Almost
a monologue
by Janet S. Tiger (available as part of CRIME coming soon)
Welcome to this website. Below is a free monologue ALMOST by Janet S. Tiger (c) all rights reserved
Please scroll all the way down for more monologues. TheMonologueZone.com
This website contains work by Janet S. Tiger. This page has
information about many of her monologues and one-acts.
if you need to contact Janet S. Tiger immediately, please e-mail
tigerteam1@gmail.com or call 858-274-9678.
Almost- A monologue by Janet S. Tiger (c) all rights reserved
Welcome to this website. Below is
a free monologue ALMOST
One-act plays follow these messages. Please scroll down for monologues. Or to view my newest collection of monologues, click here to go to MONOLOGUEZONE.com
Production info is at the very bottom.
This website also has full-length plays. - Click here.
Please e-mail for royalty rates – rates depend on ticket price, number of shows, theater size
********Students and Teachers Please Note -********
There is no royalty fee for students performing these monologues for classes or contests, but a licensing fee will be necessary if you wish to make copies for an entire class. Please e-mail for more info.
All of the following below the free monologue are available via e-mail. **Special offer- Buy one play or monologue and have it sent via e-mail only (no snail mail) and I will send you a second monologue FREE. (Save a tree, too!)
You may use the following piece at no charge with these conditions -
'You hereby have permission to perform YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!
without royalty, (providing there is no fee or donation charged), and
permission to video and place on Youtube as long as I receive credit
and can link to the video.' (Like Tori Langley did with THE TOWEL LADY - it's on my front
page from Youtube scroll down on right side)
Also,- if you want to send me the info on you performing the monologue (and if a prize or part is won), will be glad to post it on my website, either under Congratulations, Upcoming Productions or Where in the World
(A woman walks onstage in a nurse's uniform. She is strong, efficient, checking things off a clipboard. Looks up, is very matter of fact.)
Almost. What an awful word that is. You almost made the team. You almost got an A. You almost have enough points to go on your vacation.
So close, but so far.
I am a nurse. I know life and death are not exact in some ways. But I can still hate that word almost. Almost healed. Almost ready to go home....almost dead.
He came in with a police escort.
Now at the emergency room where I've worked for 28 years, this is not unusual. Saturday night it's like a circus in here. Stabbings, shootings, domestic violence. And those are the easy ones.
We all get combat pay for this neighborhood - they call it something else like - bonus hours for the weekend - but everyone knows what it means.
But for the police to come with an ambulance on Tuesday morning at 10AM...with detectives, well, that's different.
This was a big case, and because I'm the charge nurse - the one in charge - I get to do the admit and assessment.
He was almost dead. We worked on him, but he had 5 bullets just in his chest - and another, in the head, self-inflicted. It was amazing he was still alive at all.
Then we found what he had done. This is not always a good idea. I don’t care what the Hippocratic oath says, it is hard to divorce yourself from knowing that someone you are trying to save has killed 15 people……that they know of….right now…..could be more.
Of course, maybe he’s not the right guy. It’s possible. Of course, my friend – one of the officers – told me when they came to get him, he had confessed. He asked that as he was leaving his family they not handcuff him until he was outside, and they agreed. As soon as he was outside, he grabbed one of the guns from the policeman next to him….the others shot him, and he blew (changes her mind) …almost….. blew his own brains out.
So here he is, on about a million dollars worth of equipment to keep him alive, and might live.
I don’t go to church much, but I honestly believe God brought this man to me at this time for a reason. As a nurse, I made a promise to save lives, and not administer harmful drugs, but what is harm? To keep alive a murderer who will harm others, is that right? And if he’s a vegetable, who gets to feed and water him? You and I – at least our tax dollars do. How much will that cost all of us? Will an equal amount be given to the victims of this man? To help them? The answer is ….no.
