Monologues and Sketches
*
Other Theatrical Works by Cynthia L. Cooper (Cindy Cooper)
Monologues
Monologues available for performance:
"The Brief: Ruth Bader Ginsburg" In 1971, Ruth Bader Ginsburg describes her strategy for getting the courts to recognize sex discrimination. 1 w, 5 min. Put A Woman On A Pedestal; Zoom Spring 2021; StatueFest On Stage, PRTT/Pregones Fall 2021 (New Shokan Kitchen Island Project, City Arts Grants Corps). Read on NPX.
"All Databases Are Incomplete" A woman explores her love of enumeration and counting while reviewing her experiences with domestic violence. 1w, 10 min. 'Artists and Writers Respond to Domestic Violence,' Remember the Women Institute, 'She's Gone,' virtual live; Pace Women's Institute for Justice, A Monologue and A Chat, virtual clip; Moment Gallery, Strongin Collection, Washington DC, Remember the Women Institute, virtual video, Rutgers University in collaboration with NOW NJ. (Also adapted to film in a separate script.) Read on NPX.
"Here Lived (Hier Wohnte)" A New Jersey woman searching for her family roots in Germany finds unexpected results from the Stolperstein project and 'remembrance' work, leading her to undertand the vast reach of the Holocaust and to imagine how similar memory work might apply to U.S. history, as well. Women, Theater and the Holocaust, Remember the Women Institute, Yom HaShoah, on Zoom. 1 w, 15-17 min. Watch online at the Center for Holocaust Family Research and Memorials, here. NPX Feature. Script Available on NPX.
"The Prize (about Dr. Patricia A Bath)" A groundbreaking Black woman ophthalmologist and inventor of laser surgery faces her toughest challenge in a reluctant patient. 1 w., 22 min. 365 Women; Queens Stem Girls, 2021; White Mouse Productions, Orlando FL. 2021; We LOVE Doctors, Words of Choice at The Episcopal Actors Guild, 2022. Available on NPX.
"The Box" In 1948, a young Jewish girl (played by an adult) in Queens helps her parents fill a care package for the man who hid them in Poland during the Holocaust, sorting through memories and new understandings along the way. Based on a true story. [15 min, 1 w] May 2019: Remember the Women Institute, Yam Hashoah reading. Available on NPX.
"A Congolese Refugee Lives to Survive" A woman tries to rebuild her life in a new country after suffering unspeakable violence. Based on an interview by HIAS in South Africa. [7 min, 1 w African or African American] An Afternoon of Theatre and Art at the Ronald Feldman Gallery, NYC, Sponsored by Remember the Women Institute, April 15, 2018. Available on NPX.
"Over the Line: Mamie 'Peanut' Johnson" Baseball player Mamie Johnson becomes the first professional woman pitcher, throwing in the Negro Leagues even as the teams of all-women players refuse to consider her. [10 min. 1 w]. Theater for a New City (cancelled, coronavirus).
"Swimmingly Yours" Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1926, describes how she beat the odds, sexism and the weather, to cross the ocean channel and ride in the first ticker-tape parade to honor a woman, and then to savor those moments as she overcomes new obstacles with hearing loss and physical injury. Multiple performances in Running on Glass and How She Played the Game. Upcoming 2024: Publication, Venus Theatre, Frozen Women, Flowing Thoughts.
"A Knock on the Door" A South Asian lawyer for asylum seekers takes an unconventional route to getting help for a teenager stuck in detention at the border. Julia's Reading Room, League of Professional Theatre Women, Fall 2021.
"Fool Me Once" A rare woman in the field of magic is convinced to take on an apprentice. [6 min., 1 w] The Future is Female Festival, MultiStages Theatre Co.
"In-Visible: A Day In The Life of Isabella Goodwin" -- New York City's first woman police detective goes undercover into the lair of a medical fraudster. 10 x 10 Project: Women in NY who should have statues. [10 min., 1 w.] East Broadway Theatre Project, Manny Cantor Center, NYC.
"Olympic Dreams: Wilma Rudolph" African American runner Wilma Rudolph keeps her eyes on the track -- and much more. [10 min., 1 w] Prized of Accident Theatre Company, 365Women-Charlotte, March 26, 2015; 365Women New York, April 11, 2015, Sheen Center.
"The Note" from "Sisters of Sisters": teen, female; Ginny takes a step of independence, while remembering her sister's solace at a time of need. 3 min. [See Publications, "Monologues for Students Actors II", Roger Ellis, ed.]
