Mogadishu

Vivienne Franzmann

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781780011806
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Drama
• Index: Literature

A gripping and urgent play about a well-meaning teacher who intervenes on behalf of a troublesome student, with terrifying consequences. Joint Winner of the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 2008.

When white secondary-school teacher Amanda is pushed to the ground by black student Jason, she's reluctant to report him as she knows exclusion could condemn him to a future as troubled as his past.

But when Jason decides to protect himself by spinning a story of his own, Amanda is sucked into a vortex of lies in which victim becomes perpetrator. With the truth becoming less clear and more dangerous by the day, it isn't long before careers, relationships and even lives are under threat.

'A tough, gripping spectacle' Guardian

'Outstanding... Franzmann manages to make all the characters credible and well-rounded, even the damaged perpetrator... She gets to the rotten core of what's going on in these melting-pot battlegrounds... The play of the year? In my book, quite possibly' Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph

ACT ONE

Scene One

Under the stairs. School. A small space somewhere between in and out, public and private. JASON is smoking. Around him are his attendants; JORDON, SAIF, CHUGGS, CHLOE and DEE. They are laughing and pissing about. JASON is in charge. An explosion of laughter; JASON pushes JORDON, who falls into CHLOE. She shrieks lots of ‘fuck you’, ‘gay’, ‘fucking prick’. A bit of shoving and pushing, all good-humoured enough. FIRAT walks down the stairs, sees the group, goes to turn around, looks at his watch, thinks he will be late, reconsiders and hurries past them; but in the pissing about, JASON knocks into him and FIRAT falls onto him. JASON burns himself on his joint.

JASON. What the fuck?

FIRAT. Sorry.

JASON. What you doing, man?

FIRAT. Sorry.

JASON. You burnt me. You fuckin’ burnt me.

FIRAT. Yes. Yes. Sorry.

JASON. He burnt me. He fuckin’ burnt me.

FIRAT. It was accident.

JASON. You burnt a hole in my top.

FIRAT. Sorry.

JASON. This is my favourite top, innit.

JORDON. It is. He wears it all the time.

FIRAT. You bumped me.

JORDON. From Nike Town.

CHUGGS. You bummed him.

JORDON (to CHLOE). I got the same one in blue, like a duck-egg blue. Sick.

CHUGGS. Did you hear what he said? Jas, you bummed him.

Laughter.

FIRAT. I said sorry. What do you want me to do?

CHUGGS. He said he bummed him.

JASON. I want you to go back in time and not to have burnt a hole in my bare fuckin’ expensive Nike top.

FIRAT. Don’t be silly billy.

Barely suppressed sniggers from the others. JASON, embarrassed, starts to laugh.

JASON (laughing). You’s out of order. Who the fuck do you think you are? This is my favourite fuckin’ top and you burnt a fuckin’ hole in it. Callin’ me a silly billy. He’s callin’ me a fuckin’ silly billy.

FIRAT (noting change in atmosphere, smiles and wags his finger). You should not smoke in school.

JASON. Don’t tell me what to do, innit.

FIRAT. Get cancer. In your lungs.

JASON. Don’t tell me what to do, you cunt.

Pause.

Arab cunt.

FIRAT. Please do not say that.

JASON. Paki cunt.

FIRAT. You are racist.

JASON. Do you know me? Do you know anything about me?

FIRAT. You said I was an Arab C U Next Tuesday. You said –

JASON. You burnt my top.

FIRAT. Yes. I have said sorry.

JASON. You are a fuckin’ hoodie-burning, Arab terrorist bomb-making Muslim fuckin’ cunt.

FIRAT. I tire of this.

As he goes to walk away, JASON grabs him. The others are excited by it all. FIRAT is pushed to the floor. JASON is now furious. DEE goes to pull him away, he pulls away from her. Lots of noise. Pulling back, pushing forward. FIRAT on his hands and knees trying to straighten his glasses, picking up his books and his briefcase. JASON holding onto him, hitting him, nasty, meaning it. AMANDA comes down the stairs. She sees the fight and immediately rushes forward to stop it. She pushes her way through them.

AMANDA. Stop it. Boys!

The others cheer and shout, stoking it up, taking no notice of her.

Stop it. Jason, get off him. (She tries to pull JASON away.) Get off him. (To the others.) Don’t just stand there. Get off him. Jason!

They take no notice of her.

JASON. You pussy. I’ll cut you up.

AMANDA. That’s enough.

She gets in between them. FIRAT is on the floor trying to get away.

JASON. Chattin’ shit. Watch. Watch.

AMANDA. Jason, that’s enough.

JASON. Watch. You fuckin’ Paki cunt, Muslim cunt.

AMANDA. Stop it. I said stop it!

JASON. Fuck you.

JASON, full of rage, pushes AMANDA out of the way. She falls to the floor. The rest stop and look at her. Shock. DEE goes to AMANDA. SAIF stops her. AMANDA sits up. JASON feels the change in atmosphere. He turns round sees her on the floor. Registers what has happened. He looks at AMANDA. He looks at FIRAT. He turns and walks slowly away from the scene, followed by the rest of the group trying to appear casual, not worried, bopping. DEE stares at her. FIRAT gets up, trying to straighten his glasses. Puts them on and then looks at AMANDA, at DEE, back at AMANDA.

DEE. Miss?

Pause.

Miss?

AMANDA starts getting up. She doesn’t look at them. FIRAT stares, horrified.

AMANDA. Get to class.

They both look at her.

Now.

Scene Two

AMANDA’s house. Her daughter BECKY is with her. BECKY wear...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Dedication
• Original Production
• Characters
• Mogadishu
• About the Author
• Copyright and Performing Rights Information