Playing on the Periphery: Monologues and Scenes For and About Queer Kids is now available in paperback on Amazon.
Each monologue and scene is a stand-alone piece but together they tell the story of Daphne, Bertram, Zoey, and Robert – four gay third-graders. They may not know it quite yet, but the feelings are there. Before, during and after their third grade year, they navigate social and family pressures just to stay in each other's orbits.
The collection includes:
ALL OF THE NAPKINS ARE WET
a monologue in which Daphne takes a break from an exhausting tea party with exhausting people
HOW TO TIE A CRAVAT
a monologue in which Bertram responds to being bullied by his very best friend Robert
THE CAPTURE, NATURE, AND PURPOSE OF THE (UNFORTUNATELY NON-TERRESTRIAL) POLLYWOG
a monologue in which Zoey tries to make sense of Daphne's choice of friends while she's left alone to hunt for tadpoles
NOT EXACTLY A LULLABY
a monologue in which Robert confesses to his sleeping mother about his turmoil over what he's done to Bertram
THE BENEFITS OF FRINGE POPULARITY AND SOCIAL INVISIBILITY
a ten-minute play in which Daphne attempts to clear Zoey after Zoey's been accused of a prank
THE OBJECT IS TO PREVENT MOISTURE
a short play in which Robert tries to get Bertram to forgive him
WHEN IN THE COURSE OF HUMAN EVENTS...
a one-act play in which Daphne, Bertram, Zoey and Robert take turns choosing what games to play as their summer vacation reaches its peak
Diana Watts (Daphne), Heather J Ives (Zoey), Sergio Guerra (Robert), and Pete Kuhn (Bertram) in the final moment of WHEN IN THE COURSE OF HUMAN EVENTS at Whim Productions’s world premiere of Playing on the Periphery, Kanas City, Missouri, 2023.