Unknown Playwrights Monologue Mondays Feature: Single Crutch by Tara Meddaugh

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Thanks to Bryan Stubbles, playwright and blogger of Unknown Playwrights, for his feature of my comedic teen monologue, Single Crutch. In his series, Monologue Mondays, he shares several video performances of the monologue (and points out this is my second monologue which mentions a marching band! Hadn’t thought of that before).

After a bully steals Ben’s crutch, Ben begs his friend to lend him his old “Tiny Tim” crutch so he can make Marching Band auditions in time. Ben points out that his friend kind of owes him. After all, he wouldn’t have broken his leg if his friend hadn’t advised him to jump out of a moving truck to impress a girl in the first place (And it didn’t even work!).

Single Crutch is a monologue which was inspired by an actor at Carnegie Mellon University (where I received my MFA in Dramatic Writing). In one class, playwrights worked with actors to write monologues tailored to the actors’ specific talents/requests. In fact, March in Line, Rising Fast, Purple Banana Nose, Disappointing Hell, Ferret Envy and Crispy Leaves were all written for CMU actors in the same process (I’ve given the character names these talented actors’ first names.). One of the actors I was working with, Ben, told me he’d always wanted to walk out on stage with a crutch. So… I gave him a crutch! The crutch became my jumping off point, and coupled with his comedic talents, I was inspired to create this Single Crutch. Since then, Single Crutch has been performed by hundreds, if not thousands, of actors. It has been used in classrooms, theaters, universities, competitions, showcases and performances around the world. It was published in 2019 by London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA), in Acting Anthology: Volume 4 (under the name “Lost Crutch”).

It was a joy to write and I hope it’s a joy to perform! The monologue is about 2 minutes along and great for teen actors. Check out an excerpt below!

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Newly Released 10-Minute Play for 2 Actors: Waiting For Wind by Tara Meddaugh

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Two tulips’ lives change for the better when they meet each other at high sun. They have a connection and it is clear they were meant for each other. Yet can they overcome their fears about the future, and lift each other up, despite the stagnant air? (CLICK HERE FOR THE PLAY)

Waiting for Wind is a 2-person dramatic/comedic play with a running time of approximately 10 minutes. It’s set in a flower garden and has flexible inclusive/blind casting (the characters are flowers!). It’s great for festivals, performances, outdoor theater, duo interpretation forensics competitions, classroom or theater study, workshops, and themed productions.

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New dark comedy/absurdist 10-minute play: What's Inside The Eiffel Tower Coffee Mug by Tara Meddaugh

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It’s Rebecca’s and Henry’s 10th wedding anniversary. Henry usually has his morning coffee at precisely half past seven, but today, Rebecca can’t wait this long for him to take his coffee mug from the cupboard. She has a secret to reveal to him. And it’s not your typical surprise anniversary gift. It’s a very… unnerving secret… And what Henry finds inside his souvenir coffee mug this morning just might change their marriage forever.

What’s Inside the Eiffel Tower Coffee Mug is a 2-person (1 male, 1 female) 10-minute play that embodies “dark comedy.” We can laugh at absurdities of the couple’s playful interaction of heightened language, but feel a punch to the gut as we discover the darkness that underlies the humor. This play has been described as embracing beauty and the grotesque in one, or finding beauty within the grotesque. It’s a unique journey to act and direct. It will give your audience the chance to laugh, cringe, empathize and ultimately find a sense of peace….

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Ferret Envy on Unknown Playwrights Monologue Monday

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Okay, so I was beyond elated when I first read Ionesco’s La Cantatrice Chauve (the Bald Soprano) in 9th grade French Class, as it confirmed a name for the style of theater my teenage self had already been unknowingly writing in: Theater of the Absurd. It was weird, it was dark, it was funny. I loved the feeling of laughing then cringing, cringing then laughing, laughing while cringing. After I read through Ionesco at my school library, my teacher suggested I try Albee, and these two writers (perhaps along with the tv show, Northern Exposure) were important influences in my writing.

So huge thanks to Bryan for this nice write-up on his blog, Unknown Playwrights, about my monologue, Ferret Envy, including A through Z video performances of the monologue.

”Sometimes you see Ionesco‘s name thrown around with Theatre of the Absurd. Same deal with Albee. Nah, Meddaugh is where it’s at. Picture this: You are SO jealous of your friend’s ferret that you (probably) killed said ferret because…you want to be your friend’s ferret!!!! This is a fun, funny goofed-up piece of theatrical brilliance.”

Bryan, I am blushing that you can put me in a category with these writerly gentlemen. Thanks for the shout-out, and you can check out prolific playwright Bryan Stubbles’ work here.

New Comedic Children's monologue: Written by 8-year-old guest playwright

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Let me tell you about a talented little boy. He's a member of the Chess Club and Computer Club at his school, participates in Engineering and Swim classes, researches the mysteries of outer space, loves to ride his bike, do gross food dares during school Lunch, read like a fiend, go on hikes, and has a blast writing and illustrating his own comic book series called "Tommy Tom Tom, Mike and Joe."...

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Teen/Children's/Comedic Monologue: Iowa Is Gonna Be So Jealous

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Check out my newly released comedic monologue for teens or children, Iowa is Gonna Be So Jealous, written especially for the 2015 monologue winner, the very talented, Ryan Henzi. If you've ever wanted to perform a scene where you were almost mauled by a rhinoceros (and found it kind of exciting!), then here is your chance!...

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New Free Dramatic Monologue for Female or Male actor: No Release

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Check out my new dramatic monologue, "No Release," about a woman and her failed attempts at a cleansing cry.

MELINDA: Everyone keeps telling me to cry like it’s some kind of, some kind of miracle cure or something. I’ll feel better, I’ll feel this, I don’t know, this release, and—I don’t even know what a release feels like.  What—suddenly I’ll have no tightness in my chest? Cause you know, I’m wearing this tightness inside of me like some kind of old fashioned girdle, you know? And, it’s like...

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3 Related Monologues for Children: Skunk Moms

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Check out my new free comedic children's monologues below. Three siblings try to convince their mother that a skunk would be the perfect pet. The monologues vary slightly in length, making it a good fit for younger children as well as older children...

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"Claire, My Eclair": A new comedic/dramatic monologue

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Okay, we all make mistakes. But some mistakes are, well, quite a bit bigger than others...Check out my new comedic/dramatic monologue in which Andres begs his ex-girlfriend to forgive him of one of those big "mistakes," and maybe, just maybe, consider taking him back. After all, he did what he did for...love?...

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"Forgiveness and Defeat At A Pokémon Gym": A new comedic monologue

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With all the craze of the augmented reality game, Pokemon Go, I would be remiss if i didn't acknowledge its success, dramatic relevance, and at least write a little monologue about it...So consider the first two points acknowledged, and check out my pokemon-related monologue below. This 1 minute monologue contains some comedy, some romance, some lightning bolts on a bike, and of course, some pokemon drama...Read the monologue below, entitled Forgiveness and Defeat at a Pokemon Gym.

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New Dramatic Monologue: The Nicest Worst Club

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Here is a new dramatic monologue, for a female (or male) actor. The monologue is suitable for a female (could be worked for a male) actor ages 18+. In "The Nicest Worst Club," Julie, a married woman with children, speaks to her friend, Jan, about not wanting to be part of a club of very nice women (who have all lost a husband).

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The Blank Theatre's Young Playwrights Festival: Open for submissions

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People have asked me before how I see theatre standing up to the next generation filled with such a high focus on technology, social media sans face-to-face connections, and a lack of interest in the arts. There are challenges, to be sure. There always have been, and there always will be. Theatre is not an easy medium...

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New comedic/dramatic 10-minute play for 2 actors

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Check out my new 10-minute play, A Life Spurred into Meaningful Adventure--great for production, festivals, and competitions. It's for 2 young adults, teens or children actors and casts a new light on the whole Goldilocks story...What if Goldilocks and Little Bear were friends? And had been friends for a long time before the famous porridge/chair/bed incident that got her kicked out? What would happen to their friendship when she is kicked out? Would they see each other again? And if so...where would they go? ...

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New Christmas 5-Minute monologue play, "Secret Santa"

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If you're looking for a short solo performance piece, check out this one below. It's a comedy (drama) which runs about 5 minutes, and showcases just what kinds of issues "Secret Santa" can bring up... Enjoy!...

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