Now, there’s a lot of things a nurse can do to make your life happy when you’re in the hospital. Plump up your pillow, help you get to the bathroom. Maybe even save your life. But there are other things they can avoid doing, or do poorly that can make the difference between getting out quickly…or not getting out.
It doesn’t take much to figure out what I did. Almost. I almost kept that wound clean. Is it my fault if there are some drug resistant bacteria in hospitals? And I almost administered the right drug to kill the bacteria. I knew there would be an inquest and an autopsy, so I just….waited. Timing is everything sometimes…..
Does that make me a killer? I’ve thought about it. Would God have given me a chance like this because he wanted this piece of dirt to live?
(She turns to go.)
I have more rounds, so I have to go. People need me.
(She stops for a moment, bowing her head.)
I think God did the world a favor when he brought Damien Karlberg to our ER. I am sure I was right doing what I did. (Thinks for a moment) Almost sure.
Below are one act plays by Janet S. Tiger, and below that, more monologues. Or you can go to MonologueZone.com for my latest collection - over 35 monologues - only $14.95!-------------------------------------------------------------
To purchase the entire MONOLOGUE ZONE, click here to go to MonologueZone.com
------------------------------------------------------------------ Note about Production info - eventually (probably by the next decade - and I mean 2020!) each of the following plays will have pages with more specific info on production details.
THE AFFIDAVIT Running time – 15 minutes $6.00/script
Set – pawnshop 1940’s
2 characters 1 man – 40s
1 woman – 25-35
A desperate woman brings a cherished family heirloom to a pawnbroker to try and get money to rescue her father from Nazi-occupied Austria. Will she get the money? And at what cost? Fast-paced with a surprising end.
This play has won numerous awards including DFAS National 1-Act Playwriting contest –(First Place)and Gassner Memorial One-Act Playwriting Competition (Honorable Mention.)
THE AFFIDAVIT is published in ONE-ACT PLAYS FOR ACTING STUDENTS edited by Norman A. Bert (Meriwether Publishing, Colorado)
The productions are too numerous to list at this point, but include New York (Off-off Broadway, New Zealand, Canada, Austria…..if you have had a production in another country and want it listed here, please e-mail tigerteam1@mail.com
For more info about THE AFFIDAVIT, including photos and production info, click here BLIND WOMAN’S BLUFF Running time – 25 minutes $8.00/script
Set – living room, semi-rundown
2 characters 1 man – early 20s
1 woman – late 60s
An old blind woman puts a classified ad in the paper and a young man answers the ad - but is he there to buy or to rip her off? Quick, funny and a good showcase piece for actors.
Winner DFAS National One-act Playwriting Contest 3rd Place
Published in PERSPECTIVES THREE
(HBJ, Canada -8th grade textbook)
Pioneer Drama Service
Since its first publication, BLIND WOMAN'S BLUFF has had numerous productions. If you would like your production included in the upcoming page 'where in the world have I seen this play?', please e-mail the details totigerteam1@gmail.com
BLIND WOMAN'S BLUFF is available
through PIONEER DRAMA SERVICE. Please click here to purchase via their
website.
http://pioneerdrama.com/searchdetail.asp?pc=BLINDWOMAN&id=26
.Click here for production info and photos.
CURSE OF THE DUCHESS(monologue) Running time – 15 minutes $8.00/script Set – minimal - chair, table, lamp Lighting and sound effects very important Character - The duchess - in her late 80s, very British
A duchess recounts how a curse changed her life. Touching- a tour de force for an older actress.
Winner - DFAS National 1-Act Playwriting Contest 2nd Place Produced - Five Flags Theatre, Dubuque, Iowa Televised - Public Access Cable Channel Iowa
– DAY OF ATONEMENT Running time – 15 minutes $10.00/script
Set – kitchen, living area middle-class New York late 1970s
2 characters 2 women, both 60s, both with Polish accent
Finalist - Fritz Blitz Contest for One-Act Plays, San Diego, CA
Produced - December 2006 San Diego, CA Swedenborg Hall
August 2006 Dubuque, Iowa Winner DFAS National One-Act Playwriting Contest
Two women, lifelong friends, face Yom Kippur (the Jewish New Year also known as the Day of Atonement) with different ideas. Great showpiece for two older actresses.
