Short Arabic Plays

An Anthology

Salma Khadra (ed.) Jayyusi

• Publisher: Interlink Books
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9781566564694
• eBook ISBN: 9781623710644
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Drama
• Index: Literature

It is only in fairly recent times that Arab writers have turned their hands to the theater. This collection of nineteen short plays is evidence of the remarkable strides made as numerous playwrights have come to grips with the problems and potential involved with this genre. The essence of the collection is its sheer variety. The subject matter ranges from the horrors of a political prison camp to the comic tribulations of furtive lovers trapped in a minefield, from historical fable to the world of official bureaucracy, while dramatic treatments range from the conventional to the highly experimental, some using surreal techniques—now disturbing, now hilariously amusing. Many of the plays use humor or pungent satire to address distinctively Arab issues and problems, whether these have their source outside or inside the Arab world itself. The collection gives a valuable insight into a fast-changing and increasingly distinctive area of modern Arabic literature. Featured authors and plays: Yusuf al-'Ani -- Where the Power Lies Fateh Azzam and others -- Ansar Samia Qazmouz Bakri -- The Alley Mahmoud Diyab -- Men Have Heads Ahmad Ibrahim al-Fagih -- The Singing of the Stars Alfred Farag -- The Person Tawfiq al-Hakim -- Boss Kanduz's Apartment Building Tawfiq al-Hakim -- War and Peace Jamal Abu Hamdan -- Actress J's Burial Night Walid Ikhlasi -- Pleasure Club 21 Riad Ismat -- Was Dinner Good, Dear Sister? Raymond Jbarra -- The Traveler Sultan Ben Muhammad al-Qasimi -- The Return of Hulegu 'Ali Salim -- The Coffee Bar Mamduh Udwan -- The Mask Mamduh Udwan -- Reflections of a Garbage Collector Sa'd al-Din Wahba -- The Height of Wisdom Sa'dallah Wannus -- The Glass Café Sa'dallah Wannus -- The King's Elephant

ANSAR

A TRUE STORY FROM AN ISRAELI MILITARY DETENTION CENTER

Written in workshop by

Fateh Azzam
Ismail Dabbagh
‘Abed Ju‘beh
Nidal Khatib

AND DEDICATED TO

the detainees behind the barbed wire of

Ketziot Military Detention Center, known among Palestinians

as ANSAR 3. This play represents our humble attempt to have their message reach the world: that out of pain comes sacrifice, hope, and insistence on human values and on a better tomorrow,

a free tomorrow.

Characters

ZAHRAN MUSA, a young man, 27 years old

SA‘ADEH NABULSI, a teenager, 16 years old

PEUGEOT, an Israeli soldier

MILITARY PRISON DOCTOR

ABDALLAH LIFTAWI, in his mid-30’s

KIFAH, 17 years old

ZAHRAN MUSA’S FATHER, a blind man

ZAHRAN MUSA’S SISTER, in her mid-30’s

VOICES OF SOLDIERS

VOCIES OF OTHER DETAINEES

ANSAR was first produced by Al-Masrah for Palestinian Culture and Arts, now the Palestinian National Theater, in East Jerusalem, the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

ACT ONE

Scene 1

Reception at Dahriyyeh Detention center

The stage is dark. We hear the distant sounds of running and shouting, coming closer as the lights slowly fade up. We see two young men in their street clothes, handcuffed and blindfolded, being beaten as they run on the spot.

The cyclorama backdrop is a deep blue, with a large full moon in the upper stage right corner. This remains the case throughout Act One, except where changes are indicated.

The two actors suddenly freeze. The sounds they are making stop as they begin their dialogue, tense and agitated.

ZAHRAN: We got off the bus.
SA‘ADEH: One by one.
ZAHRAN: One by one.
SA‘ADEH: We couldn’t see.
ZAHRAN: Step by step.
SA‘ADEH: Quick. Quick!
ZAHRAN: Why?

SA‘ADEH: They’re beating.
ZAHRAN: Shit! How many?
SA‘ADEH: I don’t know. A lot.

ZAHRAN: Yalla,¹ you only die once. Quick!
SA‘ADEH: Wherever you’re going.
ZAHRAN: The blind leading the blind.
SA‘ADEH: You’ll get it too.

ZAHRAN: AAAH!
SA‘ADEH: He got it.

As ZAHRAN is hit, SA‘ADEH becomes an Israeli soldier nicknamed PEUGEOT. There follows a Scene of beating where each actor stays in his own space and the dialogue is overlaid.

PEUGEOT: Come on, get moving –

ZAHRAN: AAAH!

PEUGEOT: Yalla! Move – go on – quick – hah! Yalla! (Repeated blows.)

ZAHRAN: OW! Aaah – oh – aah – ow – aaaow! (Repeated blows.)

PEUGEOT: When you hear your name, you say: “Here, Captain!” And you memorize your number. Yusef!

ZAHRAN: Huh?

PEUGEOT: 1786!

ZAHRAN: What?

PEUGEOT: Abdallah.

ZAHRAN: What’s my name?

PEUGEOT: 1787!

