Maracaibo Mad by Nora Louise Syran

(An 8 minute monologue) A woman stands looking out over the oil rigs on Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela. She's trapped. The borders are closed and there's nowhere to go but up or down.
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Maracaibo Mad

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  • John Busser:
    10 Feb. 2023
    “ Rich with detail and so very evocative in setting the scene, this is a wonderfully written monologue by Nora Louise Syran. The POV here is telling. The person describing the absolute ruin and squalor here from the perspective of the outsider's privilege makes you ponder just how so many born to that locale survive such hardship. The humanity on display, or lack thereof in some instances tell so much in just a few pages. Would love to see this performed. ”
  • Scott Sickles:
    26 Apr. 2022
    “ When reading a monologue, the first question on my mind is “who is this person talking to and why?” Especially when that monologue is or includes a reminiscence.

    MARACAIBO MAD is the best kind reminiscence: one where atmosphere and immediacy pressurize what must be said to those who must hear it. Syran tells an intimate, human story, filled with personal and global history. She putr you right in the thick of it and for 8 minutes you are watching encroaching storms in Venezuela. Her privilege means nothing. Her time has run out. There is no escape. ”
  • Vivian Lermond:
    20 Aug. 2021
    “ Syran delivers a powerful and poignant atmospheric monologue. Her carefully constructed use of language syntax helps to shore up the mood, the internal conflict and the character's cutting anxiety. This monologue is a performance treasure! ”

Monologue; A woman.