Monologues

Monologues, soliloquies, comedy routines, poetry recitations, speeches.  After actress Grace Kelly served as a judge in 1954, many women starting doing drama of some kind at Miss America.  Notice that HALF (5) of the Top 10 in both 1955 & 1956 come from this group and 19 semi-finalists between 1954-1959.  There was almost one per year in the 60s, but we've only seen three women perform a monologue in Top 10 in the last 43 years.

Five women have become Miss America with a monologue during the television years, and four women became Miss America before the television years with monologues:

46-MARILYN BUFERD (CALIFORNIA)-Accent on Youth
49-JACQUE MERCER (ARIZONA)-Romeo & Juliet
51-COLLEEN HUTCHINS (UTAH)-Elizabeth the Queen
53-EVELYN AY (PENNSYLVANIA)-Footsteps (Leaves of Grass)

Women who performed a monologue in Top 10 (1954-2014)
54-LEE MERIWETHER (CALIFORNIA)-MISS AMERICA 1955-Riders to the Sea
54-Regina Dombeck (Chicago)-Top 10-Mary of Scotland
54-Polly Suber (South Carolina)-2nd Runner-up-Air Corps
55-SHARON RITCHIE (COLORADO)-MISS AMERICA 1956-The Murder of Lidice
55-Clara Arnold (North Carolina)-3rd Runner-up-Sabrina Fair
55-Beth Andre (Arizona)-Top 10-What Do I Do Now, Mr. McLeod
55-Virginia Mafucci (Massachusetts)-Top 10 & Prelim Talent-Solitary Confinement
55-Dorothy Johnson (Oregon)-Top 10-Macbeth
56-SHARON McKNIGHT (SOUTH CAROLINA)-MISS AMERICA 1957-The Monroe Doctrine
56-Margo Lucey (District of Columbia)-1st Runner-up-Autumn Leaves
56-Barbara Hilgenberg (Arizona)-3rd Runner-up (tie)-End and the Beginning
56-Mary Ann McGrew (Kansas)-3rd Runner-up (tie)-Understanding Others
56-Jere Wright (Hawaii)-Top 10-Gigi
57-Mary Denner (Oklahoma)-2nd Runner-up-The Ballad of the Harp Weaver
57-Dorothy Steiner (Florida)-4th Runner-up-Such Is Your Heritage
57-Lynn Freyse (Arizona)-Top 10-The Country Girl
58-Joanne MacDonald (Iowa)-1st Runner-up-White Cliffs of Dover
59-Rosemary Keenan (Canada)-Top 10 (the 1959 program just lists "dramatic reading" with no selection)
59-LYNDA MEAD (MISSISSIPPI)-MISS AMERICA 1960-Schizophrenia
61-Myrtice Conn (New Mexico)-Top 10-Phonetic Punctuation (Victor Borge)
62- Carole Van Valin Chirgwin (Michigan)-Top 10-Fishing/Joe's Pal
63-Cheryl Sweeten (Colorado)-Top 10-Anastasia
64-Leina'ala Teruya (Hawaii)-Top 10-Footprints (Leaves of Grass)
65-DEBORAH BRYANT (KANSAS)-MISS AMERICA 1966-Miserable Miserliness of Midas Moneybags (Melodrama)
66-Susan Logan (Texas)-Top 10-Gone With The Wind
66-Sharon Birkenbuel (New Mexico)-Top 10-Amy Lovell
67-Lynda Formanek (Iowa)-Top 10-Alice In Wonderland
68-Catherine Monroe (Massachusetts)-1st Runner-up-What The World Needs Now Is Love (recitation w/sign language)
72-Kathleen Neff (Maryland)-Top 10-Shall I Tell You What I Think Of You (The King & I)
80-Teri Eoff (Texas)-Top 10-A Bad Play For An Old Lady
02-Teresa Benitez (Nevada)-3rd Runner-up-The Laramie Project