Next narrative monologue competition
True Colors Next Narrative® Monologue Competition (NNMC), the company’s signature education program, leverages the power of monologues to enhance both academic study and social emotional skills. The program is unique in that each of the monologues has been commissioned by True Colors specifically for the program, on themes that resonate with 21st century teens. The contemporary Black playwrights whose work makes up the compendium represent the vast diversity of the African diaspora – Afro-Latine, LGBTQIA+, multigenerational, women, indigenous, immigrants and more.
NNMC is open to all high school students in grades 9 – 12 under 18 years old. Through a range of program styles including after-school, master classes and in-school residencies, students work with teaching artists to find their voices through monologue selection and performance.
Students progress through three competitive rounds—preliminaries, semi-finals, and a regional final. The top two winners from each region win an all-expense-paid trip to New York City. There, on the legendary stage of the Apollo Theater, they compete for cash prizes in the National Finals against 24 other regional winners. In addition to th
Next Narrative Monologue Competition National Finals 2025
Livestream
May 5 at 7 p.m. Eastern
Online Event
On May 5, 2025 at 7 p.m. Eastern, watch the livestream of the 2025 Next Narrative Monologue Competition National Finals and cheer on Seattle's National Finalists Giselle Kendrick (Interlake High School) and Tyanna Curry (Kent-Meridian High School) as they compete on New York City's iconic Apollo Theater stage!
True Colors' Next Narrative Monologue CompetitionTM (NNMC) features newly created works from fifty of America's leading contemporary Black playwrights that engage students of all backgrounds in artful exploration of 21st-century themes, while instilling confidence in all to find their voices. Watch the livestream on True Colors' YouTube page.
Livestream is free to watch!
Meet Our Finalists
Tyanna Curry
Kent-Meridian High School, 11th grade
Tyanna Curry is an African American actor excited to perform at Seattle Rep! Tyanna is a junior at Kent-Meridian High School and is actively involved in her school's Black Student Union. This is her third year competing in the NNMC and she is so grateful to be one of the eleven perform
True Colors Announces 2025 Next Narrative® Monologue Competition National Final
True Colors Theatre Company today announced the 2025 Next Narrative® National Monologue Competition (NNMC) National Finals. The top two finalists from nine regional competitions will participate in the national finals on Monday, May 5, 2025, at the Apollo Stages at The Victoria, a new expansion of the historic Apollo Theatre in New York City.
Launched four years ago, NNMC features original monologues commissioned specifically for the competition from 31 leading contemporary Black playwrights. NNMC is an evolution of True Colors’ original monologue competition, which featured monologues of August Wilson and ran from its creation 2007 until 2021.
“We have some very talented students for this year’s finals,” said True Colors Artistic Director Jamil Jude. “Each year the NNMC just gets better and better and we are confident this year’s performances will take us to a new level of competition.”
Last year Raichel West of Milwaukee was the first-place winner at the NNMC National Finals. This year’s regions and contestants are:
● Atlanta, True Colors Theatre Company, Ja’Kayah Jackson and Spirit Waddell
About the NNMC
Founded by True Colors Theatre Company in Atlanta, the NNMC celebrates the rich tradition of Black storytelling while giving voice to bold artists of all cultures. This Black storytelling lens is not exclusionary, but provides an inclusive portal to new worlds and the truths therein.
In each participating region, students progress through a multi-round competition. This season, Seattle Rep is accepting video auditions for its Preliminary round, with the top ten competitors progressing to Regional Finals. Then, the top two winners from each regional competition participate in the National Finals, receiving an all-expense-paid trip to New York City that includes workshops with theater professionals, tickets to a Broadway demonstrate , the chance to win a cash prize, and more!
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Next Narrative™ Monologue Competition
Next Narrative Monologue Competition returns for the 2025/26 Season! Created by Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company of Atlanta, GA, NNMC gives students the opportunity to deliver powerful, contemporary monologues from modern Black playwrights including Cheryl L. West, Candrice Jones, Josh Wilder, James Tyler and more.
Milwaukee Rep Regionalists took home first place at Nationals in both 2024 and 2025! Milwaukee is one of many regional cities participating and is offering free fall training both in our new Herzfeld Foundation Education & Engagement Center and at schools and organizations throughout the city. At Milwaukee’s March 16 regional competition, two students will win cash prizes and the opportunity to represent Milwaukee on an all-expense-paid trip to New York City. Our regional winners will go on to compete at The Apollo Theatre in Harlem, for additional scholarships and prizes.
Sign up for one of our upcoming FREE workshops today!
Registration for auditions will be available in October 2025.
The competition is generously supported by MPS Partnership for the Arts and Humanities. There is no cost to participating in