Model by: Melpomene Katakalos
A metal gridded wall stands at the back with ladders on either side. A white figure approaches an object that mirrors the wall that lies on the ground.
DON’T LOOK DOWN
By Melody Munitz
No mom, I’m not suicidal. Do you really have to yell at me right now? I’m laying here with a dislocated shoulder in shooting pain and you’re yelling at me? (Beat. Then, half-whispered:) And that’s a pretty insensitive thing to yell in the middle of a hospital, don’t you think? (Beat.) I wasn’t trying to jump. I just fell. (Mumbled to herself:) I’ve climbed those rungs a million times, I don’t know how I slipped. I just, I was just trying to—forget it, it’s not gonna make any sense. (Beat—her mom is waiting for an answer.) I climb the water tower to get away from myself. I know that sounds like some stupid teenage Netflix-original plot device or whatever but… okay I can’t really defend it. It does. But it’s not some spiritual, metaphorical running away thing. It’s very practical. It’s just… If I’m up there, I can’t look down. And if I can’t look down… then I can’t see my legs. Or my stomach. And I don’t have to think about… It’s just… Do you ever think about how many mirrors are in our house? Two in the front hall. Two. And the windows in the kitchen are so fucking reflective at night. And in the day when the TV isn’t on it’s just one big mirror and I have to pass it on the way to my room. And of course there’s the mirror in my room and it’s inside the closet but of course I have to look at it. And then the bathroom, and Matty’s room and your room and just everywhere I go there I am staring me right in the face. And even if there isn’t a mirror every time I look down there I am again and I just can’t stand it! (Beat.) But I’m safe up there. Well I guess I’m not safe—look at me, now I’m fat and broken. But you know what I mean. I hope you know what I mean.
Audio Recording
Monologue Performed by: Teagan Reynolds
Directed by: Melody Munitz
Melody Munitz
Melody Munitz is a rising senior at Penn State, earning a BFA in Musical Theatre and a BA in Psychology through the Schreyer Honors College. First entering into the world of theatre as a performer, Melody grew up performing Off-Broadway, at Carnegie Hall, and at Lincoln Center. At Penn State, Melody has continued to broaden her theatrical passions, delving into playwriting and directing. Last fall, Melody wrote and starred in a one-act play, “On The Line,” which was produced as a radio play and can be found on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This fall, Melody will direct her original one-act play, “Lonely Together,” at Penn State’s Downtown Theatre Center. You can learn more about Melody’s projects and passions at melodymunitz.com
Melpomene Katakalos
Melpomene Katakalos has been a freelance scenic designer for over 20 years, designing over 100 productions on a variety of stages including La Jolla Playhouse, SF Mime Troupe, CalShakes, Cornerstone, and the Arden. In NYC, she has designed off-Broadway at the Clurman, at HERE Arts Center, La Mama, and 45th Street Theatre. International: Beijing and Singapore International Fringes. She was the director of the New Play Design Lab at the Playwrights Foundation, was a co-founder of SF-based Crowded Fire, and her work was featured at the 2019 Prague Quadrennial. Nominations and awards: two San Diego Playbill Awards, two Bay Area Critics Circle nominations, two Barrymore nominations, and Best Set Designer in The East Bay Express. She is a professor at Lehigh University. BFA Ithaca College, MFA UCSD. http://melpomenekatakalos.com/
Plays
Pityriasis Rosea
Don’t Look Down
Promise
Labyrinth
Psalm 104
On Apocalypses
The Heath