How to Write a Cheesy Romantic Christmas Movie in 10 Easy Steps (Or, Writing for the Hallmark Channel)

November 02, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in family, Movies, screenwriting, Television, comedic, Community, Drama in real life, holiday, romance, Streaming Videos, christmas but not theater

Well, Thanksgiving is not quite here, but we’re already into November, so…you know what that means? Tis the season for Cheesy Romantic Christmas movies! On November 2, the first new one of the season popped up on my Netflix account, boasting the crazy magical cupid-like hijinx of none other than, that’s right, an advent calendar. It’s not just angels, santas and mystical animals bringing you Holiday romance anymore. It’s now inanimate calendars too! I've been watching these types of movies for years, and have learned, as similar as they may be, it never hurts to add another 25-50 new Hallmark-Channel inspired Christmas movies to the season (I say Hallmark Channel, for those old enough to know that term, but it’s not just the Hallmark anymore. The digital services have the format down pat.)! So here I've given you 10 easy steps on how to write your own Cheesy Romantic Christmas movie. And who knows, if you follow these guidelines, maybe your screenplay will be produced in the next Amazon prime line-up of Holiday-themed romances! Write away!

Halloween Newsletter 2018

October 29, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Newsletters

Check out my latest newsletter, featuring a few theatrical Halloween treats!

17 Creepy Monologues for Halloween

October 29, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Halloween, monologue for female acto, Monologues, monologues for male actor, monologue collections, comedy monolog collection, dramatic monolog collecti, thriller

If you’re looking for some eerie or dark monologues in the spirit of Halloween, check out these creepy monologues!

Great Plays for Halloween

October 26, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Plays, one-act plays, ten-minute plays, dark comedy, Halloween, play collection

If you’re looking for an eerie, creepy or thriller play in the spirit of Halloween, check out these plays that just might give you a chill or two! From the witch in that gingerbread house, to a mysterious heart, a domineering bingo chip, a lust for human hair—and more—enjoy these uniquely dark (and sometimes comedic) plays by Tara Meddaugh…

Dramatic/Thriller monologue: Shelley Knows

October 26, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Halloween, monologue for female acto, Monologues, thriller play, women

If you’re searching for a dramatic/thriller (in time for Halloween!) 1-minute monologue for a female (or could be male) actor, check out Shelley Knows. In this monologue, Louise, riddled with guilt after murdering Shelley in a fit of passion, fears this friend may be coming for her, from beyond the grave…

New dark comedy/thriller monologue: F For Friendship

October 25, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in dark comedy, Halloween, monologue for female acto, Monologues, Teen, thriller play

If you’re searching for a dark comedy/thriller monologue that is only 1 minute long, for teens to young adults, check out this monologue, F is For Friendship. In it, Michelle, holding a gun in her hand, rates the friendship of fellow mean-girl, Alicia. And Alicia is not scoring well…

New dramatic/thriller monologue: Buddy's Mommy

October 24, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Halloween, thriller play, 2-minute monologue, love, Monologues, Suspense, thriller, women

If you’re searching for a dark, dramatic or thriller monologue for a female (in time for Halloween!), check out Buddy’s Mommy. In this 2-minute monologue, amidst the sounds of sirens drawing near, Cali imparts her final motherly words to her young son, Buddy. She hopes he will remember her for the strong love she has for him, not for the murder(s) he’s going to soon hear about…

This a great monologue for someone looking to tap into complex emotions and the process of a breakdown. Cali is riddled with grief, guilt, regret—but also love and her confidence that what she did was necessary and the right thing to do. There is horror, there is desperation, there is panic, and at the core, there is the deep, crazy, consuming love of a mother to her child.

New dark comedy/dramatic monologue: Rachel's monologue from Seventeen Stitches

October 23, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in dark comedy, monologue for female acto, Monologues, dramatic

Check out this newly released dark comedy/dramatic monologue for a teen/young adult, from the one-act play, Seventeen Stitches. Rachel and Peter are standing in a kind of vortex-like line, Rachel recounts Peter, how she first met him. It all started at the teeter-totter…

New dark comedy/thriller monologue: Remove the Rock, Please

October 19, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in dark comedy, monologue for female acto, thriller play, women, Halloween

Keeping in line with my month of Halloween/eerie drama, here is a newly released monologue of mine, Remove the Rock, Please. What happens when a reasonable request made by a good upstanding citizen is repeatedly ignored by the town mayor? A Banana Republic dress gets blood on it, apparently. Check out the dark comedy/thriller/dramatic monologue below, for a female actor.

