Multiple Casualty Incident (NHB Modern Plays) E-Book

Sami Ibrahim

• Herausgeber: Nick Hern Books
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Seitenzahl: 84

Beschreibung

Here, in a London training centre, people prepare to help strangers on another side of the world. There, a city is burning. Here, Sarah gets a meal deal. There, people are in danger. Here, Khaled watches a training video. There, there are men with guns. Here, Sarah and Khaled flirt with each other. There, an aid worker looks after a refugee. Suddenly – here becomes there. In Sami Ibrahim's play Multiple Casualty Incident, roleplay, desire and compassion intertwine, revealing the limits of help, the beginnings of harm and the complexities of humanitarian work. It was first performed at The Yard Theatre, London, in 2024, directed by Jaz Woodcock-Stewart. 'A timely exploration of the ethics of foreign aid' - The Stage 'Unforgettable… when what's actually going on is revealed, the impact is astonishing' - Time Out 'Mind-bending and reality-blending… the political becomes extraordinarily personal in ways [that are] wholly unexpected… does not shy away from the disconcerting questions [about] Western humanitarian aid' - A Youngish Perspective

Leseprobe

Sami Ibrahim

MULTIPLE CASUALTY INCIDENT

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Original Production Details

Characters

Multiple Casualty Incident

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

Multiple Casualty Incident was first performed at The Yard Theatre, London, on 27 April 2024, with the following cast:

KHALED

Luca Kamleh Chapman

NICKI

Mariah Louca

DAN

Peter Corboy

SARAH

Rosa Robson

Director

Jaz Woodcock-Stewart

Set Designer

Rosie Elnile

Costume Designer

Tomás Palmer

Lighting Designer

Zeynep Kepekli

Sound Designer

Josh Anio Grigg

Associate Sound Designer

Hamza Arnaout

Video Designer

Andrew Crofts

Intimacy Coordinator

Raniah Al-Sayed

Casting Director

Jatinder Chera

Assistant Director

Aaron Kilercioglu

Costume Supervisor

Isabelle Cook

Costume Placement

Marina Ambrosone

Production Manager

James Dawson

Company Stage Manager

Julia Nimmo

Assistant Stage Manager

Rhea Cosford

Characters

DAN, thirty

KHALED, twenty-five

NICKI, thirty-nine

SARAH, thirty-three

Time

Some time close to the present.

Setting

A training centre in London.

Notes

A dash ( – ) indicates an active pause.

Sentences without a full stop are unfinished or interrupted.

Accents should probably be avoided.

After the performance, the audience might be given the option to donate to a chosen charity.

This ebook was created before the end of rehearsals and so may differ slightly from the play as performed.

An under-decorated room: stark and white. A few chairs are stacked to one side, there’s a rubbish bin, scraps of paper that haven’t made it in, a kettle and mugs on the floor in the corner, a duffel bag filled with clothes, a backpack, and whatever else you’d find in an empty room.

Stage left there are some double doors leading into the hallway.

Stage right, an emergency fire exit.

NICKI sits in a chair up against the back wall.

Next to her, but not too close, is KHALED.

NICKI I can get you a tea or a coffee or…

KHALED I’m good.

Thanks.

Pause.

NICKI They should’ve told me last week.

KHALED It’s no problem.

NICKI Well I’m sorry.

About that.

Another pause.

I wanted to say there’s a world where you take time off.

KHALED I don’t need time off.

NICKI Okay.

And another pause.

NICKI checks her watch.

I’m just trying to think of

Before they get here

KHALED –

NICKI As in it’s not the same this week, you know, you’ve got to be up for throwing yourself in, trying stuff out.

KHALED I get that.

NICKI Which is great.

KHALED And I’m doing fine, I don’t need people sticking their nose in.

NICKI No one’s sticking their nose in, it’s

Then NICKI’s phone goes off. She rejects the call.

KHALED You can take it, I don’t mind.

NICKI It can wait.

KHALED –

NICKI Look, I’m not trying to tell you what to do but

I think

The more people you have around to…

You know, the easier it’ll be.

And obviously that can be difficult.

KHALED Difficult?

NICKI Sometimes. But maybe you could do with, I don’t know

Her phone goes off again. She sighs.

You know what, is that alright?

NICKI stands, answers her phone –

Hey. Yeah, uh-huh, look. I’m about to

– and leaves the room.

KHALED waits. For a moment. Then he stands. He unstacks a couple of chairs.

SARAH enters.

SARAH Hey.

KHALED Hi.

She puts her bag in the corner of the room.

SARAH Good weekend.

KHALED Fine.

SARAH Get up to anything.

KHALED Not much. You?

SARAH Not much either.

An awkward pause.

KHALED Um. I’m just gonna

KHALED drags a chair over to the centre of the room, places it there. SARAH picks up a chair and puts it next to the first chair.

DAN enters.

DAN All good all good?

SARAH Morning.

DAN Everyone else have a shit weekend?

DAN dumps his bag and helps move a chair too.

I spent a whole Saturday getting a verruca burnt off my foot. I couldn’t get a proper view but they sort of boil it with this needle thing and then scoop it out, sort of looks like a child’s tooth covered in blood. My advice would be never get a fucking verruca, they might as well have stuck my foot in acid, I don’t know why they don’t give you anaesthetic. Honestly, I spent Sunday limping up to the big Asda and back, some guy dropped fifty p in my coffee cup cos he thought I was homeless.

Hey man.

KHALED Hey.

DAN My foot’s fine now.

Where is she?

KHALED Taking a call.

By now, five chairs have been set up in a sort of semicircle in the centre of the room.

It’s quiet.

DAN checks his phone, SARAH goes over to her bag, KHALED takes a seat.

Finally, NICKI comes back in.

NICKI Right, sorry, I’m in the room – how’s everyone doing?

NICKI gets a mumbled response as she goes over to her bag, gets out some sheets.

Who’s got the time?

SARAH Almost ten.

NICKI Perfecto. So we should start with

But NICKI notices not everyone is there.

Ah. Has anyone heard from her?

SARAH Not since Friday.

NICKI Okay, um

DAN Should someone message her?

NICKI No. That’s fine. She’ll have to catch up.

*

SARAH Act, react, reflect.

DAN Someone’s done the homework.

NICKI We do it, we get it wrong, we discuss. Dan.

The group is sat in a circle.

DAN What?

NICKI The point is to engage, there are no right answers.

DAN Just stupid answers.

NICKI And if you give a stupid answer then we do it again. And again. And again because when you’re in the middle of it all, this has to be clockwork, there’s no figuring things out.

Especially where you’ll be.

Especially now.

A beat.

Let’s start with an exercise.

*

KHALED looks at his phone. SARAH drinks a cup of tea. NICKI flicks through some papers.

DAN fiddles with the kettle – maybe he flicks it on and off.

DAN What time are we back?

Pause. No reply.

Hello?

NICKI Ten minutes.

DAN Ten minutes. Does anyone have a phone charger?

*

SARAH I would tell the patient directly.

NICKI She has dementia, she struggles to understand.

SARAH I would still use the translator, I would make it clear.

NICKI And if her son’s trying to find out what’s happening.

SARAH It’s meant to stay confidential.

NICKI But if she’s not listening, if it needs to happen now.

SARAH I’d still use the translator.

NICKI If she refuses.

SARAH Then I’d ask her if I can tell the son.

NICKI If he refuses.

SARAH He wouldn’t.

NICKI He doesn’t want his mum’s leg being sawn off.

SARAH I would explain the situation clearly and

NICKI And if he’s shouting and his mother is scared and wailing and you need the leg to be removed before an infection spreads, how are you making them listen?

Now SARAH hesitates. The rest of the group waits for an answer.

Sarah?

*

SARAH is rooting through her bag. KHALED is eating a sandwich. DAN is sitting in the corner, eating a banana.

SARAH Shit.

DAN You alright?

SARAH I make a sandwich every day, every day I forget it.

SARAH stands, walks over to the double doors.

Anyone need anything from the shop.

KHALED Have this half.

SARAH Oh. Really?

KHALED Yeah.

SARAH What about you?

KHALEDI’m not too hungry.

KHALED holds out half a sandwich.

Ploughman’s no mayo. Fell on the floor but otherwise it’s fine.

SARAH takes the half sandwich from KHALED.

SARAH Thanks.

DAN I’ve got crisps.

SARAH It’s alright.

DAN Always carry a spare Monster Munch.

SARAH I’m good. Cheers.

DAN Suit yourself.

SARAH sits next to KHALED.

SARAH I owe you one.

KHALED Nah, don’t worry.

They eat together, in silence.

SARAH It’s, um, it’s delicious.

KHALED Tesco Meal Deal.

SARAH You can tell – very gourmet.

KHALED laughs.

Sorry, that’s such a dorky joke.

KHALED I like a dorky joke.

They continue eating, in silence. DAN stands –

DAN I need a piss.

– and he walks out. Pause.

KHALED Did that make you lose your appetite too?

SARAH smiles.

SARAH Um, actually

I was gonna

Sorry.

No.

You go.

KHALED So um

Oh.

It’s fine.

They continue eating.

KHALED No, you go.

Pause.

SARAH I just didn’t know if… like I thought I might get a text. From you.

KHALED Oh.

SARAH Not that you had to.

KHALED I would’ve but SARAH It’s really fine.

Pause.

KHALED I meant to but I didn’t really know if you actually wanted me to or

SARAH I did.

KHALED Right.

SARAH Cos it might’ve been nice. If you weren’t up to much.

KHALED Yeah.

SARAH Maybe next time.

*

NICKI Her father’s refusing entry.

A beat. The group watches NICKI and KHALED.

She’s fourteen, she’s pregnant, you’re pretty sure it’s the father who’s

KHALED I know.

NICKI So are you reporting it.

KHALED After I speak to the father.

NICKI He’s not letting her out of the tent, he’s not letting you examine her.

KHALED And I’d have a woman with me for starters.

NICKI He refuses to speak to a female.

KHALED She can speak to the daughter.

NICKI He won’t let you speak to the daughter.

KHALED –

NICKI Are you focusing on the act of abuse or the health of the child?

KHALED –

NICKI How are you getting her out of the tent?

KHALED Sorry but I’m a fucking nurse, no one’s asking me to coax pregnant teenagers out of tents.

NICKI It’s a scenario.

KHALED It’s

okay.

Sorry.

NICKI If it’s too much, we’ll discuss as a group.

KHALED I’m fine, I can keep going.

NICKI It’s okay not to have answers.

KHALED No, I’m good.

NICKI –

KHALED Honestly, I am good.

NICKI –

KHALED I would confront him about the abuse.

*

SARAH and DAN are alone in the room.

DAN She’s still not here.

SARAH Yeah.

DAN See I reckon she quit.

DAN turns on the kettle. SARAH watches him.

SARAH I mean, odds are she’s ill.

DAN She quit.

SARAH Or, like, she needed a break.

DAN She quit.

Cup of tea?

SARAH I’m fine.

Why would she walk out?

DAN That’s what I’m saying cos I know her and she tells me stuff but clearly she didn’t so something’s happened.

SARAH Maybe you don’t know her as well as you think.

DAN I know her.

SARAH She applied like four times.

DAN So what?

SARAH So she wouldn’t.

DAN Okay.

DAN puts a teabag in a mug, waits for the kettle to boil.

SARAH I just don’t think she’s that selfish.

DAN No?

SARAH No.

DAN