"Saving Grace" A woman in a DNA lab takes action when she suspects fellow workers are trying to capitalize on Elvis. 15 min. [See Publications, "Elvis Monologues," LaVonne Mueller, editor.]
"Swinging Marilyns" A group of top-tier women baseball players disguise themselves as Marilyn Monroe impersonators doing before-game entertainment and take over the field, singing 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend.' 10 min. [See Publications, "Baseball Monologues," LaVonne Mueller, editor.]
"Babe: Babe Didrikson" 'She hits better than Babe Ruth,' screamed a surprised Texas boy when Mildred Didrikson wielded a bat and took on the name Babe. 4 min. [See Publications, "Baseball Monologues," LaVonne Mueller, editor.] Also see HOW SHE PLAYED THE GAME, Full-Length Plays. 365 Women Project. RoverWerks 365, Plano TX, March 22-31, 2018.
"Pinhole Camera" from "Strange Light": The camera that Shue inherited from her father is full of memories of their search for the perfect picture. 5 min. CONTATCT for further information. Also see STRANGE LIGHT, Full Length Plays.
"Gretel Bergmann" Despite rampant anti-Semitism, high-jumper Gretel Bergmann, a German-Jewish woman, earns a spot at the 1936 Nazi Olympics. As a result, the USA reverses an earlier vote, and decides to attend. But once the USA sets sail, Bergmann is summarily eliminated. 10 min. [See Publications, "Crossing Boundaries," edited by Susan Bandy; "More Golden Apples," edited by Sandra Martz; "Women Heroes."] Jewish Women You Should Know, Anne Frank Center USA, 2012, featuring Stacey Linnartz; The Shed, Brooklyn, Mar 2014, featuring Stacey Linnartz; Women, Theatre and the Holocaust, 2015, Remember the Women Institute, Center for Jewish History, NY, featuring Stacey Linnartz; Untold Stories of Jewish Women, Museum of Jewish Heritage, NYC, 2018.
"Eleonora Randolph Sears" An adventurous sportswoman, chastized for wearing pants, challenges naysayers of women's abilities. 8 min. [See Publications, "Great Monologues from The Women's Project," edited by Kristin Graham; "Women Heroes" by Applause.] From HOW SHE PLAYED THE GAME, Full-Length Plays.
"Althea Gibson" Shake hands and smash the ball, Althea Gibson tells herself as she enters the tennis courts of Wimbeldon, the first Black person to win the championship. 10 min. [See Publications, "Great Monologues from The Women's Project," edited by Kristin Graham; "Women Heroes." From HOW SHE PLAYED THE GAME, Full-Length Plays.
Now What? Election 2016 Four one-minute journeys following the 2016 election: "The Purple Pantsuit," "Emergency," "Waking Up," "The Odds". [1 m e/ m or w] EST: 3 @Readings, Jan 2017; The Odds @PrimaryStages, Feb 2017, at The Cherry Lane
"Heroes" An American of Middle Eastern descent, delivering messages to the "heroes" wonders why a gang chased him along the way. 7 min. CONTACT for further information.
"Unchained Melody" A woman entering a Northwest bar sees that chainsaws must be checked, but the buzzing she hears is from the memory of her ex. 3 min. CONTACT for further information.
"Eye-Five" Persuaded by his aunt to take pictures of his life in American, a young man of Middle Eastern descent discovers the universal importance of hands in meditation and spirtuality. 10 min. CONTACT for further information.
Also see:
Play Publications
Comic Sketches
Comic sketches of a progressive, political bent:
-Speaker View - What's lurking in the background during a Zoom call? Lightly comic. New Circle Theater Company; Julia's Reading Room, League of Professional Theatre Women; Sacramento
-Good News On The Hill -- Mike Pence, ruminating with his wife about his future, is confronted by a young staffer. [3 -- 1 m, 2 w.]
-Snicker Factor {American Place Theatre, NY; Writer's Voice, NY; dir. Suzanne Bennett & Liz Diamond) including Powerful Women; HOTTIP; Make A Better World.
-Mosaic Jewels, NY (Don't Tell Mama's, elsewhere,dir. Cece Antoinette) including O-004; GOP Diversity.
-Primary Stages, NY (One-Act Plays) A Piece of the Pie American Myths Project.
-Art & Work Ensemble, NY New Friends.
CONTACT:
Cynthia L. Cooper
446 W. 47th St.
No. 1B
New York, NY 10036
Plays@CynCooperWriter.net
Click here for information on
Full-Length Plays;
One-Act and Short Plays;
Plays for Young Audiences ;
Play Publications ;
Bio and Awards
or return to PLAYS-HOME and click on appropriate link.