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Now posting one-act plays every few weeks, and monologues in between.
Now posting one-act plays every few weeks, and monologues in between.
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Monologue Mania June 19, 2019 The Elbow of the Mountain- a play in one act by Janet S. Tiger (c) all rights reserved
Some notes - Over a period of two weeks, my work was seen in 4 venues* in San Diego- first time this has ever happened!
I was chosen again for That24HrThing 2019 (5th time in 6 yrs) to write a monologue, but due to another writer's emergency, I was asked to write a play, which was produced on June 16, 2017 at the Central Library. A link to watch is here
Some notes - Over a period of two weeks, my work was seen in 4 venues* in San Diego- first time this has ever happened!
I was chosen again for That24HrThing 2019 (5th time in 6 yrs) to write a monologue, but due to another writer's emergency, I was asked to write a play, which was produced on June 16, 2017 at the Central Library. A link to watch is here
For the 2019 That24HrThing!
On the morning of June 15, the chosen writers are given prompts as a starting point for the play-
I got -
3 female characters
- a prop –hypodermic needle
– a location- The Foot of the Mountain
And the line – Why do you say that?
This is what I wrote that was due...24 hours later and produced that night!
Thank you to the actors, director, crew- and audience!
The Elbow of the Mountain
A play in one-act
By Janet S. Tiger
Tigerteam1@gmail.com
Setting -
Hotel room in 5-star hotel
Characters-
‘The Team’
EMI LAU -
late 30s, early 40s, Asian
OLIVIA PARKER -
20s - very 20s, Caucasian
DARLEEN TURNER -
20s-early 30s, African-American
(We
hear the sounds of the team before we see them.
Grumbling ‘What did I forget?’ ‘The kitchen sink’, no, it’s here…’why
didn’t we have that nice young man help us?
Because we are strong women!’ some groaning, laughter as we see the
three women come into view, they are hauling luggage. DARLEEN is pulling two
suitcases, EMI another smaller one and OLIVIA has a small over-the-shoulder bag
and her hands in her pockets. They come into the room and DARLEEN pulls
open the curtains to look out at the audience and gasp. The others come over, their mouths are
hanging open)
(We
hear the sounds of the team before we see them.
Grumbling. ‘What did I forget?’ ‘The kitchen sink’, no, it’s here…’why
didn’t we have that nice young man help us?
Because we are strong women!’ some groaning, laughter as we see the
three women come into view, they are hauling luggage. DARLEEN is pulling two
suitcases, EMI another smaller one and OLIVIA has a small over-the-shoulder bag
and her hands in her pockets. They come into the room)
DARLEEN – What do you have in here, Emi, bowling
balls?
EMI
– I was always taught to be prepared. I
have enough clothing and food to last for the whole
week
–even if there is no washer and dryer!
I’m prepared for everything!
OLIVIA - So
am I.
EMI - How do
you figure that – all you have is that little bag!
OLIVIA - If I
need anything, I’ll borrow it from you!
DARLEEN
– Anything you need, get it and charge it to the room, the company gives us an
allowance
for food and dry cleaning and……!
(While she’s talking, DARLEEN
pulls open the curtains to look out at the audience and gasps. The others come over, their mouths are
hanging open)
DARLEEN -
That is one big ass mountain!
EMI - They
expect us to climb that thing?
DARLEEN - Yes,
Emi…that’s why we dragged all this crap up here! It’s for team-building!
(Olivia
peers out and shakes her head)
OLIVIA - I’m
not climbing it.
EMI - If she
doesn’t, I’m not either!
DARLEEN -
Ladies! There is no ‘I’ in
teamwork!
OLIVIA
- There is also no ’I’ in dead! And that’s we’re gonna be if we try to climb
that thing,
just
like the people on Mt. Everest….
EMI
- Oh, I saw a special about that! Lotta of people die climbing Mt. Everest!
OLIVIA
– To be specific, over 300 people have died and most of them are still on the
mountain
(enjoys this)– there’s
even a special valley filled with dead bodies wearing brightly colored snow
gear!
(The others just look at her)
DARLEEN -
Thank you for that cheery tidbit, Olivia!
OLIVIA - My
pleasure….
(Emi opens a suitcase)
EMI - You
mean, a jacket like this!
(She
pulls out a bright jacket)
OLIVIA -
Kinda like that, yeah.
(Emi
shrieks and runs around while Darleen shakes her head)
DARLEEN - You
just had to do that?
OLIVIA - I
like sharing knowledge…..
