal pairs.
Ready to rehearse your own scripts?
Keep practicing this original piece free. When you want to bring your own permitted material, choose reader voices and keep a personal script library, explore the full CueRoom app.
Considering this piece for an audition? Compare it with the audition monologue shortlist, including source requirements, time-limit checks and contrasting-pair suggestions.
Choosing for a limited performance slot? Compare this 168-word piece with the other short monologue selections, then time your own complete take with the pauses you need.
Compare this original with the other contemporary monologue selections, with comic and dramatic situations and guidance on audition source requirements.