Genre: Drama, Stage Play

Length: 90 minutes, no intermission

Casting
Please cast without regard to race, ethnicity, or skin color.
1 woman, twenties
1 woman, fifties
1 man, thirties
1 man, forties-fifties

Synopsis
A young female interrogator wrestles with the question of how far to go in seeking the truth from her very clever subject without regard for his guilt or innocence, while dealing with pressure and sexual harassment from above.

Excerpt
Joey: Don’t you want to see your family again? And when you do, don’t you want to be healthy? Wouldn’t you like to see the sun?
Bert: Do you have kids? When they ask what you do at work, what do you tell them?
Joey: Tell me about that terrible time, starting last May. Tell me who you worked with, what they did and when.
Bert: On take-your-kid-to-work day? What do you tell them when they ask why the other kids spend a day at their mommy’s work but yours never do?
Joey: Damn it, Bert.
Bert: Maybe you don’t have kids now, but maybe later. Will this be a family secret? You think they won’t find out? When they do, how do you think they’ll react?
Joey: Just tell me—
Bert: Are you religious? Have you spoken with clergy?
Joey: I want to help you. Help me do that.
Bert: Or does your religion include human sacrifice? Is that part of the deal? Like Abraham deciding to kill his son Isaac, because god told him to?
Joey: Answer my questions, goddammit.

Production needs summary
Set
The three locations–interrogation room, conference room, and cell–can all be on stage at once, defined by lighting. Set pieces: two rectangular tables, four chairs, one moveable white board, one cot.

Time: The present.

Costumes
Modern casual, plain clothing for the prisoner.

Props
Laptop computer (non-functioning is best); paper coffee cups with lids; pads, pencils, pens; dry-erase white board makers and erasers.

Sound
No sound effects. Directors should feel free to use music.

Production History
Several staged readings.