MY MOTHERHOOD
A dark comedy/absurdist A monologue
From the 10-minute play, KNOCKING LOUDER
by
Tara Meddaugh
Characters Lilah and Carol, in Fusion Theatre’s production of Knocking Louder.
ABOUT THE PLAY, KNOCKING LOUDER:
Carol adores, but neglects, the newborn baby placed in her custody. When her sister, Lilah, insists the baby be returned to his mother, Carol takes extreme measures to ensure she keep the infant.
ABOUT THE MONOLOGUE, MY MOTHERHOOD:
Lilah has been trying to convince her sister, Carol, to agree to let the biological mother see the baby placed in Carol’s care. Carol is offended by this and takes it as a personal sign of betrayal. She recalls how she should have seen the signs of early betrayal in her sister, starting back in the first grade. And how she will not let his betrayal stand in the way of her maintaining her motherhood.
DETAILS:
Genre: Dark/Dramatic/Thriller/Absurdist/Dark comedy/Mean
Running time: Approximately
Cast: Female (could be any gender)
Age range: Teen-adult
Setting: Living room
Time period: contemporary
*This monologue is extracted from the play, Knocking Louder. In the play, there are a few interjections from Lilah during this monologue which have been omitted.
CAROL
The day you found out you were held back in the first grade, you cried. Do you remember that? And I wiped the tears from your eyes, because you were my little sister, and I licked the salt from my fingers, and I told you those ocean-water tears were magic…and that if you believed that, if you believed my words, then your next year in the first grade would make you special, successful—you’d have lots of friends, and you’d be happy for the rest of your life.
(pause)
But—if you didn’t believe in the magic of the tears tasted by your older sister, then you would tear away from me. Forever.
(pause)
I’ve sensed that before, of course. That you never believed me. The signs were there. You never—END OF EXCERPT
Click below for the complete monologue, MY MOTHERHOOD.
Click to learn more about the story and character in the play, KNOCKING LOUDER, from which this monologue comes.