WHERE HAVE ALL THE APPLAUSES GONE? 

( a short declamation piece)

Spotlight (snap) Microphone (check 1 2 3 good) Music (let me hear it? Up, down, sustain... out)

I am Luisa...

I was a performer. Indeed a good one. No, exceptional, great, loved, adored.

 I am an actress on a stage play. Musicale is my forte. I sing. I dance. I act. And with every gesture and every punch line I do, There are screams and applauses... ( Thank you! Thank you! Oh, I love you too! See you on my next show!)

Oh how I want to hear that always! So sweet and pleasant...

Nice words from here and there and everywhere! I so love it!

Company call! Green Room is at room number 406. We’ll have a run-through.

Rehearsal once again... When my director say, You Luisa! You’re going to portray the lead again, you better give your best shot. I just smiled and humbly say, Thank you Direk, you just don’t know how happy I am that you chose me again, I will never ever fail you... and the curtain opens once again, all I have to do is do the routine and that’s it. Screams, applauses have come once again...

Months... years...Different stages, different places, different audience, I have encountered once again... with me as the lead, I did it once again...

But at one point... something bothered me... I looked in my mirror... I am not getting any younger and my age doesn’t fit to any younger roles anymore... and I suddenly felt that I am ageing... wrinkles on head... warts on my cheeks... and grey hair... lots of it...

Coldness has plunged into my very spine... like a dagger... slowly... slowly...

It was like performing in front of the stage and yet no one would like to watch...

Feels like floating in nowhere... and you know how it feels?

Painful... like tons of metal had thrown upon me...

 **Where are the screams? Where is the laughter? Where have all the applauses gone?

Can you tell me? Can you tell me please? Can you? Can you?

Please! I’m begging you... tell me... tell me... oh please I am not going anywhere, I’ll stay here. This is my palace, this is my kingdom, this is mine, mine, mine! I can't live without it, its my LIFE! its my whole LIFE!

And as the curtain close... I say goodbye dearly to you... my beloved audience... til next play... goodbye... goodbye...