A Line in the Sand. Guillermo Verdecchia

A Line in the Sand - Guillermo Verdecchia


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      A Line in the Sand

      by

       Guillermo Verdecchia and Marcus Youssef

      TALONBOOKS

      Contents

       Production History

       Characters and Setting

       ACT ONE

      Scene OneScene TwoScene ThreeScene FourScene FiveScene SixScene Seven

       ACT TWO

       ACT THREE

      Scene OneScene Two

       ALTERNATE SECOND ACT

      Scene OneScene TwoScene ThreeScene FourScene Five

       Endnotes

       About the Author

       Copyright

      For

       Souad and Mark Moussa, in memory

       —M.Y.

      Alejandro and Roberto Verdecchia

       —G.V.

      Thanks to: Karim Alrawi, Robin Benger, Mordecai Briemberg, Dennis Foon, Urjo Kareda, Laila Maher, Doug and Janette Pirie, George Youssef, Roleene Youssef; Norman Armour and Darren Copeland at Wireless Grafitti; Roy Surette at Touchstone Theatre and Donna Spencer at the Firehall Theatre; friends on and around Commercial Drive.

      Special thanks to Tamsin Kelsey for tremendous ­support, patience and more; to Amanda Fritzlan for love, wisdom and level-headed advice; and Zakaraiya Youssef, born the night of our first preview.

       The authors also wish to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of the actors who performed in the Vancouver and Toronto productions.

      A Line in the Sand was first produced in Vancouver at the New Play Centre in April of 1995 with the following cast:

      MERCER: Vincent Gale

       SADIQ: Camyar Chai

       COLONEL: Tom Butler

       NORMAN: Norman Armour

       MARCUS YOUSSEF: Marcus Patrick Youssef

      Directed by Guillermo Verdecchia

       Stage Managed by Michel Bisson

       Designed by Adrian Muir

      The play was revised and presented in Toronto at the Tarragon Theatre in April of 1996 with the following cast:

      MERCER: Vincent Gale

       SADIQ / ACTOR 2: Camyar Chai

       COLONEL / ACTOR 1: Tom Butler

      Directed by Guillermo Verdecchia

       Stage Managed by Kristen Gilbert

       Designed by Glenn Davidson and Sue Lepage

      The text that follows is from the Tarragon production.

      Characters

      MERCER, a Canadian soldier, approximately 20 years old

      SADIQ, a Palestinian boy, approximately 17 years old

      COLONEL, a Canadian soldier, at least 45 years old

      Setting

      The play is set in the desert just outside of Doha, Qatar, ­during Operation Desert Shield in the Persian Gulf in the late fall of 1990.

      Act One

      MERCER is alone in the sand. His gun is out of reach. He ­splashes water from a canteen onto his face. SADIQ enters.

      SADIQ:

      Hey.

      Mister. Man.

      Hey. Military man.

      MERCER stops.

      MERCER:

      Paul James Mercer. Private. 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment. I am serving with the ­multinational coalition—

      SADIQ:

      It is OK. I have no gun.

      MERCER:

      Who are you?

      SADIQ:

      No one. I come in peace.

      SADIQ sets his large nylon bag down and MERCER grabs his gun.

      MERCER:

      Get your fucking hands in the air!

      SADIQ:

      Please, please, it is OK—

      MERCER:

      I said, get ’em in the air!

      SADIQ:

      Don’t shoot!

      MERCER:

      Shut up! Who the fuck are you?

      SADIQ:

      Mohammed Sadiq Hamid. Not soldier—Palestinian. Look, look, nice, nice, no gun, no gun …

      MERCER:

      You’re trespassing. This is a militarized zone under the jurisdiction of the United Nations.

      SADIQ:

      No soldiers here. Only water and sand.

      MERCER:

      It’s close enough.

      SADIQ:

      As you say.

      MERCER:

      So fuck off.

      SADIQ:

      Please, just small moment … It’s OK, I got what you want.

      MERCER:

      Why’s your English so good?

      SADIQ:

      I study extra in school.

      MERCER:

      What for?

      SADIQ:

      My uncle in City of Kansas. Owns many homes. Soon I will go. To America.


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