My America is a collection of monologues written by 50 American playwrights, responding to the question, “What is My America?” The monologues were performed by actors in a production at Center Stage in Baltimore, and later, 21 of the monologues were collected in a film.
Take some time to explore the monologues recorded as part of this project:
www.youtube.com/user/centerstagemyamerica
Choose one monologue that speaks to you. In a post to our class blog, uploaded by noon on Monday, provide a link to the monologue and a brief (200 word) explanation of what you think this monologue is about and why this particular monologue made a particularly strong impression on you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5La9vAc5Z8Y
As someone who is new to monologues, I wasn’t sure of what to expect when watching “CAKE” by Bekah Brunstetter. The monologue starts off with Jennifer Mudge, the monologue’s performer, as she talks to someone else about her groceries and Fourth of July plans. Halfway through the video, she brings up her son Timmy which completely shifts the mood of the monologue from a happy and casual conversation to a mournful and serious conversation. This shift begins when she brings up the other person’s husband named Michael who passed away while serving for America. Jennifer then briefly discusses how money is starting to become a necessity to enjoy the Fourth of July fireworks and how the holiday is starting to lose its value in regards to American tradition.
I chose this monologue because I have friends who recently went off to the Army/Marines. I can only imagine the amount of stress and anxiety that comes from having a husband, wife, daughter, or son that leaves to serve the United States thousands of miles away from home.
Jennifer Mudge rambles on and on about her Fourth of July cake and her thought process when she goes to shop for groceries. The monologue does an excellent job of showing how a housewife might occupy herself in order to keep her mind off thoughts of possibly losing a family member from a war.