ZAHRAN: I forgot my name.

PEUGEOT: Sa‘adeh.
ZAHRAN: I should remember.
PEUGEOT: 1788.

ZAHRAN: My name!
PEUGEOT: Zahran!

ZAHRAN: Zahran, er – here, Captain!
PEUGEOT: 1789!

ZAHRAN: One thousand – seven hundred –
SOLDIER 2: Come on. Come on!
ZAHRAN: Zahran. Zahran Musa.
SOLDIER 2 (striking him): 1789!

ZAHRAN: One thousand – seven hundred.

A blow sends them both reeling to the other side of the stage.

Scene 2

At the Doctor’s

VOICE: Yalla, take them off. Ishlah!²

ZAHRAN: What? What did he say?

SA‘ADEH: He said take your clothes off.

ZAHRAN: Take what off? Forget it!

SA‘ADEH: Strip down to your underwear, man.

ZAHRAN: Forget it! My underpants are in tatters. I won’t undress!

SA‘ADEH: Look at this idiot. He’s up to his ears in shit, but he’s bashful! Don’t be stupid. Take them off, or they’ll beat you to death.

ZAHRAN: Shit! Shit, I say! I’m half dead already. I’m not doing it!

VOICE: Ishalah!

ZAHRAN: I’ve taken them off.³

ZAHRAN, half undressed, walks past the doctor to lie down on the black box representing the examination table.

DOCTOR: UP, UP, UP! On the red line, now! Your number?

ZAHRAN: 1789.

DOCTOR: Turn around.

ZAHRAN (showing his bruises): You see? Here – here – and here.

DOCTOR: Okay, okay, okay. What?

ZAHRAN: What? What?

DOCTOR: What? What? What? What’s wrong?

ZAHRAN: What, what, what’s wrong? Can’t you see what’s wrong? Look, they beat me, they broke my bones!

DOCTOR: Oh, so they beat you. Like this? (Beats him.) And this? And this?

As the DOCTOR beats ZAHRAN, they both move across to stage left and fall behind the black box.

Scene 3

Prison Uniforms

ZAHRAN: AAAch – you call that a doctor? A vet would be better – my ear’s on fire. (He puts on his prison uniform.)

ABDALLAH: Aaach – AAAh – Ooooh!

ZAHRAN: For God’s sake stop that Aaach of yours! Get dressed. God damn it – damned life. (Puts his hand to his ear.) What’s this? Blood? I’m bleeding!

ABDALLAH: Where are my clothes?

ZAHRAN: Sons of bitches –

ABDALLAH: Hey you, what’s your name, where are my clothes?

ZAHRAN: They’re right in front of you, man. What are you, blind?

ABDALLAH: Yes.

ZAHRAN: What’s that? Blind? Blind? You mean blind?

ABDALLAH: Yes, yes, blind. Now help me find my clothes. Before they come back.

ZAHRAN (helping him): What the hell are you doing here anyway?

ABDALLAH: They said I was throwing stones.

ZAHRAN: What do you mean, throwing stones?

ABDALLAH: I don’t know. Ask them.

ZAHRAN: But you can’t see!

ABDALLAH (laughs): Tell them that. (Pause as they continue to dress.) Animals – drunken bastards.

ZAHRAN: Probably.

ABDALLAH: Probably. Can’t you smell? They stink to high heaven.

ZAHRAN: That Peugeot guy’s drunk all right, the son-of-a-bitch.

ABDALLAH: (Short pause. He stretches his hand in the vague direction of ZAHRAN.) Abdallah. Abdallah Liftawi, from Jenin.

ZAHRAN: Zahran Musa, from Dura.

ABDALLAH: Dura Hebron? I’m stuck with a guy from Hebron? (They both laugh.)

ZAHRAN: Your lucky day, eh?

Slow fade begins.

ZAHRAN: Look, it’s getting dark.

ABDALLAH: No!

ZAHRAN: I’m sorry.

ABDALLAH: Don’t worry about it. You think seeing’s only with the eyes?

They are in darkness now, with the cyclo still in deep blue showing their silhouettes. A full moon has risen.

ZAHRAN: Abdallah.

ABDALLAH: Mmm?

ZAHRAN: What...

Table of contents

• COVERPAGE
• Short ARABIC PLAYS
• TITLE
• COPYRIGHT
• CONTENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• WHERE THE POWER LIES
• ANSAR
• BAGGAGE
• THE ALLEY
• MEN HAVE HEADS
• THE SINGING OF THE STARS
• THE PERSON
• BOSS KANDUZ’S APARTMENT BUILDING
• WAR AND PEACE
• ACTRESS J’S BURIAL NIGHT
• PLEASURE CLUB 21
• WAS DINNER GOOD, DEAR SISTER?
• THE TRAVELER
• THE RETURN OF HULEGU
• THE COFFEE BAR
• THE MASK
• REFLECTIONS OF A GARBAGE COLLECTOR
• THE HEIGHT OF WISDOM
• THE GLASS CAFÉ
• THE KING’S ELEPHANT
• NOTES
• BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES