- for a whole year!
Note: A few words about 'free' - all these monologues are protected under copyright law and are free to read, free to perform and video as long as no money is charged. Once you charge admission or a donation, or include my work in an anthology, you need to contact me for royalty info.
If you just started this blog and want to read the earlier monologues, please
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To start at the beginning - Feb. 13, - click here.
For a list of the blurbs from each day, click here
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Note: A few words about 'free' - all these monologues are protected under copyright law and are free to read, free to perform and video as long as no money is charged. Once you charge admission or a donation, or include my work in an anthology, you need to contact me for royalty info.
If you just started this blog and want to read the earlier monologues, please
scroll down for the previous days or go to http://www.monologuestore.com/ -click on the Monologue Mania button please scroll down.
To start at the beginning - Feb. 13, - click here.
For a list of the blurbs from each day, click here
Help a playwright and get more great award-winning monologues - MonologueZone.com
Thank you for your comments - and for liking and sharing this site ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monologue Mania Day #
203 by Janet S. Tiger The Burden of Happiness Sept. 3, 2014
The Burden of Happiness
A monologue by Janet S.
Tiger © all rights reserved
tigerteam1@gmail.com
(A woman walks onstage. She is VERY reserved, dressed simply, completely unmemorable)
Hello.
(She is very quiet, does not fidget.)
I do not know what you want from me. I mean, we have known each other since we were in school, but it has been a long time, what do you want from me?
(Listens)
Changed? I imagine everyone changes. I have found that in life, change is inevitable. But in my case, the reality is that, as a young person, I was given the heavy burden....of happiness, and that is probably what you remember about me.
(Looks)
I see it in your face, you recall us laughing together.
Well, that is nice, but I have discovered that happiness is something many people do not understand. Happiness is like a brand new piece of chewing gum. You have a new piece, wrapped in the paper, and your mouth is dry, but there is no water. So you put in the gum, put it in your mouth and ...oh, my!
(She starts to dance around)
The flavor! It just bursts into your whole face! And then the tingly stuff that spreads into your entire body!
(She whirls around, chewing and making faces of delight.)
And you could just be happy like that for hours!
(She starts to slow down)
But then the flavor starts to fade out,......so you.....
(She whirls some more)
Take another piece! And it is just fantastic!
And you now have enough to blow a bubble!
(She blows a bubble and it pops. She laughs in delight. Then she calms again)
So now, I have learned to keep my happiness deep
inside, and I only share it when I feel it is safe, that the other
person understands the deep burden of happiness.
Do you understand? Can you see that so many people are in such denial of happiness that they cannot appreciate the true joy of being happy? That I believe they actually are happy being unhappy!
(Shakes her head)
But there are many people do not understand happiness, who snatch misery from the chomping jaws of happy and because they do not want others to be happy...... they suck the happiness out and chew it up like an old piece of chewing gum.
Like this.....
(She offers the gum to show what she means)
Pardon my fingers.......
(When the person refuses the gum, she takes it and puts it back in her mouth, turns to leave, looks back, smiles, starts to laugh)
You do remember, I knew you would! That was Alice who did that, and we laughed so hard the teacher kicked us all out of class! Come with me, let's laugh and be happy and share the heavy burden of happiness together!
(She reaches out her hand and skips out, happy.......definitely not the end of happy)
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Janet S. Tiger
858-736-6315
Member Dramatists
Guild since 1983
Playwright-in-Residence
Swedenborg Hall
2006-8
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