Press from What Was Mine To Do
“Good, natural dialogue and believable relationships between the characters on both sides allow us to invest in them.” –Chicago Theatre Beat SYNOPSIS: Embedded reporter Frank Bernhardt and Staff Sergeant Antonio Cruz find themselves held captive in a Taliban prison cell in Afghanistan. Their only hope for release lies in the hands of a Chicago TV news station, 7000 miles away. |
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An excerpt from the first act of What Was Mine To Do. Frank, a reporter, and Toons, a soldier, have been captured in Afghanistan. They have not seen their captors and are still learning about their dark surroundings. FRANK. And there goes the sun… Not that it makes much difference I suppose… How are you holding up, Sergeant? TOONS. … FRANK. You know, when I was on my first deployment I always thought just after sunset- best time for guard duty. No blinding heat, just me and the desert. All that changed though when they started lighting the wells on fire. Night was just as bright as day, and well Sergeant, let me tell you then it got pretty interesting… TOONS. It was supposed to be warm. FRANK. Huh? TOONS. I thought it was supposed to be warm. Afghanistan. Deserts, palm trees. You know all that shit. FRANK. Kandahar’s warm. Most of the time. Oil fields and sand all over the place. TOONS. Well, let’s get going then. We’ll be sippin’ tequila by sunrise. FRANK. With a big old slab of bacon. TOONS. Ooh, shit! FRANK. Mmmmh. TOONS. … FRANK. … TOONS. Hey, Frank? FRANK. Yeah? TOONS. I’m scared, man. FRANK. Me too Sergeant, me too… TOONS. And you can stop all that “Sergeant” shit. You been in with us long enough. FRANK. Yeah? TOONS. It’s Toons, man. FRANK. “Toons”? TOONS. Yeah. Supposed to be short for Antonio. I dunno. FRANK. Bit of a stretch. TOONS. Yeah. Some shit. FRANK. … TOONS. Fuck it’s cold. FRANK. Sure is… Hey, Toons? TOONS. Yeah? FRANK. How long is your chain? TOONS. My…? FRANK. Yeah. Can you reach me? FRANK moves toward the center of the room, between the two bunks. TOONS. I dunno, man. FRANK. Give it a try. TOONS starts moving but he seems to have difficulty getting off this bunk, as though he is afraid to move too far from its safety. FRANK. It’s ok. Nice and easy, You’re doing fine. TOONS, with some effort makes it to where FRANK is sitting on the floor. FRANK. Now come here. FRANK takes the two small blankets and wraps them around his and TOONS’ shoulders. FRANK. How’s that? TOONS. Better. Kinda gay though. FRANK. I guess you can’t have everything. TOONS. Yeah. Thanks. FRANK. How’re the eyes? TOONS. Sting like a mother. Keep tryin’ to see things. FRANK. And? TOONS. Sometimes there’s a flash here, a light there, but unless you’ve got some sparklers you ain’t told me about then… FRANK. Yeah, well it’s pretty dark in here anyway. You’re not missing much. TOONS. Fuckin’ IEDs man. Chinga su madre! Haji may be ugly but at least you can see him comin’. FRANK. Is that what hit us? TOONS. Right under the fuckin’ convoy. Happened right behind us; all that heat and boom, there goes the fuel tank. Mueller got hit in the head right next to me… last thing I saw… FRANK. You’re lucky to be alive. You know that. TOONS. Yeah, lucky… FRANK. Here, let me take a look. With some coaxing TOONS turns his face toward FRANK for inspection. For the first time we can see the terrible wound on TOONS’ face. TOONS’ eyelids have been melted shut. FRANK. You know? I’ve seen worse. TOONS. Bullshit. FRANK. I’m serious. About a year ago, I was... Suddenly there is the sound of the door to the room being unlocked. FRANK and TOONS stand not knowing what to expect. DADULLAH enters with a rifle on his shoulder and a lantern in his hand. DADULLAH. Kenna. <Sit down> FRANK and TOONS are unsure of what to do. They don’t understand what DADULLAH is saying. DADULLAH. Kenna, kenna! Dalta! <Sit down, sit down! There!> DADULLAH motions FRANK and TOONS toward the bunks. FRANK guides TOONS as they move to the beds. FRANK. I think he wants us to sit. DADULLAH. Kenna. <Sit down.> FRANK and TOONS each sit on their own bunk. DADULLAH places the lamp on the floor and then moves toward TOONS and FRANK TOONS. Frank? FRANK. I’m right here DADULLAH. Chop sha! <Shut up> DADULLAH checks FRANK and TOONS’ chains to see that they are secure. DADULLAH. Shabash. <Very good> DADULLAH walks out of the cell. He reenters bringing with him a tray of tea and food. DADULLAH places the tray on the ground between the two bunks. DADULLAH motions for FRANK and TOONS to eat. DADULLAH. Chai. Parata. <Tea. Bread.> TOONS. What’s goin’ on Frank? FRANK. It looks like dinner’s served. |