Unknown Playwrights Monologue Mondays Feature: Single Crutch by Tara Meddaugh
Thanks to Bryan Stubbles, playwright and blogger of Unknown Playwrights, for his feature of my comedic teen monologue, Single Crutch. In his series, Monologue Mondays, he shares several video performances of the monologue (and points out this is my second monologue which mentions a marching band! Hadn’t thought of that before).
After a bully steals Ben’s crutch, Ben begs his friend to lend him his old “Tiny Tim” crutch so he can make Marching Band auditions in time. Ben points out that his friend kind of owes him. After all, he wouldn’t have broken his leg if his friend hadn’t advised him to jump out of a moving truck to impress a girl in the first place (And it didn’t even work!)!
Single Crutch is a monologue which was inspired by an actor at Carnegie Mellon University (where I received my MFA in Dramatic Writing). In one class, playwrights worked with actors to write monologues tailored to the actors’ specific talents/requests. In fact, March in Line, Rising Fast, Purple Banana Nose, Disappointing Hell, Ferret Envy and Crispy Leaves were all written for CMU actors in the same process (I’ve given the character names these talented actors’ first names.). One of the actors I was working with, Ben, told me he’d always wanted to walk out on stage with a crutch. So… I gave him a crutch! The crutch became my jumping off point, and coupled with his comedic talents, I was inspired to create this Single Crutch. Since then, Single Crutch has been performed by hundreds, if not thousands, of actors. It has been used in classrooms, theaters, universities, competitions, showcases and performances around the world. It was published in 2019 by London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA), in Acting Anthology: Volume 4 (under the name “Lost Crutch”).
It was a joy to write and I hope it’s a joy to perform! The monologue is about 2 minutes along and great for teen actors. Check out an excerpt below!
____________________
BEN
(to his friend)
I’ve been practicing my clarinet all morning and I really thought I was gonna get in this time. I know marching band is competitive, especially for the hockey team, but I had a good feeling about it all morning. Fifth time’s a charm, my mom said.
(pause)
Then that guy who wears all the jewelry stole my crutch.
(pause)
My mom said it was okay for me to practice my song outside, since it wasn’t raining and I was only playing marches. But he ran up to me from across the street. He was yelling something like, “shut the hell up!” or something. And he knocked my stand over and grabbed one of my crutches. I tried to run after him, but I’m not very fast on one crutch. I didn’t let him get my clarinet though! I had to toss it under the picnic table, and I’m sure I broke the reed, but at least I saved it. Anyway, now I have to sort of hop and walk to get anywhere. I don’t think I can make it to the gym on time with only one crutch. And since you have that crutch you used in fourth grade when you were Tiny Tim, I was wondering if I could maybe borrow it. I know you want it to stay in mint condition, but I won’t mess it up. I’d have to bend over a little, since it’s a kiddie crutch, but my mom said I have a strong back. I don’t mind.
(pause)
Hey, you’re the reason my leg is broken anyway. You’re the one who told me to jump off the truck so—END OF EXCERPT
Click below for the complete 2-minute monologue, Single Crutch.