Divided City

The Play

Theresa Breslin, Paul Bunyan, Martin Travers, Ruth Moore, Ruth Moore, Paul Bunyan

• Publisher: Methuen Drama
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781408181577
• eBook ISBN: 9781408181591
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

Nominated for ten UK book awards, Theresa Breslin's hit novel tells of how two young boys - one Rangers fan, one Celtic fan - are drawn into a secret pact to help a young asylum seeker in a city divided by prejudice. Now adapted for the stage by Martin Travers, the play has already been produced to great acclaim at Glasgow's Citizens Theatre. Graham and Joe just want to play football and be selected for the new city team, but a violent attack on Kyoul, an asylum seeker, changes everything when they find themselves drawn into a secret pact to help the victim and his girlfriend Leanne. Set in Glasgow at the time of the Orange Order walks, Divided City is a gripping tale about two boys and how they must find their own way forward in a world divided by difference. This educational edition has been prepared by national Drama in Secondary English experts Ruth Moore and Paul Bunyan. Published in Methuen Drama's Critical Scripts series the book: - meets the curriculum requirements for English at KS3, GCSE and Scottish CfE.
- features detailed, structured schemes of work utilising drama approaches to improve literary and language analysis
- places pupils' understanding of the learning process at the heart of the activities
- will help pupils to boost English GCSE success and develop high-level skills at KS3
- will save teachers considerable time devising their own resources.

Act One

Scene One

Night. Reglan Street, Glasgow.

Graham enters, rucksack over one shoulder, eating from a bag of chips. He glances around. The sky is densely overcast and shadows are gathering.

Graham digs deep into the bag to find the last chips. He wipes his mouth and, scrunching up the chip paper, throws it into the air.

Graham Wait for it. Wait for it. Now. Yes! Ya beauty!

The bag comes down; he kicks it and sends it rocketing upwards.

With a bit more fitba practice I’ll be able to crack a ball past any keeper.

He kicks the chip paper as it lands.

And burst the net!

Noise and shouting erupt behind him. Graham knows right away that he’s in trouble. Sound of footsteps. Sound of running. Yells and shouts.

Teenage Thug 1 Get the scum!

Teenage Thug 2 Asylum scum!

Graham turns. Kyoul is racing towards him. Kyoul falls. He tries to get up. He gropes in his pocket, brings out a mobile phone. Starts to punch in a number, changes his mind, looks round in panic.

The outline of the hunters, distorted and elongated gather together, becomes one monstrous creature, then breaks apart. Seeking. Searching.

Graham is frozen to the spot. Kyoul gets to his feet and stumbles past him, limping.

One of the gang appears, shoving Graham roughly aside. The baying of the other boys sounds nearer, shouting and jeering.

Teenage Thug 3 Scum!

Teenage Thug 4 Foreign Scum!

Graham runs over to the entrance of the block of flats nearest to him. He presses himself against the door. The remainder of the gang come down the street. They spot Graham. One of them pushes his face up against Graham’s. The Teenage Thug has a knife in his hand.

Teenage Thug 5 Where’d he go? Where’d he go?!

Graham’s eyes widen in terror. He can’t speak, can’t take his gaze from the knife. The boy raises his knife.

Teenage Thug 5 Speak, ya wee freak!

Graham shakes his head.

Teenage Thug 1 We’ve got him! He’s here!

Teenage Thug 5 lets Graham go. Graham crouches, holding his head in his hands.

The Teenage Thugs drag Kyoul from his hiding place. They gather round him. Punching him. Kicking him. Stabbing him.

Graham wraps his hands and arms all the way round his head.

The Teenage Thugs scatter, leaving Kyoul motionless. Sound of runing away. Sound of distant laughing.

Graham goes slowly forward to look at the huddled body lying on the ground. He sees a puddle of dull red liquid seeping from below the wounded boy; his jacket is open showing his shirt covered in blood.

Scene Two

Chip shop.

Joe enters.

Ensemble Joseph Flaherty.

Joe to his friends.

Also made a chip-shop stop that evening.

Like Graham, he didn’t go straight home after football training on a Friday either.

He got off the bus at the Citizens Theatre and went into a nearby chippy.

Sergio, the shop owner smiles at Joe as he pushes open the door.

Sergio Got them ready for you, Joey.

Joe takes the bag of chips, pulls out the top one, blows on it and bites off the end.

Joe You going to the Celtic v. Rangers match tomorrow, Sergio?

Sergio You daft? I do good business on the day of an Old Firm match. Were you playing tonight?

Joe We stole the game in the last seconds. I’m hoping I get picked for the Glasgow City first team. We’ve a whole set of trials to get through. The sessions are next Wednesday and Friday, and the first game of the tournament is a week on Sunday against Liverpool. All the cities in the UK are taking part. It’s a new cup, a gold cup – the UK Inter-Cities Youth Team Gold Cup.

Sergio Sounds exciting.

Joe Tonight’s goal was a belter. I got the pass across to Graham at the right time. And you should have seen him thump it away. He’s a brilliant player.

Sergio But you put the ball at his feet. That type of play takes brains as well as skill.

Joe It was more like instinct. We understand each other.

Ensemble Joe remembers Friday’s game.

They were covered in muck.

Exhausted.

Joe I’m Joe, Joseph Flaherty.

Graham enters and puts his hand out as if he is shaking Joe’s hand. He hesitates. They freeze.

Graham He must be from St Veronica’s. The Catholic school. The Roman Catholic school. The people my Granda Reid doesn’t like me to talk to.

He exits. Joe and Sergio wave goodbye to each other. Sergio exits.

Ensemble Joe finished his chips.

He went into the city centre to earn some pocket money at his aunt’s hairdressing shop.

Joe rolls up his chip bag and heads it in the air before running around, dodging, swerving, kicking the bag.

Joe The keeper has dived the wrong way!

Ensemble The ball goes whizzing past his ear.

Joe Blootered into the back of the net!

Ensemble Flaherty sent the keeper for a fish supper ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Characters
• Act One
• Act Two
• Divided City: Teaching and Learning Activities
• Back Ads
• eCopyright