(Emi
stops and holds up the jacket)
EMI - If I
have to go, you think this is a good color for me?
DARLEEN -
(Loud) Listen up, team! Mt. Everest is like a few miles high….
OLIVIA - 29,029
feet to be specific, and the name in Tibetan is Chomolungma.
DARLEEN
– What we are climbing is Mt. Lassen! It’s about 2,000 feet! The hike is 5 miles –
round trip! It takes about 5 hours –round trip! -it’s
an easy climb for beginners like us – and they didn’t bring us here to
argue! There is a reason!
OLIVIA
- And the reason was to get us outta the
office so the guys could have that bachelor
party
…..
EMI
- And I think they’re getting a stripper!
DARLEEN
- Ladies, this is an opportunity, and we don’t want to
waste it,
do we? They are grooming us for a project that looks
to be very important, one which could involve opportunities for all of us! Programming for you and me, Olivia,
statistical analysis for you, Emi……
EMI
- I heard it’s bigger than the Tech Drek
program…..
OLIVIA – And that means bucks, right?
DARLEEN-
And yes, possibly a bonus! We have been
the only women in this firm, let’s try to
work
together, like we did carrying in Emi’s fifty bags…..
(Emi
and Olivia laugh at this)
DARLEEN
- So, look, why don’t you two go find the pool – they said it was nearby, and
we can
go
swimming to warm up for climbing the mountain….
OLIVIA
- I told you, my mother lost her job,
and we lived in our two door Chevy Nova for
months,
I am not sleeping outside!
EMI – I never knew that! I’m so sorry.
But why you’d come now?
OLIVIA- It was a free trip, nice hotel, and more
important….did any of us have a choice?
I
don’t
think so, besides, who has to know? You
guys can have fun climbing, I’ll stay here
and
relax…..
DARLEEN
- Olivia, I’m sorry about what happened
your family, too, but ….that was 10 years
ago...... now someone is
paying you to have fun, and if you think
you get to stay in this great room while we are trekking up that hill….you are sadly mistaken because we are
sticking together…right, ladies?
(The two start to
protest but she holds up her hand. They
reluctantly exit as she shoos them out.
As they leave, her phone rings)
DARLEEN
- Hey, Mr. Burkhardt….we got here. ….it’s very nice…..yes,
we are in the
process of examining the
mountain project…..uh, uh…..yeah, team building…..I appreciate how you are
trusting me with this…….uh, what? You
want me to do what?...I can’t do that!
…You want me to cut this to a two-man team? To fire one of my friends? To be the
villain….. Yeah, I imagine that would exhibit loyalty to the firm……I
see…..(very upset, but trying to hide it) ….yes, sir…..I want to be one of the
remaining members of the team……I completely understand….thank you sire, I mean,
sir, I will try to have a good time…..
(She hangs up and goes to throw the
phone against the wall, instead doing some martial
arts to relieve the
tension. The others return and watch
her, she finally notices them and stops)
OLIVIA - Go
team!
(Darleen
stops and turns away. They notice)
EMI - Is
everything all right? Who called?
DARLEEN – Everything is just fine….
(She
takes a deep breath)
EMI
- Something is wrong! I knew it!
I forgot my box of water purifying
tablets! This trip’s cursed!
OLIVIA - And
who called?
DARLEEN
- Mr.
Burkhardt called.
OLIVIA - The
Anal in our company name Anal- Lize This!
DARLEEN
–(Trying to figure out a way to explain)
My parents used to tell me that I had to
be twice as good as
anyone to make it half as far…well I’ve
been working for Burkhardt since college…..I was his first female intern! It took two years just to get to the point
where I didn’t have to make the coffee!
OLIVIA
– Darleen, you are only three years older than I am, but you talk like my
mother! Get to
the
point! Why did he call? Is he gonna be our Sherpa?
DARLEEN
- (Deep breath) We are now going to be a two-man team.
OLIVIA
- (She got it) So, instead of team-building, this time is
really for….team reducing…..
EMI – (Getting nervous) I didn’t see a spa….
OLIVIA
- (Gets it) Emi… They’re not talkin’
five pounds, they’re talking (indicates
Emi) this
many
pounds!
(Emi is horrified, but stops when
Darleen raises a finger)
DARLEEN – (Hard to say) I…. I have to reduce the team! By one person!
OLIVIA - And
I’m guessing it ain’t gonna be you!
(The
three look at each other, then start backing away)
EMI - I just
decided, I’m not going on the mountain either!
