NNMC
Congratulations to the 2026 Regional Winners of the Next Narrative Monologue Competition
In October 2025, Seattle Rep sent out a call for monologists to all high schoolers in Washington State. Teens in grades nine through twelve were invited to submit video auditions for the 2026 Next Narrative Monologue Competition (NNMC), an annual competition founded by True Colors Theatre Company in Atlanta. The competition is a celebration of Black storytelling while giving voice to bold artists of all cultures. Competitors had a compendium of new monologues to choose from, written by fifty of America’s leading Black playwrights. Students from 21 schools across Washington state answered this year’s audition call.
On February 13, Seattle Rep hosted the 2026 Regional Finals of the NNMC in our own Leo K. Theater. 14 teen monologists competed to win an all-expenses-paid trip to the National Finals at the iconic Apollo Theater in New York City.
From Left: Zavier Freier, Isaiah Hyde, and Mesgana Alemshowa. 2026 Regional NNMC Runner-up and Winners. Photo by Sayed Alamy.
Congratulations to our two winners Isaiah Hyde (Henry M. Jackson High School) and Mesgana Alemshowa (Lakeside School), and runner-up Zavier Freier (Lakeside School)! Get to know the 2026 NNMC regional finalists on Inside Seattle Rep.
Hear more from our 2026 Regional NNMC Winners:
Every year, the regional finalists are invited to monologue coaching sessions at Seattle Rep with professional theater artists. Individual coaching continued ahead of this year’s competition with the Young Rep Acting Through Monologues class led by Amelio García and Sarah Albertson. In this class, performers developed skills to walk into the room with confidence, make strong choices to tell the story of their monologue, and take their work to the next level.
Acting Through Monologues is just one of Young Rep’s incredible class offerings for theater-loving youth ages 13-20. Launched in the spring of 2025, Young Rep programs serve our region's youth by providing theatrical training, exploration, and engagement. From classes to full all-youth productions like The Outsiders and Lost Girl (audition March 18 & 19 to perform Summer 2026!) on our main stages, and the Next Narrative Monologue Competition, Young Rep provides hands-on theatrical experience with theater professionals.
Interested in NNMC and Young Rep Classes?
