THE COLOR OF STATIC
A MONOLOGUE BY FAEOWYNN WILSON
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THE STAGE begins in darkness, as all house lights FADE DOWN.
A LIGHT turns on overhead, creating a spotlight on the stage over a GIANT CATERPILLAR.
THE GIANT CATERPILLAR wriggles about aimlessly on the stage.
Fae (vo)
As a child, my father fell in love with caterpillars. He always preferred them to any other animal.
THE LIGHT turns off. A second spotlight appears, center stage. Two MANNEQUINS, one small and one tall, stand in THE LIGHT. They watch THE GIANT CATERPILLAR move about aimlessly.
Fae (cont.) (vo)
It's only natural that as an extension of his love for them, he called me "his little caterpillar" when I was born, a nickname he continued to call me for years…
THE SECOND SPOTLIGHT turns off. The stage remains in darkness.
Fae (cont.) (vo)
… Even after I had emerged from my chrysalis, having completed my metamorphosis.
SCENE CHANGE:
THE LIGHTS burst into COUNTLESS BUTTERFLIES, which fly around the theater producing flashes of colored lights as they sail through the air. After a minute, they return to THE LIGHTS overlooking the stage.
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Fae (vo)
But let's go back a little bit, to when I was still in my chrysalis. I had recently graduated high school; having had to be homeschooled for the last two years of it because I was a walking target for being openly trans. I went from San Diego and off to NYC for college to study accounting. Not my dream, but I was good at numbers and it was a high-paying job so my mother encouraged me to pursue it. It was there that I met someone. Let me tell you about it.
A spotlight turns on, illuminating a green cocoon with the silhouette of an adult MANNEQUIN within it. The cocoon pulses.
Fae (cont'd) (vo)
Girl meets boy. Boy tells girl she's beautiful. Girl believes him. Girl takes off her clothes. Boy wants her for what she's packing.
A SECOND MANNEQUIN appears behind the cocoon. It attempts to rip the green silk to get to the FIRST MANNEQUIN within the cocoon.
Fae (cont'd) (vo)
It was my first sexual experience, the first time I felt wanted, and I never felt more disgusting in my life.
The SECOND MANNEQUIN's hand enters the cocoon, but is dissolved. The cocoon closes itself up again as the SECOND MANNEQUIN disappears.
Fae (cont'd) (vo)
It wasn't all bad, though. I did meet friends.
A LIGHT shines on stage right, where A BOULDER in the shape of a cocoon sits.
Fae (cont'd) (vo)
Her name was Katie. It wasn't always, and I could only call her that when it was just us two, but I'm grateful I found her. We would go out and drink coffee at any of NYC's plurality of coffee shops and talk about books we were reading. It formed a lifelong interest in writing for me, which I have pursued self-publishing for.
The LIGHT turns off.
Fae (cont'd) (vo)
We graduated. I went back home to my mother who was dying of cancer. My father would not face her.
The LIGHTS turn back on, revealing three MANNEQUINS; two on center stage, one is in visible disrepair and is laying on a bed, being comforted by the second, and the third is walking off-stage left.
Fae (cont'd) (vo)
I held her hand as she died. And my father? He was too busy working. Chasing his dream. Working with animals, you know the type.
(laughing)
I guess now it's my dream too.
The LIGHTS turn off once more.
Fae (cont'd) (vo)
But again, it's not all that bad. Had it not been for me following my father up to Oregon to demand answers, I wouldn't have learned about this magical world we live in. I wouldn't have met the love of my life. I wouldn't have found greater purpose.
The LIGHTS turn on one last time. The stage is empty. FAE walks onstage from stage right.
Fae (cont'd)
Women like me don't get invited onto The Vagina Monologues. For this reason, I would like to thank my friend Duplo for helping me put on this vent piece, "The Color of Static", for all of you tonight. I would like to thank my wonderful fiancé Alex. I would also like to thank some people who are no longer with us; my father Tim, my mother Audrey, and my old friend Katie Calhoun. That's right, she is why we are gathered here tonight.
(she sighs)
All proceeds from tonight's ticket sales will go towards sponsoring transgender youth to have a place to live at and a job for the summer at my NPO, Wilson's Wildlife Solutions, for our initiative, Katie's Gift. Thank you. Please enjoy the rest of the show, Pseudogenesis Productions has a great selection of one-act plays, monologues, and performances for you tonight. And once more, thank you for entertaining my monologue.