Monologues for Women
Every week, June – an emotionally abused woman – retreats to a secluded spot in a park for some time alone. For a year, Philip has watched her from a distance. He introduces himself on the very morning when June was come to scatter her husband’s ashes. June asks Philip if he has ever seen anyone burn, then recounts the memory of a childhood doll.
Read June’s Monologue
Doug and Sandra Ramsay have cared for their severely disabled daughter for twelve years. Tina endures daily seizures and constant pain. When she is scheduled to undergo a major operation that will do nothing to alleviate the pain Doug takes matters into his own hands and takes her life. Sandra is conflicted. She had secretly hoped Tina would die during the operation; she never expected her husband to end their daughter’s suffering. After forcing Doug to recount the last minutes of their daughter’s life Sandra confesses that she once had similar thoughts.
Read Sandra’s Monologue
Monologues for Men
Past Imperfect
Michel Beauchemin is a lifelong human rights activist whose commitment to just causes is called into question when a transformative moment from his past – the stoning death of a Jewish shopkeeper by a mob – returns to haunt him. Although Beauchemin’s complicity in the mob death remains sketchy, he is denied a coveted medal that he was scheduled to receive for his lifelong works. At the behest of a rabbi Michel is asked to address a synagogue, whose numbers include his wife. Beauchemin’s Jewish wife left him after the secret he kept buried throughout their marriage is unearthed. In recounting the life-changing incident Michel struggles to redeem himself.
Read Michel’s Monologue
Doug Ramsay’s severely disabled daughter Tina has endured twelve years of constant pain. While his wife Sandra has pinned her hopes that a major operation is for the best, both acknowledge little can be done to alleviate their daughter’s suffering. Doug has decided to take Tina’s life, and in a last desperate attempt to understand her pain he asks Keith – a developmentally handicapped friend – to tie him up. On Doug’s orders Keith is to leave the shed where Doug lies bound in knots and return an hour later. Instead, Sandra appears a few moments later to relay a phone message. She unties Doug, and insists no one can understand their daughter’s pain. Doug is determined to try.
Read Doug’s Monologue