New dramatic/comedic monologue, The Statistics Aren't Real
Jumping The Wind is a 10-minute comedic/dramatic play perfect for competitions, classrooms, festivals and productions. There are 2 great roles with a flexible gender and age cast, and very minimal set. Two pieces of pollen (yes, pollen!) must make the treacherous jump from a dying flower to a fresh flower - before the cat comes around that night to destroy what is left of the flower these pollen have always called home. While the characters are pieces of pollen, which may seem pretty far from human, their struggle of leaving what is familiar, testing friendship, and sacrificing to help a loved one are very human issues. It's a high energy play that actors and directors find rewarding and fun!
Here is a monologue, The Statistics Aren’t Real, from the play near the end, when the leader of the pollen, Pollen K-10, makes a difficult confession. Pollen K-10 has been training the pollen on the flower in their jumping abilities, in order to give them confidence to make the daring jump. Pollen K-10 has encouraged the pollen with validating statistics about how the training courses have enabled them to land on other flowers successfully. Now all the other pollen have made the jump and only Pollen K-10 and the younger, fearful, Pollen V-6 remain. Pollen V-6 begs the leader to share where these statistics have come from. Pollen K-10 has not shared the source--until now.
The Statistics Aren’t Real
Genre: COMEDIC/DRAMATIC/TEEN
Cast: MALE (female)
Setting: A DYING FLOWER
Running Time: Approximately 1.5 minutes
From the ten-minute play Jumping the Wind By Tara Meddaugh © 2006
_____________________
POLLEN K-10
The statistics aren’t real. I made them up.
(brief pause)
Please don’t lose faith in me, Pollen V-6! I tried to get the statistics! I really tried! I asked the flies, but they’re too fickle. They forget what I’ve asked them to do almost immediately after they leave, and they don’t remember me when they return. The friendlier bees tried to help, but then, even the most honorable ones told me upfront there was a conflict of interest. The birds don’t care. The Talls don’t understand us. There was nowhere for me to get the statistics. The statistics aren’t real…but…
(pause)
The statistics are true. Pollens survive the ride so much more than they used to, because they believe they can. They believe they’re prepared, and--
click for the complete free monologue, The Statistics Aren't Real.
To purchase the 10-minute play, Jumping the Wind, from which this monologue comes, click below: