I feel like I’m walking in another body sometimes.
Drama scene for from play act Sleepless Nights, wherein Carlotta talks to her mother about the possibility of going back into music.
Featured Scene – Sleepless Nights
CARLOTTA: I shouldn’t complain…
BRENDA: That’s right.
CARLOTTA: I wasn’t though, I wasn’t complaining about my current circumstances. I know I have a good life with Tom. It’s a wonderful life.
BRENDA: And you’re a good wife, too.
CARLOTTA: I’m okay, let’s not exaggerate.
Carlotta pours more tea in her mother’s mug.
BRENDA: Thank you, dear, that’s enough.
CARLOTTA: I still can’t help but wonder how life would have been, had I not walked away from music, I was close to even being offered a record deal.
BRENDA: (Beat.) Are you happy?
CARLOTTA: Yes.
BRENDA: (Nonchalantly.) Why should it matter?
CARLOTTA: I think about it.
BRENDA: What for?
CARLOTTA: I miss playing music, the way it made me feel.
BRENDA: What I recall is that you were always frustrated, angry, or depressed. We were getting worried about you at one point but ever since you met Tom and found a career, you’ve been different, carefree. More yourself, I’d say.
CARLOTTA: It was creative frustration. That was normal, maybe I was more emotional, but now I feel like I’m walking in another body sometimes, as if I’m watching myself, and sometimes, when I have a moment to myself, I don’t like who I’m seeing, becoming.
BRENDA: Can’t tell you how many sleepless nights you’d given me. Whenever you’d call I had to be your therapist..sometimes I’d dread you phoning, forgive me but it’s true. That’s what I remember most during those years.
CARLOTTA: What about the music?
BRENDA: MUSIC?
CARLOTTA: MY music!
BRENDA: …What about it?
CARLOTTA: Never mind.
BRENDA: What?
CARLOTTA: I asked you a question and you…(Sighs.)
BRENDA: About your music…
CARLOTTA: Yes.
BRENDA: What do you want me to say Carlotta?
CARLOTTA: Did you like any of it?
BRENDA: Of course I did, but –
CARLOTTA: Why didn’t you ever tell me?
BRENDA: Sure I did.
CARLOTTA: No. You never did. Not once. I had some of the most gifted composers telling me they loved my work but you, you never once encouraged my playing!
BRENDA: Who paid for your tutoring?
CARLOTTA: Dad!
BRENDA: Right. Well, it was OUR decision.
CARLOTTA: I had to beg and plead.
BRENDA: It wasn’t my fault the Academy rejected you.
CARLOTTA: That’s cause…you don’t understand the process.
BRENDA: What process is that? You auditioned and they said no. What more of a process is there than that?
CARLOTTA: That’s not it.
BRENDA: Let’s not–
CARLOTTA: Sometimes you have to audition more than once!
BRENDA: Is that so? Glenda’s kid got in.
CARLOTTA: Who the hell is Glenda?
BRENDA: Not Glenda, Geraldine. Geraldine’s daughter, whatever the hell her name is, SHE got in.
CARLOTTA: That girl?
BRENDA: I remember. For the violin! She was accepted on her violin playing skills, as I recall.
CARLOTTA: What do you want me to say?
BRENDA: Nothing, I’m just telling you.
CARLOTTA: WHAT are you telling me exactly?
BRENDA: Why did she get in and you didn’t?
CARLOTTA: Maybe because she had been playing the violin since she was two years old, and maybe because her family has connections.
BRENDA: Connections? What sort of connections are you referring to?
CARLOTTA: Doesn’t matter. My point is that she was an easy fit. I’m an outsider. Get it?
BRENDA: That is why you didn’t receive acceptance?
CARLOTTA: You and Dad never understood music or really looked into the lives of other musicians. And you don’t understand how those schools do things.
BRENDA: What difference does it all make?
CARLOTTA: I was invited to audition again! They told me to come back the following semester to try again.
BRENDA: And did you?
CARLOTTA: NO!
- To read the full ePlay Sleepless Nights, find purchase button below:
Scene Summary
Drama scene for from play act Sleepless Nights, wherein Carlotta talks to her mother about the possibility of going back into music.
- Genre: Drama
- Length: ~5 minute scene
- Characters: 2 women
- Themes: marriage, dreams, career
- Best For: Drama Scenes
FAQ
A: Monologue Blogger has a play script titled Sleepless Nights wherein the main character Carlotta wonders how her life would have been had she continues on with her music.
A: Monologue Blogger has a collection of scenes from plays titled 10 Plays That Reveal Dysfunctional Family Life.
Related Drama Scenes
- Where are you now? – from Cuts 2
- I’m with you soldier. – from Facing The Sun
- I did something that I wish I hadn’t done. – from The Floating Room
- Will you always hold my arm like this when we walk? – from Carried Away
- Aren’t we all running away from something, Mrs, Maureen? – from The Attic
Scene Source: Sleepless Nights
Sleepless Nights is a drama play script by Joseph Arnone, 2026.
