Robert Csoma is an amateur playwright. He won first prize in an American theater’s monthly playwriting competition in April 2025. Some of his short plays were published in drama anthologies in Fall 2025. One of his short plays was produced in October, 2025 in London, UK, and two of his short plays will be performed in the US in the spring of 2026.
ABOUT THE MONOLOGUE
The Pause That Changes Everything reframes genius not as spectacle, but as self-possession. When Black woman athlete Simone Biles paused “mid-Olympics,” she explained that she “didn’t want to jeopardize the team or her health” and needed to focus on her mental well-being. The outcome proved her decision’s wisdom: Team USA won silver in the team event, and Biles later returned to compete in the balance beam final, earning a bronze medal. What the world initially read as an interruption was revealed to be intelligence, agency, and courage. (Biles has won a total of 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals, making her the most decorated gymnast in history.).
If you enjoy a monologue published in the BLACK WOMAN GENIUS project, we encourage you to reach out to the playwright to tell them so. If the playwright has not included an email address or website, let us know at info@nycplaywrights.org and we'll pass along your message.
EXCERPT FROM THE PAUSE THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING
~ Excerpt published by permission, all rights held by the playwright.
WOMAN
They call us “strong,” like we’re made of steel.Baby, we’re made of light.Light bends - it never breaks.
(stands taller, grin widening)
So yeah, I’m a genius.Not lightning-bolt genius.Everyday genius.The kind that flips expectations midair - lands - smiles.
(raises mug)
Now, if you’ll excuse me…I’ve got another law of physics to break.