– Click here for photos and production info
DON’T YOU CRY FOR ME
Running time – 35 minutes $10.00/script Time- 1966 Late summer evening of a very hot day, almost dusk Set – Sitting room in a gracoious house in a rural Atlanta suburb Characters - 2 men, 2 women all with Southern accents The death of his father - and an unusual request in the will - leads a young man to deal with major issues in his life, and his family, in a very Southern finale. Strong language
Award -Fritz Blitz of New Plays Produced- The Seventh Annual Fritz Blitz of New Plays, San Diego, CA
This play is part of the TRANSFUSION trilogy. (The other is OH, SUSANNAH) There is a discount if all three plays in the trilogy are purchased at the same time.
FINALE Running time –8-10 minutes $10.00/script Time- The past
Set – Bare stage Characters - 1 man mid 20s, strong Cockney accent
A magician gives a performance - with a surprising finale.
This one-act was published with funds from a grant provided by the Dramatists Guild Fund
First production - Swedenborg Hall, San Diego, 2008 Great piece for auditions and competitions.
OH, SUSANNAH
Running time – 15 minutes $10.00/script Set – Midwest middle-class living room 2 characters 1 man – Russian accent, 70s 1 woman- American, 70s
This play was completed with funds from a COMBO-NEA Grant.
Produced - Vintage Theatre, San Diego, CA 1993
Susannah returns from her husband's funeral to find a suitor at her doorstep.
– This play is part of the TRANSFUSION trilogy. (The other is OH, SUSANNAH)There is a discount if all three plays in the trilogy are purchased at the same time.
SAVE A PLACE FOR ME Running time – 15 minutes $10.00/script
Set – Bus stop
Characters - 2 men, 2 women
This play was commissioned by the Aaronson Foundation.
SCRIPTEASE Running time – 45 minutes $10.00/script
Set – modern living room
Characters - 5 men –30-s-50-s
4 women – 20-40's
Lead female needs British accent
A well-known playwright is found dead at the reading of his newest play - which of his 'friends' didn't like his latest literary offering?
Mystery with a DEATHTRAP twist - fast and funny with some good chances for stylist characterizations and staging.
***Janet S. Tiger's first full production! Southwestern College Chula Vista, CA
****Special note
This play was produced by Scripteasers, the well-known San Diego Writers-Actors group that has helped new playwrights for over 50 years! Janet S. Tiger had her first play read at Scripteasers in ....well, many years ago. It was very.......long. But the Scripteasers helped her improve her writing, and most of her plays had first readings at one of their meetings. SCRIPTEASE was written as a 'thank you' , and it was produced by Scripteasers in May 1981. For more information, you can visit the Scripteasers website www scripteasers . org.
SWEEPSTAKES
Running time – 45 minutes $10.00/script
Set – semi-rundown apartment
Characters - 2 men, 50s, 60s
Winner - 1986 West Coast Ensemble Festival of One-Acts
Produced - Playbill Theatre, Los Angeles, CA 1986 (extended run)
Strong language
THE WAITING ROOM (also available in full-length) Running time – 45 minutes $10.00/script
Set – living room/dining room European, circa 1938
Characters 2 men –25-50
3 women – 25-75
A Jewish family in Vienna, Austria, just before World War II, is faced with crucial decisions about taking the opportunity to leave - or staying behind with an aged and ill relative. Basic human questions about the value of life and importance of family are confronted. Poignant drama.
This play has won many awards, including the Gassner Memorial and the DFAS National Playwriting Contest.. THE WAITING ROOM has been produced numerous times, from San Diego to New York. For more details, please e-mailtigerteam1@gmail.com
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MONOLOGUES- For samples from the monologues, click here
Please e-mail for royalty rates – rates depend on ticket price, number of shows, theater size, etc.
