Villain monologue
Vantorra's Final Act
Go big with this theatrical villain monologue: a vain sorceress-empress stages her evil plan like opening night. Great for dynamic range practice.
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Length
- 159 words · ~1 min 4 sec
- Skills
- dynamic range, projection, breath control, comic timing
- License
- CC BY 4.0
The script
(arms wide, to the whole hall)At last! The little hero arrives, dripping and breathless, just in time for the final act. Lights! Somebody give this brave soul some light!
Do you know how long I've waited for this? Years! Years of plotting in drafty towers, years of minions who can't spell 'conquest,' years of eating cold soup because the cook was too frightened to come upstairs!
(suddenly intimate)And now here you are. My favorite enemy. My only worthy audience.
Look out that window. Every lantern in the city just went dark. One word from me, and they stay dark forever. One word from me, and the sea climbs the walls.
So, what will it be? Will you kneel? Will you fight? Will you make some stirring speech about hope and friendship?
(laughing)Oh, please make the speech. I love the speech.
But know this, hero. When the curtain falls tonight, there will be one name on every frightened lip in this kingdom. Not yours. Mine. Vantorra!
Script by SceneDub (scenedub.com), CC BY 4.0. Original script drafted with AI assistance and edited by SceneDub; any resemblance to existing characters is coincidental.
Practise it now
The teleprompter scrolls at the speed you set in words per minute. Tick "Record audio while reading" to capture a take; the audio stays in your browser until you download it.
Coaching notes
- The 'Years!' run is a comic rant. Pitch each 'years of' a little higher and faster, so 'too frightened to come upstairs' tumbles out at the peak.
- 'My favorite enemy' is a sudden drop from shouting to intimacy. Lean in close to the mic and let the contrast catch the listener off guard.
- Save your biggest volume for 'Vantorra!' If you've been at full blast the whole time, it won't land. Ride the middle so the final name has somewhere to go.
Try it three more ways
- Play Vantorra as a washed-up villain whose minions have all quit, performing to an empty throne room.
- Play her as a cold, ancient sorceress for whom the theatrics are a thin mask over boredom.
- Play it as a cartoon villain for a kids' show, with a big over-the-top cackle after 'I love the speech.'
Take it further
More scripts to practise
All villain monologues for voice actors · Full script library
Frequently asked questions
How long is the "Vantorra's Final Act" script?
159 spoken words, about 1 min 4 sec at a conversational 150 words per minute and 1 min 13 sec at a slower 130 wpm. Your take will vary with pauses and character choices.
Can I use this script in my voice acting demo reel?
Yes. SceneDub's original scripts are licensed CC BY 4.0. You can perform, record, edit, and publish them, including in demo reels, classes, and auditions, as long as you credit "Script by SceneDub (scenedub.com), CC BY 4.0" where you share the recording or the text.
How should I practise this script?
Read it silently once, then perform it with the direction above: grand, theatrical, delighted with herself, dynamic, ~140 words per minute, with big pauses for effect. Record a take with the teleprompter, listen back, and try one of the alternate reads to stretch your range.