The Presentation
- Performer
- Audition / event
- Title
- The Presentation
- Attribution
- by FreeSchoolPlays.com
- Source
- Original work
- Length
- ~1 min (195 words, whole piece)
- Cut
- Full monologue (5 beats).
"The Presentation", by FreeSchoolPlays.com, via FreeSchoolPlays.com. Free to perform; attribution required.
Thank you for coming to my presentation. Please hold your questions until the end. (flips to first imaginary poster)
Reason number one: I am extremely responsible. I brushed my teeth this morning without being told two times. Reason number two -- and this is the big one -- a puppy would keep me BUSY, which means I would stop asking you for a puppy. Think about that. This is the last time we ever have this conversation.
I have already planned everything. I will feed it. I will walk it. I will pick up the... (small pause, brave face) the outside stuff. Yes. Even that. I looked directly at a picture of it and I did not throw up.
I know what you're going to say. You're going to say "who's going to clean up when it's raining and you're tired?" And I want you to know I have an answer to that, and the answer is (long pause, cracking a little) ...I will love it SO much that it won't matter. That's not on the poster. That one's just true.
(recovering, big finish) In conclusion. Puppy. Please. I'll name it after you if I have to.
"The Presentation", by FreeSchoolPlays.com, via FreeSchoolPlays.com. Free to perform; attribution required.
Audition prep notes
Full piece: 5 beats, ~195 words -- very short (Under 2 minutes), about 1 min at a natural pace.
Start with the objective
Before you run it, name your character's objective in one sentence: what do they want in this moment, and what is in the way of getting it easily? Pace, volume, and movement all follow from that one sentence, not the other way around.
Map the beats
The current text breaks into 5 spoken beats. Use those breaks as a starting map, but test each one: a beat ends where the character's tactic changes, not merely where the paragraph does -- two paragraph-breaks may play as a single acting beat, or one may split into two.
Pacing for this length -- very short
Economy is everything at this length: cut any preparatory movement before your first line, and land the final beat cleanly rather than adding a button. Under 2 minutes, this often plays as one unbroken thought.
Delivery approach -- Comedy
Comic timing lives in the pause before the turn, not the punchline itself. Find the setup-and-turn shape in each beat and hold a beat longer than feels natural before you land it.
Framing for Elementary (K–5)
Keep the objective simple and concrete: one sentence a classmate could repeat back, about what the character wants right now. One fully committed feeling reads better at this age than several half-formed ones -- prioritize clear diction and steady focus over emotional range.
Forensics eligibility -- Humorous Interpretation
This piece reads as Humorous Interpretation. That classification is illustrative only -- not official, not an NSDA, NCFL, or UIL certification. Always verify current eligibility with your event's own published rules before entering it in competition.
Generic coaching guidance for actors preparing this piece -- not a substitute for your director's or coach's notes.
Free to read, print, and perform. No royalty, no performance fee. The credit line above is required and is placed automatically on this packet; keep it in your program and audition materials.