Free Monologues - Trace

From War of the Buttons


Trace, mid-teens, talking to Charlie, same age, from War of the Buttons. Nearby are a group of their friends.

(Warning: Using this monologue without permission is illegal, as is reproducing it on a website or in print in any way.)

TRACE
I'll stand in front of you so nobody can see.
(Beat. Charlie sits, his back to the others and to the audience.)
Do you want me to talk, just in case, so nobody'll hear?
(Charlie nods, already starting to shake quietly with sobs.)

Have you started yet?
(beat)
Sometimes I feel like I have to cry, and it's like when you have to sneeze—no, more like when you have to go to the bathroom really bad, and you try to hold it—but if you try to hold it too long . . . That happened to Gene once. When we were ten. He didn't go at the rest stop like our Dad told him to, and then five minutes later, Gene says he has to go really bad. We try to pull over, but he can't hold it. Then we have to stop at the first rest stop, so Gene can clean up. My Dad made Gene clean the car too. Don't tell Gene I told you. Should I keep going?
(beat)
Let me know if you have to do it again.

 
Co-Chair of the Alliance of Los Angeles
Playwrights
, member of The Dramatists Guild of America, and life member of the Philadelphia Dramatists Center.

Final Draft Resident Playwriting Expert and author of Playwriting101.com.

Resident Playwriting Expert of The Writers Store.





Recent News
Online Playwriting Class Starts on May 21st!
I will be teaching a month-long online playwriting class through Writers University beginning on May 21.
Festivals, Festivals, Festivals
I am excited to be attending a number of national conferences in the coming months.  First up, the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska in late June, where I'll be teaching a quartet of writing workshops and hanging out at the Playscripts booth!
The Locker Next to Mine Now Available
My new play, The Locker Next to Mine, is now available.  It's a full-length drama, though spiked with humor, about teen suicide and dealing with loss.  I'm looking for a group to stage the world premiere.  Could that be you?


Upcoming Productions
Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Clay High School Limelighters (Toledo, OH), May 2012

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
Circle Arts Theatre (New Braunfels, TX), May 2012

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
Paris Community Theatre Teen Theatre (Paris, TX), May 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
East High School (Cheyenne, WY), May 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Hutchinson High School (Hutchinson, KS), May 2012

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
Fremont High School (Sunnyvale, CA), May 2012

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
Bay Theatrix: Dover Bay Secondary (Nanaimo, BC, Canada), May 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Fernley High School (Fernley, NV), May 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Kellam High School (Virginia Beach, VA), May 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Sequoia Middle School (Pleasant Hill, CA), June 2012

Pepperoni Apocalypse
University of Tasmania (Launceston, TAS, Australia)

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Tuckahoe Middle School (Richmond, VA), June 2012

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
Jane Addams K8 (Seattle, WA), June 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Luton Players (Rochester, United Kingdom), June 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Topeka Civic Theatre & Academy (Topeka, KS), June 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
St. Mary's Anglican Girls' School (Perth, WA, Australia), July 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Fort Myers High School (Ft. Myers, FL), August 2012

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
Lyndale Secondary College (Dandenong North, VIC, Australia), August 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Yokohama International School (Yokohama, Japan), October 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight
Drama With a Difference (Melbourne, VIC, Australia), December 2012

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
Westwood High School (Palestine, TX), January 2013

 
Rumors of Polar Bears: 

Though the one-act version, available from Playscripts, stands on its own (and is perfect for competition!), this play was always intended to be a full-length composed of three acts:  Rumors of Polar Bears, Ursa Major and Northern Lights.  Look for the other two plays in the cycle sometime in 2012.


Home
Plays for Production
Free Monologues
Screenplays
Young Playwrights 101
Script Consulting
About Me
Links
Connect With Me
 
Starting out as a writer? Get help by clicking here. You'll find playwriting instructional tips, links to young playwrights contests, sample query and cover letters and even a suggested reading list!
 
Can't figure out why your script isn't working? I can help. For a reasonable rate, I will give you detailed feedback to get your project back on track.

Click here for information.