All of the following are available via e-mail.
**Special offer- Buy one monologue and have it sent via e-mail only (no snail mail) and I will send you a second monologue FREE. (Save a tree, too!)
THE TOWEL LADY Running time –3 minutes $5.00/script Set – minimal, some towels, a clothesline, washbasket 1 character 1 older woman – 50s-60s
A woman hangs out her laundry while telling her unusual views on towels - and life.
This is possibly Janet S. Tiger's most produced work, having had numerous productions nationally and internationally. This is also a popular piece for drama contests and auditions.
Buy now
GET A COLD Running time –8 minutes $5.00/script Set – simple, future 1 characters 1 man – older
A man from the future describes the delight he has in the simple pleasure of...getting a cold. (****This monologue was completed in August 2005 -it is part of the full-length play THE END OF DEATH, which will receive its world premiere in August 2007 at Swedenborg Hall in San Diego.)
‘BLOOD’ monologue from TRANSFUSION Running time – $4..00/script monologue - $!5.00 full-length play Set – bare stage 1 character 1 man – 40s
A moving expression of a man who is trying to deal with a transfusion from his son - a transfusion that has given him AIDS.
This monologue has been very successful in both state and national competitions. Click here to see one winner who used this monologue.
CURSE OF THE DUCHESS(monologue)
Running time – 15 minutes $8.00/script Set – minimal - chair, table, lamp Lighting and sound effects very important Character - The duchess - in her late 80s, very British
A duchess recounts how a curse changed her life. Touching- a tour de force for an older actress. Winner - DFAS National 1-Act Playwriting Contest 2nd Place Produced - Five Flags Theatre, Dubuque, Iowa Televised - Public Access Cable Channel Iowa
THE AIRPORT MONOLOGUES- (all set in an airport)
THIS FLIGHT HAS BEEN DELAYED AIRPORT DREAMS
AUDITION PIECE - THE WINNER
ALWAYS IN MY HEART
Other new monologues-
WHAT HAVE I FORGOTTEN THIS TIME?
'When I was a little girl' monologue (female 30-50)
'Tillie's' monologue (female teens-30s)
both from THE END OF DEATH
Monologue from DON'T YOU CRY FOR ME (male)
More works by Janet S. Tiger will be coming soon - she has a drawer full of over 100 monologues/plays/screenplays/books that are 10-70% completed.
PRODUCTION INFO - For more details, click on PRODUCTIONS button at the top of the page
Plays by Janet S. Tiger have been performed throughout the world including United States, Canada, England, Austria and New Zealand. If your group has performed a play by Janet S. Tiger and would like to have it listed on the PRODUCTIONS page which will include international productions, please e-mail details of the production to tigerteam1@gmail.com.
Unusual facts about some of Janet S. Tiger's productions-
1st Reading - UGANDA at a Scripteasers meeting in....a long time ago. (See info about the one-act SCRIPTEASE.)
1st production - SCRIPTEASE (one-act) in 1981 was directed by William Virchis
Janet S. Tiger's plays have won awards five times in the DFAS National One-Act Playwriting Contest -
THE WAITING ROOM -2nd place 1982
THE AFFIDAVIT - 1st place 1983
BLIND WOMAN'S BLUFF - 3rd place 1984
SAVE A PLACE FOR ME - Honorable Mention 1989
CURSE OF THE DUCHESS- 2nd place 1990
The first three prizes were won by Janet Schechter (the 'S' in Janet S. Tiger), the others after she married Stanley Tiger. Janet traveled to Dubuque, Iowa to watch the productions in 1982, 1983 and 1984, and made many friends that she still is in touch with today. For more info on the DFAS Contest, google Dubuque Fine Arts Players One-Act Playwriting Contest
Copyright 2005 Janet S. Tiger. All rights reserved.
