WHAT IS NNMC?
Developed by True Colors Theatre Company, the Next Narrative Monologue Competition is a new, national program for high school students that will feature the works of a host of contemporary African-American playwrights. All students in grades 9-12 are eligible to participate in this free, grant-supported program. NC A&T and Triad Stage work together to coordinate and host the North Carolina program and competition. In each participating region, students progress through three rounds of competition: preliminaries, semi-finals, and a regional final. The top two winners from each regional competition participate in the National Finals, receiving an all-expense paid trip to New York City
After leading the August Wilson Monologue Competition since 2007, True Colors Theatre Company has refocused the competition on playwrights of the 21st Century to introduce students to contemporary Black playwrights. “The Next Narrative Monologue Competition gives high school students across the country exposure and direct engagement with living playwrights for education and inspiration,” said True Colors’ Artistic Director Jamil Jude. “We have applied the learning from our years of incredible success in producing a national monologue competition for high school students to create this new opportunity to engage students in artful explorations of 21st Century themes and instill confidence in each to find their voice.”
A number of well-known Black playwrights, including Robert O’Hara, Candrice Jones, Josh Wilder and James Tyler, have agreed to provide monologues for the competition. “What excites me about this new competition is that it will expand the canon of storytelling beyond traditional narratives and allow young people to explore language and voices that look, feel and sound like them,” said O’Hara. “Black playwriting is vast and varied and deserves to be celebrated and witnessed.”.
About our partner Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company:
Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company is a nonprofit regional theater company based in Atlanta, GA. True Colors Theatre Company’s mission is to celebrate the rich tradition of Black storytelling while giving voice to bold artists from all cultures. For more information on True Colors, visit www.truecolorstheatre.org.
For more information about Next Narrative Monologue Competition contact learning@triadstage.org.