The dialogue takes place between a mother and daughter arguing in the bread aisle of a Walmart. Their voices get louder as the argument escalates, with the daughter accusing the mother of never letting her grow up and the mother threatening to hit the daughter in public. Onlookers are stunned as the daughter insults the mother by implying the father is cheating on her. The mother storms off with the daughter in tow. The monologue is from the perspective of a girl who feels alone and broken inside due to her father's addiction issues. She wants to believe he will change but knows from past experience that he won't stop drinking and abusing pills. Though she puts on a happy face for others, inside she is

1. Example Student
Activity 2: Creating Dialogue/Imagining Character
THEA 2305: Intro to Theatre and Dance
PART I ~ The Dialogue
CHARACTERS
Mom………………………………………………Forty year old
Mother, Caucasian
Daughter…………………………………………Sixteen year old,
Caucasian female
This conversation takes place in a Wal-Mart store in Little
Rock, Arkansas 2013
WALMART SCENE
(It’s quiet and crowded)
(We hear loud voices in the distance)
(We’re on the bread isle. There are quite a few people on the
isle. On the far left shelf there’s bread and on the far right there
are little Debbie snack cakes and goodies, this is center.
Directly across from the bread are the frozen pizzas and other
frozen food items.)
(A woman in her early 40’s is searching for the right bread to
buy.)

2. (She is wearing a nice pair of jeans with a black and white
striped shirt and UGG boots because it’s cold outside.)
(She is having a conversation with her daughter quietly when all
of a sudden her daughter starts speaking louder.)
DAUGHER
But, please?
(She groans anxiously)
MOM
(She glances at her daughter in annoyance)
NO! And I mean no.
(She begins reading the bread labels)
DAUGHTER
But mom, it’ll only take a…. (Mom interrupts)
MOM
(She drops the bread and immediately turns to her daughter)
N.O. NO means no! I don’t care how unfair you think it is I’m
not letting you!
DAUGHTER
(She pauses)
(She groans)
You always do this mom! Every time we go somewhere you

3. never let me leave from under your arm! When are you going to
let me grow up?!
(Both voices continue to get louder)
MOM
Don’t get that attitude with me young lady or I’ll whoop you
right here in front of all of these people!
(Everyone is staring at the two)
DAUGHTER
Oh, that’ll make you look like mom of the year. Wouldn’t it?!
I’m not a child anymore!
MOM
Stop! You’re making a scene!
(She grabs her daughters arm)
That’s it we are leaving and I’m telling your father!
(Suddenly it seems as if time has stopped. Everyone has stopped
what they
were doing and are just staring at the two arguing)
DAUGHTER
I don’t care. The hell will he do? He’s probably cheating on you
anyways. If I were him I know I would!
(a longer pause)
(Everyone is in awe)

4. MOM
(she looks shocked and upset)
Th-That’s it! I’ve had it with your mouth! You’re grounded!
Keep your mouth shut and don’t say anything else to me. I don’t
know what’s wrong with you. Let’s go!! NOW!!
(They both walk away, the mother pushing the cart, leaving the
bread behind, ashamed and embarrassed they walk with their
heads down and fail to make eye contact)
PART II~ The Observation
Creating a Monologue
She sits alone in the student center everyday. She sits at the
same table with nobody to talk to. She has a blank piece of
paper on the table in front of her. She sits there quietl y, tapping
her pen on the table. She pretends to be the happiest girl alive;
she’s friendly, helpful, soft-spoken, headstrong, confident,
beautiful, intelligent, but if you truly look at her you can see
that something isn’t right. If you look closely you can see that
she truly feels sad, hurt, and broken on the inside. She feels all
alone in the world as if there isn’t anyone who’s there for her.
She hides behind a smile and a laugh so vibrant that nobody
could ever figure out that underneath it all there are problems.
She is the type of person that you can go to for anything and no
matter what she’ll try and help you. She cries all of the time
because she grew up without a father just a single mother and
two older siblings. Her father cares more about booze and pills
than he does about her. She wants to believe that he’s going to
change because time after time he tells her that he will. But they
always end up at the same broken road. She would love for him

