Wanted (MGP2)

Play 

The Escape

Characters

VandA name means wish, desire. (daughter)
PourAn name means a successor. (mother)
AzAdeh name means free. (friend)


(This play is about a month after Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow's stone death. VandA is Aisha's friend. Women in Iran are fed up. It's the middle of the night in Iran. PourAn and her daughter are in the bed. Their small bag of clothes and necessities are already packed in two small backpacks. PourAn is married. Her husband doesn't know anything about their escape.VandA played sick the night before, so her mother could sleep in the room with her. At 2:06 a.m., there's a flash by the window.)

(Scene 1)
VandA: (who hasn't been sleeping, shakes her mother) Mom, I see a light by my window.
PourAn: (wakes up, smiles) Grab your coat and put on your shoes. We're going on a journey. We will be gone for a while.
VandA: Is daddy going ?
PourAn: No, darling. This trip is for ladies. No men are allowed. Hurry up and be as quiet as possible. I left your father a note. We don't have to wake him up.
VandA: Yes ma'am. (puts on her shoes) I'm ready.
 (They leave the house as quietly as possible. VandA notices how her mother is tiptoeing and opening doors surreptitiously. They go out the side door in the house's utility room. They see AzAdeh peeping into the window on side of the house.)
VandA: AzAdeh, what are you doing?
PourAn: (shushes VandA) Come on AzAdeh. We succeeded. (looks at VandA) Honey, you have to be very quiet. When we get to a place where we can rest, I will tell you about what is happening. If we are caught, we will all die as Aisha did. Do you want that to happen?
VandA: No, mama. I'm scared. I thought we were going on vacation. I don't understand.
AzAdeh: Don't be scared we're leaving, so what happened to Aisha won't happen to you. We're going to the U.S.A. The land of the free.

(picture of a stone death)

 

(Scene 2)

 (They have been walking for  9 days. AzAdeh knew how to get to the border. They took small rests in between days. They only had snacks and water, so they weren't able to eat any real food. They haven't bath since they left. )

VandA: Mom, can we just turn around and go back. I'm so tired. My feet are killing me and I'm hungry. I'm really dirty and I need a bath.

PourAn: Don't you ever, and I mean ever give up on anything! Darling, don't you want to be free? Don't you have a dream? Don't you want to be more than just someone's wife?

AzAdeh: VandA, we're leaving this country for you. We want you to have a better life. We want you to not be killed because of some dumb belief in that so-called religion your father has us believing in. We are all equal. God created us all the same and didn't make any one person better than the next.

VandA: I understand what you mean, but I want to stay in Iran with the rest of my friends and family. Mom, what about our family we left behind?

PourAn: Once we have enough money we will send for them.

(They start back walking . Two miles ahead of them is a small pond. They stop to bathe.)

VandA: I can't do this. I need privacy.

PourAn: Well, wash yourself in your clothes or just wash your face. You complained about being dirty earlier and now you're complaining about this.

AzAdeh: You could wait till we get to America. We don't have far to go. We're very close to the border. 

VandA: . We are on feet not in a car, so stop acting like we're so close. I'm so tired. I just want to go home and get some rest. I feel like this was all a big mistake. I don't care about freedom or anything else.( Her mom slaps her. VandA starts crying.)

PourAn: How dare you? I did this for you. I left my husband for you. I left my mom and the rest of my family for you. You're so ungrateful. All I want is for you to have a better life than I did.

VandA: I don't want a better life. I want to go back home and live the way I have been living. Is that too much to ask?

AzAdeh: Sweetie, I don't think you understand the situation. You are young. Once you are older you will understand much better. You will be grateful that we left for you.

VandA: (getting tired of begging, decides to pretend to be happy) Okay, I'm sorry. I'm just really tired. Let's make it to the border before night, so I can get some rest tonight.

PourAn: VandA, I promise we're making a great decision for you. It may seem hard to believe because of the struggles.

 

Scene 3

(They are really close to the border. They observe the police/guards so they'll know when to cross. They turn their back and Vanda takes off running and screaming. A police notices them. He runs toward Vanda with his gun pointing at her.)

 Police: Stop, Stop where you are !

VandA: I'm not a bad person. I just want to go back to my home.

Police: (calls for help) Where is your home? There aren't any homes for up to 100 miles.

VandA: Our home is far away. My mother made us leave. (She tells the police what has happened starting with what happened when they left the house. )

PourAn says to VandA: I love you, but we're going to die. My daughter has betrayed. Run if you can. Save yourself.

AzAdeh: I will not let you suffer alone. We escaped together. We will be punished together.

 

(The police come and arrest PourAn and AzAdeh. They are taken back to their country. The police meet them and tell them their punishment. They will be stoned to death. They haven't seen VandA since they were brought back to Iran. The Iranians have agreed to stone all three of them. PourAn and AzAdeh have to watch VandA stoned death before they are stoned.)

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited Page

 



Hessini, Leila. "Women's Movements Can Help Arab Women Gain Voting and Other Rights." Voting Rights. Ed. Tom Lansford. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Strategies of Resistance: Women Contesting Islamist Movements in the Arab World." Conscience 27 (Summer 2006): 20-24. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.