You Said You Hate Teaching

Rick is a dancer badly injured and whose career is hurting while trying to take care of his family in this one-act eplay No Shadow Can Touch.

ALLY: You said you hate teaching.

RICK: If it pays the bills.

ALLY: You can’t teach.

RICK: I could teach, but I don’t want to teach.

ALLY: I mean, it is an honest living…with all your credentials, there’s nothing wrong with it.

RICK: I have to take care of us, Ally.

ALLY: Couldn’t your manager Martin find you–

RICK: Forget Martin…he’s no help to me anymore. Let’s face it, I could sing, but I can never dance again. My ankle will never be the same, no matter how hard I train, the pain doesn’t improve and I’m not going to end up doped up on pills every night if I were to land a show. I won’t last…my accident was the worst thing that ever could have happened to me, Ally. It was like someone put a curse straight through my heart. Things were working out, everything was going the best it had ever gone, I felt unstoppable. Now we have Gregory and what am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to put food on the table for my family? Martin’s turned his back on me anyway, he knows I can’t dance anymore, Ally! He wants me to become some lounge singer for his friend’s new place, I mean come on, is that what I’m being reduced to, after being on Broadway all those years? It’s like someone pulled the plug before I ever had a chance to peak and I needed to peak, I wanted to peak, I needed the security for you and Gregory and now I’m left with a few lousy options, if any…why do you just stare at me like that?

ALLY: I’m letting you talk.

RICK: Say something.

ALLY: We’re going through a hard time but it won’t be forever.

RICK: …I remember as a kid when my father lost his job, my family was never the same after that.

ALLY: Not everything is dollars and cents.

RICK: It has to be. We have a family now.

ALLY: I can get a job too, you know. My mother can come and help watch Gregory. I can take up some work again somewhere, something part time.

RICK: No freaking way.

ALLY: It will help us.

RICK: I said no! I promised you, I promised you after you were diagnosed that I wasn’t gonna let you kill yourself in one of those soul-sucking jobs again! And I’m not going back on my word, Ally. You can do other things in your life but I don’t want you wasting your hours in one of them jobs, being treated like dirt, no way, we’re not going back there!

ALLY: But plans change.

RICK: I don’t want them to change!

  • To read the full one-act ePlay, find purchase link below:

No Shadow Can Touch by Joseph ArnoneIn the one act eplay No Shadow Can Touch, Rick and his wife Ally try to figure out how they will survive raising their son now that Rick’s dancing career has come to an end.  1 Woman, 1 Man.  Drama.

Purchase ePlay

Monologues from Plays

Monologues From Plays

Monologue Blogger offers a wide range of monologues from plays. We invite you to have a look: Monologues from Plays

Joseph Arnone

CREATE