Now available: Seventeen Stitches, a one-act dark comedy thriller for 2 actors

October 17, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Halloween, one-act plays, Teen, dark comedy, thriller play

In this one-act dark comedy/thriller, Rachel and Peter meet in a vortex-like space between opposing lines of people. While Rachel is simply passing the time before she returns to her place in line, Peter has stepped out of his line in protest. As the lines begin to close in on them, he must make a life-altering decision by choosing to continue forging his path in his father’s line, or join the haunting allure of Rachel’s line, the “line of diamonds.”

New Comedic Halloween Monologue for a Male Actor: A Dad's Defense

October 04, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Halloween, Monologues, monologues for male actor, 2-minute monologue

Okay, parents, Halloween is quickly approaching…You’re going to make, buy, rent or borrow your child’s Halloween costume, you’re going to traipse around town in the dark, carefully monitoring your child so s/he doesn’t get lost in the shuffle of dressed-up children mobs. You’re going to tend to sugar-high meltdowns, freak-outs when… [Skip here to get the comedic male monologue, A DAD’S DEFENSE]

Newsletter: The Monologue Edition

October 02, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Newsletters, Monologues

You can check out a few updates from my October 2018 Newsletter, The Monologue Edition. Enjoy!

17 Compelling Monologues About Bullying

October 01, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in children, monologue for child actor, monologue for female acto, Monologues, monologues for male actor, Teen, monologue collections, child monolog collection, comedy monolog collection, dramatic monolog collecti, gender neutral casting, teen monologue collection, 1-minute monologue, 30-second monologue, blind casting, comedic, dark comedy, Drama in real life, dramatic, tween

Part of the beauty and magic of theatre is that we can use drama to give voice to an emotion, challenge or experience we might not otherwise express. Below are eight monologues that center around the idea of bullying in some capacity. Whether it is covering your ears in the shower, imagining you’re a shark, or instructing teddy bears to jump out a window, these dramatic, comedic or darkly comedic monologues show different ways people cope with the effects of bullying. ..

Children/teen comedic Halloween monologue: My Missing Skittles

September 25, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in children, monologue for child actor, monologue for female acto, Monologues, monologues for male actor, Teen, Halloween

Okay, kids, we’re a month away from Halloween and a 9-year-old just told me he read 90% of parents steal some of their kids’ Halloween candy! Do you think your parents are in that majority? Or is your mom or dad in that elite angelic 10%? And parents, do you think it causes no harm to skim a little Reeses Pieces from the tip? …

New comedic teen / YA monologue: Not Just Derivatives and Functions or Whatever

September 17, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in monologue for female acto, Monologues, Teen

Check out my new comedic 2-minute monologue for teen or young adult female actors called Not Just Derivatives and Functions or Whatever. In this “mean-girl” type monologue, Angelina makes her case why Dawson’s prom date choice is wrong. It’s all about that brain…

New dramatic/comedic monologue, The Statistics Aren't Real

September 04, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in monologue for female acto, Monologues, monologues for male actor

The Statistics Aren’t Real monologue comes from Jumping The Wind, a 10-minute comedic/dramatic play perfect for competitions, classrooms, festivals and productions. There are 2 great roles with a flexible gender and age cast, and very minimal set. Two pieces of pollen (yes, pollen!) must make the treacherous jump from a dying flower to a fresh flower - before the cat comes around that night to destroy what is left of the flower these pollen have always called home…

New Period Dramatic Monologue: Growing Up Treacherously

May 24, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in monologue for female acto

Check out my new period dramatic monologue set in 1800s, Growing Up Treacherously, for a female actor in her 30s-40s. In the home of her dying young child, a mother speaks to her older daughter about how growing up involves the almost inseparable pair: love and tragedy.

New teen/preteen dramatic monologue: A Life Spurred into Meaningful Adventure

April 30, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in monologue for female acto, Monologues, Teen

Check out my new dramatic teen/young adult monologue, excerpted from the play A Life Spurred into Meaningful Adventure. Goldilocks and Little Bear have set off, away from the bears' home, to start an adventure of their own. But as they realize they don't know where they are going or even how to make a shelter, Goldilocks wonders if she did the right thing in pulling Little Bear away from his loving family.

New Children's/Preteen Monologue: If I Were A Kind of Flower

April 04, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in children, monologue for child actor, monologue for female acto, monologues for male actor

Check out my new comedic/dramatic children's monologue, If I Were A Kind of Flower. Anibel expresses concern over her daffodils covered in snow, and imagines how she would live, if she were a daffodil herself.

New Dark Comedy Teen Monologue: Tiramisu Vaping

March 23, 2018 by Tara Meddaugh in Monologues, monologues for male actor, Teen, monologue for female acto

Check out Tiramisu Vaping, my new dark comedy teen monologue for a female (or male) actor. This runs 1.5-2 minutes, on average. In the monologue, Emma makes a case to her mother of why vaping is actually a far less selfish habit than previous generations, and how her generation has taken serious steps to think of others, as well as the whole planet.