DARLEEN -
(Horrified at the thought) Do you
think I was gonna push you off the mountain?
(They
look at her)
DARLEEN - Five
years we’ve been working together - I thought we were friends!
EMI
- My family warned about friends like
you…..we’re friends for after
work…for
coffee…a drink….
DARLEEN
– Okay, maybe we started being friends because the guys hate us…..but now,
they’re
making us fight amongst
ourselves…
OLIVIA
-.that happens on Mt. Everest, you know, the teams leave the dying members
behind to freeze to death…..
EMI
- That was in the PBS special, too!
(Olivia
suddenly goes to her own bag and pulls out a package)
OLIVIA
- Get rid of Emi – she’s an addict, she
dropped this in the bathroom! It’s a
hypodermic
needle! It probably explains why she’s so old and has
so much energy! She’s a meth addict!
EMI
- Why do you say that? I take insulin! I have diabetes! If you want to get
rid of a weak link- (sputtering)…Olivia….she’s a snitch! She keeps track of all times you go out to
get coffee!
OLIVIA - So
what if I’m a little OCD? It’s not like
I tell Mr. Burkhardt….
(The
two are practically fighting when Darleen steps between them)
DARLEEN - Do
you see what they’re doing to us?
EMI
- Just like on Mt. Everest! They want me to be left in the valley with my
pretty jacket that
cost
$300!
OLIVIA
- And they wanted me to freeze up there!
DARLEEN
- DIVIDE AND CONQUER! Olivia, Emi….
it is not even that cold
on Mt. Lassen…..for God’s sake we can probably climb up there tomorrow and be
back by lunch!.....We can’t blame them for trying to split us apart, but we can resist, and that is what WE are going to do! Are you with me?
OLIVIA-(Together)
EMI
- Yes!
(Darleen picks up the phone and
punches in a number)
DARLEEN
- Mr. Burkhardt? Yes, I have some news for you……yes, we have
done the team
building exercises!.....we
started at the foot of the mountain, and ...metaphorically speaking...we reached the top of the mountain…..
but we also know that most of life is really about choices, somewhere in the
middle, kind of like, the elbow of the mountain…….and that is where we all bent
a little and we have come to a decision – we are never going to be a two-man
team! Because we are three women and we
are sticking together! And because you
tried to throw us off a mountain…..we quit!
(She pushes the button and stares at
them staring at her)
EMI - What you mean – WE quit?
OLIVIA - Yeah, where’d that come from?
EMI - And
what is this….elbow of the mountain…
DARLEEN - I
thought….I mean, we were all on the same page……
(They
start towards her and she steps back, a little nervous)
DARLEEN - What
happened to -‘we have to stick together’….
(Before
they reach her, the phone rings and she takes the opportunity to move away)
DARLEEN
- Yes……I understand….no one ever speaks
to you like that……well, maybe you
mean….no MAN ever
speaks to you like that……okay, I won’t push it…..yes, I hear….really?…really? REALLY?.....I’ll tell them!.......thank you
sir!
(She hangs up, her mouth wide)
EMI - So we
got our jobs back?
DARLEEN - Oh,
no!
OLIVIA - Then
what the hell are you smiling about?
DARLEEN
- (Ecstatic) He liked that we stuck
together ….these are his words….like men!
They’re
giving us …..our own division! We even get to hire assistants…..
(They all do a victory dance)
OLIVIA - And
we don’t have to climb that damned mountain?
DARLEEN- Oh, we’re gonna get to the top of the
mountain….but not just this mountain, we’re
gonna work together so
the next step, is our own company….what do you say, my friends- let’s move some
mountains!
(They laugh and start singing ‘Ain’t No
Mountain High Enough’ with elbows high! as the lights dim)
The
end
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Here's where my shows were - thanks for your support!
* - 5 Minute Play Contest Lawrence JCC - Let Me Finish! June 3
- Lamplighters - Oh, Susannah! -June 7,8,9 and 14, 15, 16
- Scripps Ranch - Sweepstakes - June 10
- That 24HrThing - The Elbow of the Mountain June 16
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Here's where my shows were - thanks for your support!
* - 5 Minute Play Contest Lawrence JCC - Let Me Finish! June 3
- Lamplighters - Oh, Susannah! -June 7,8,9 and 14, 15, 16
- Scripps Ranch - Sweepstakes - June 10
- That 24HrThing - The Elbow of the Mountain June 16
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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
Janet S. Tiger 858-736-6315 CaregiversAnon.org
Member Dramatists Guild since 1983
Playwright-in-Residence