5. to stick to his word and never turn to booze and pills again to
prove that he does care about her but deep down she knows that
no matter how much she wants it to happen, it won’t. She has a
secret, a big one. She is scared to let the world know that she’s
upset and that she isn’t this happy headstrong vibrant girl that
everyone thinks she is, that she does hurt a lot, that she is
broken and her family has issues that are worse than anyone
could imagine. The reason that nobody knows about this feeling
she has is because she doesn’t want to bring the people ar ound
her down. She cares more about the people around her and
keeping them happy than she does about herself. She always
puts other people before herself. She doesn’t want people treat
her differently or “pity” her based on her father’s actions. She
makes it hard for people to have a close relationship with her
because of the way her father hurt her. Even though she
wouldn’t accept the sincerest apology from her father and the
way he’s treated her she would still love to hear one. She sits
and tries to think about what to write on paper to a letter she
wants to send her father but every time she picks up the pen and
puts it to the paper she can’t think of the words to write. So, she
sits there and taps her pen at the table hoping that one day the
words will flow out like blood going into a needle.
Part II~ The Monologue
GIRL
Do you realize how much pain you’ve caused me my entire life?
You come in and out of my life as you please. One minute you
say you want to change and the next you’re back to drinking
alcohol again and who knows what else! I mean, what is it? You
sober up for a few months then you screw it up again?! FOR
WHAT!!? That’s why when I turned eighteen I didn’t want
anything to do with you. I’m glad that my mother took full
custody of me, otherwise who knows what would’ve happened
to me. You want to blame my mom for me never wanting to
come around once I could drive but did you ever think it was
because once I was old enough I figured out what was honestly

6. going on!?! Do you honestly think my mom would continue to
protect your addiction? No. I’m old enough to know what’s
really going on. When you’re sober all you talk about is how
you’re going to make it up to me and how you won’t get into
alcohol and drugs again but once you get a drink you’re al l
about that “liquid courage”. You insult my family not to
mention me, you disappear from your house and are nowhere to
be found for days, and then you expect that saying you’re sorry
again is going to cut it? NO!!! I’M DONE!!! I’m sick of putting
myself through this believing that you’re going to change
because you won’t, you haven’t and you never will!!! You will
never be a real father to me. You’ve never been there for me
and I don’t know why I ever expected you to be. You can say
that you’re sorry as many times as you want to but actions
speak louder than words. “I’m sorry” just won’t cut it this time
and neither will “I’ll stop drinking and doing pills” because the
truth is you’re never going to change and you’ve shown me that
time and time again. I’m not going to let me hurt you anymore.
It ends here. You are no longer welcome in my life, you aren’t
willing to get help for your addiction or do anything to stop it
so here is where it ends. I hope your addiction is worth it
because I’m your only daughter and there are no more chances
left for you. Goodbye.
BYRD’S BOY
By Bruce J. Robinson

7. CHARACTERS
Birdie McCauley…………. thirty-something years old,
African-American woman
Byrd…………………………sixty-eight, Caucasian

8. The offstage voice can be either the stage manager or recorded.
The play takes place in Baltimore—in a waterfront
warehouse and a small office.
It’s 1988.
BYRD’S BOY
By Bruce J. Robinson
SCENE ONE
(It’s dark.)

9. (We hear a mournful cry in the distance.)
(We’re in a warehouse. It’s empty save for a pile of boxes
left, a small
box right, and a large closet on its side. This is center.)
(Up right is the entrance to the warehouse. Above the door
and
stretching across the top of the wall is a bank of dirty
windows.)
(A man who seems to be in his late-60’s is standing on the
door looking
to the horizon with old binoculars.)
(He’s grizzled, wild-eyed in tattered clothes and hat. He
has a brown box
mounted on a belt that’s over his shoulder.)
(He takes the binoculars from his eyes. He looks
confused, passionate,
ominous, and haunted.)
BYRD
Now!
(he beats rhythmically on the box. He listens for a
response. There is
none. Once more, he beats.)
Now!!! Reporting for duty, sir!! (saluting)
Primed to pioneer! Poised to shoulder the load! Whatever that
load might be…sir!
I’m here awaiting orders. This, time, you can count on me.

10. Just tell me…tell me.
Why am I here? Dark. It’s dark. But though it’s dark, I shall
guide us truly home.
(as he salutes, he grabs his head in agony)
Now!!!
(The last word echoes.)
(The old man lifts a lid on top of the closet and gets in.)
(There’s a moment of silence.)
A MAN’S VOICE (offstage)
An hour late!!
A WOMAN’S VOICE (offstage)
Sorry, sir.
A MAN’S VOICE
Sorry!! I’ll make you sorry! You’re hear ten years!?
A WOMAN’S VOICE
Twelve, sir.
A MAN’S VOICE
Wanna stay another ten!?
A WOMAN’S VOICE
Yessir.
A MAN’S VOICE
I don’t believe you.
A WOMAN’s VOICE

11. Yessir, Mr. Stewgill
A MAN’S VOICE
Then don’t make trouble for me! Uncerstand?
A WOMAN’S VOICE
Yessir.
A MAN’S VOICE
You’re the night-watchman, Birdie! You stop trouble! Your
sitter don’t show, the kid stays alone. You people want it all on
a silver platter! You want this job?!
(A car starts.)
A WOMAN’S VOICE
Very much, sir.
(The car roars off. The warehouse door violently swings
open.)
(The woman is Birdie McCauley. She’s a 30-ish African-
American woman.)
(As a flashlight beam bathes a bunch of boxes)
Stewgill…take this job and…and…too-bad I’m a God-fearing
Christian or I’d tell you what to do with it! Jeez-muh-
(flicking on light)
knees…take that, Stewgill! (kicking a box) That’s what I
shoulda done. Do nothing! Say nothing! Miss Birdie McCauley
say nothing. Shoulda said, “Listen Stewgill: I don’t need your
fat butt! I leave you, Punk! I move out to LA-LA Land to
brother Willie! He asked me! I been asked! Who needs you!?
I’m goin’. I’m…I’m…”
(recessive—grabbing stomach)
Shoot. Wouldn’t you know this’d happen on a day I’m retaining
more water than the Hoover Dam? Men!

12. (From her flask, she takes a slug.)
Yessss. Now I can breathe again. Stewgill! Stewgill!
(mocking herself)
No! “I’m sorry, Mister Stewgill Boss-man. Take me! Buy me!
Brand me!
(smashing down flask on box)
“Bend me over! Bend me over! Bend me--!
(But she stops herself.)
(Contemplates flask-crossing to light.)
Five bucks. K-Mart. That reality That’s a fine flask.
(She switches off the light.)
(Her flashlight darts around the dark stage.)
(She exits.)
(Silence.)
(We hear what sounds like a cough. The door flies open)
Whozat!? Anyone here…anyone! Best be warned. I got a gun! I
got a gun!
(to herself)
…back in the office.
(yelling)
Anyone here?
(to herself)
What if someone say “no?”
(She wades into the room.)
Nobody here but us rodents, right? Now listen here….all rats,
and mice and rodents…I like you. You quiet-like. But I catch
you running around here. I carve off your hairy keisters with a
carving knife.
(She turns to go. Turns back.)
I trust we understand each other.
(She turns again, just as Byrd darts out of sight.)

13. (She turns on MARVIN GAYE’s “Precious Love” on the
boom box that she has
been carrying with her.)
(She exits through the warehouse door. “Precious Love”
fades into the distance.)
END OF SCENE