Next Narrative® Monologue Competition

Next Narrative^® Monologue Competition returns for the 2026/27 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 15 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.

Auditions for the 2026/27 competition are currently open! Register for your slot today!

In addition to the ten Regional winners who will be selected through our audition process, we will admit up to 10 students to join our NNMC Ensemble. These talented storytellers will create their own narrative performance piece to be showcased at Milwaukee Regionals. (Ensemble members will participate in Regional Cohort/Ensemble workshops, but will not be eligible to compete for cash prizes or the chance to attend Nationals in NYC.)

Check out this year’s NNMC schedule:

PRE-AUDITION WORKSHOP: January 4 from 4:30pm - 6:00pm
PRELIMINARY AUDITIONS: January 11 from 4:00pm - 8:00pm, January 16 from 12:00pm - 4:00pm
SEMI-FINAL AUDITIONS: January 25 from 4:00pm - 8:00pm
NNMC REGIONAL COHORT/ENSEMBLE WORKSHOPS: February 1, February 15, February 22, March 1, March 8 from 4:00pm - 8:00pm
REGIONAL COMPETITION (CHECOTA POWERHOUSE THEATER): March 15 from 7:00pm - 9:30pm
NATIONAL COHORT WORKSHOPS: April 5, April 12, April 19, April 26 from 4:30pm - 6:00pm
NATIONAL COMPETITION IN NEW YORK CITY: May 1 - May 4

*Unless otherwise specified, all events will take place in the Herzfeld Foundation Education & Engagement Center at Milwaukee Rep (108 E Wells St, Milwaukee, WI 53202)

Are you a teacher or community programmer? Milwaukee Rep’s Education & Engagement Team is here to support you and your students on your NNMC journey:

RESIDENCIES AND WORKSHOPS: Bring a Milwaukee Rep Teaching Artist to your school or community venue today to provide professional coaching for your students. Programming can take place after school, on weekends or, in limited instances, during the school day. Book a single one-off workshop or a full five-session residency to prepare your students for auditions in January.
CLASSROOM SHADOWING: Co-teach along with a Milwaukee Rep Teaching Artist to learn tips and tricks that will help you create and execute your own NNMC training program.
CURRICULUM SHARING: Implement one of Milwaukee Rep’s pre-designed NNMC curricula in your classroom. All curricula are built with WI DPI State Standards in mind and can be successfully led by a single teacher. Single workshops or up to five-session residency packages are available.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Unlock your team’s potential with the power of theater! Bring the energy and creativity of the stage into the workplace through dynamic, performance-based activities. Available training packages strengthen presentation skills, foster agile thinking, enhance collaboration, build confident leadership and champion in-classroom arts integration. Workshops can be hosted onsite at your business or at Milwaukee Rep.

Contact education@milwaukeerep.com to book the service that is right for you. Programming is largely limited to youth-serving organizations within the city of Milwaukee. Some exceptions may apply. Workshops and shadowing opportunities are available from September 1st-January 8th.

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The 2026 Milwaukee Regionals were held on Monday, March 23 in the Checota Powerhouse Theater. Congratulations to our 2026 finalists:

First Place: Amélie Davis-Quiroz, Kettle Moraine High School of Health Sciences
Second Place: Zharick Manrique, Penn Foster
Runner Up: Cai Weiss, Bader Hillel High

The competition is generously supported by MPS Partnership for the Arts and Humanities. There is no cost to participating in the competition.