Do you wanna go smoke this spliff and get off with me?
THREE
Introduction
Stephen Laughton
In truth, I’m still not sure if Three will ever see the light of day in a theatre; we plan to perform it in early January 2019 but, as I write this at the end of November 2018 and reflect on the last few months, it still feels like a long time off – anything could still happen.
I wrote this short play in response to the kidnap and murder of Naftali Frankel, Gilad Shaer and Eyal Yifrah in 2014. I won’t go into why, or how it affected me – it just kind of did. I had been wanting to write some kind of response to Seven Jewish Children by Caryl Churchill – a lot of Jewish writers have, or have wanted to – and this event just resonated with me. I think now, four years later, we are still feeling the implications of that murder, of the war it started. I wrote Three in a kind of homage, certainly following the style of Seven Jewish Children.
One of the things that stopped me writing a response to that play before was, mainly, a thought that I couldn’t quite shift, still cannot shift, that still challenges me, namely: who the hell am I to take on our greatest living playwright? No one, actually. Just a lad in a room with all the feelings both the play and this particular incident threw up. And that’s all I ever am… so why not?
I’m not going to criticise Seven Jewish Children. It’s what theatre should be: beautifully written and confronting. I’m glad the original production was made with a Jewish team. It’s problematic, sure – not necessarily just the play itself actually, but the title is naughty; it conflates Jews and Israel. If we’re ever going to actually tackle modern anti-Semitism, we have to pull that apart. We diaspora Jews are no more responsible for what happens in Israel than any other person on the entire planet who doesn’t get an Israeli vote. And that runs into billions.
For the record, I am horrified by the blockades and the settlement building and the brutality. But, I’m also a romantic Zionist. I feel a very deep connection to the land. I also feel like I can want a Jewish homeland and I can also want a safe Palestinian homeland and respect for the Palestinian people.
I digress. I don’t want to be drawn too far into politics in a short introduction to a short play.
I think the other problem with Seven Jewish Children was the controversy it caused. Still now, nine years later, it remains upsetting. We planned to read both Seven Jewish Children and the following response piece, Three, after the performance of One Jewish Boy on 15 December. The outcry, the force and the fury was tangible. Scary, actually. I’ve had a crazy time since we announced the play in August. We’ve had to be in contact with Community Security Trust (CST), a Jewish security company who deal with threats and the like. I’ve had anti-Semitism – a lot of anti-Semitism actually – thrown at me. The title alone, One Jewish Boy, became a target; then we had to create a new poster because the old one kept getting destroyed. I’ve been accused of blowing up Palestinian children, been called an enabler, held to account for a whole host of issues that I not only have nothing to do with, but hate from the depths of my soul. And not once, in any of these attacks did anyone once check in. It was all based on assumption and, mainly, the use of the word ‘Jewish’ and its relationship to Israel or Palestine. Lest we forget – assumption is the mother of all fuck-ups.
I’ve literally, actually, in fact, had each of the four pillars of anti-Zionism – blood libel; power/money; split loyalty/untrustworthiness; Israel – aimed squarely in my direction from both sides of the political spectrum over the past few months. And when you add that to the rise of anti-Semitism that inspired me to tackle this play in the first place, I’m going to admit that there are times when I have been scared. It comes from all sides: young and old, right and left and even some very upset Jewish people getting equally furious with me because of my political beliefs, my stance against blockades and settlements in Israel and the sheer fact that I wanted to discuss Seven Jewish Children. Even some of the friendlier organisations with whom I have years-long relationships have tried to strong-arm me into censoring the Churchill play. And that’s sad. If we cannot discuss these issues, how can we move past them? There are moments when it has felt tough. But nothing meaningful is easy, right?
The current plan, at the time of writing, is that on 5 January 2019 we’ll hold a vigil for peace after the performance of One Jewish Boy that will contain some readings. I’m scared about including Seven Jewish Children within that – there have been threats from both sides of the argument. This is not cowardice on my part – I’m a political artist and I’m happy to put myself on the line and take this. If anything, it shows we’re confronting something important. But I’m not the only person here, and I still have a responsibility to my team, my hosts.
I plan to read Three though, and to discuss Seven Jewish Children.
There are no ‘directions’ for Three; it can be read by ten people; it can be read by a hundred. On the 5 January 2019, I plan to read it alone.
December 2018
1
Tell your mom I love her
Tell yours
Tell her she’d get it
Don’t piss him off
Tell her she’s well fit
Don’t tell her that!
Tell him we need to get home
Tell him I’m trying
Tell him we should hitch
You tell him
Tell me the time
Yeah tell me the time
Tell him Brazil are playing Croatia
Tell him to stop complaining
Tell him it starts tonight
Tell him I know
Tell him we’re gonna miss it
Tell him there’s a time difference
Tell each other!
Tell him that car stopped
Tell him to talk to them
And to hurry up
And that there’s three of us
Tell him to shut up.
Don’t tell me that
Tell him to run ahead
Tell them where we’re going
Tell him to stop
Tell him they have guns
Tell him to run
2
Tell him I’m hurt
Tell him I know
Tell him I’m bleeding
Tell him they’ll hear us
Tell him I can’t see
Tell me what to do
Tell him to be brave like his brother
Don’t piss him off
Tell him he taught me how to stop the bleeding
Don’t talk about my brother
Tell him I’ll stop the bleeding
Tell him I’m scared
Tell him we’ll be out of here soon
Tell him we shouldn’t have been hitchhiking
Tell you what… be quiet
I have a plan
Tell him the plan
I’ll tell him in a minute
Tell him now
I’ll tell him in a minute
Tell him it’s too late
Tell him they’re coming
Don’t tell him that
Tell him they’ve seen us
Tell him to shout for help
Tell him not to
Tell them we’re Jewish
Tell him they know
Tell him they’re here
Don’t tell them that
Tell him to put his hands in the air
3
Don’t say anything
Don’t say your name
Don’t say where you live
Tell them about Koby
Don’t give them ideas
Tell them they’re in trouble
Don’t piss them off
Tell them we can help
Tell them it’s the Sabbath
Tell them I’m American
Don’t
TELL HIM TO SAY SOMETHING
Tell him I’m thinking
Tell him yourself
Tell him there’s
a way out
Tell him I saw it on the way in.
Tell him there’s just one guard
Tell him they have guns
Tell him I know
Tell him it won’t work
Tell him it will
Tell them about shever and tikkun
Tell them we’ll forgive them
Tell them nothing
No. Tell them it’s war.
And tell them there are no virgins
That it’s a lie
Don’t piss them off
4
Tell them it’s been days
Tell them we’ve had enough
Tell them I’m tired
Tell them I’m hurt
Tell them we’re just kids
Tell them I’m hungry
Tell them I’m thirsty
Tell them you need the toilet
Tell them you’re in pain
Tell them it’s broken
Tell them they’ll pay for this
Tell them I give up
Tell them we’re sorry
Don’t
Tell them I have brothers
Don’t
Tell them we didn’t do this
Don’t
Tell them we did
Don’t
Tell them we’ll do anything
Tell them we have money
Tell them to stop hurting me
Tell them we work hard
And we’re clever
And we can help
Tell them nothing
Tell them they’re wrong
Tell them we were here first
Don’t tell them that
Tell them we’re accidental settlers
Tell them we’d like to share
Tell them we’re sorry
Don’t
Tell them it’s gonna be okay
Tell them it wasn’t us
Tell them it’s a mistake
Don’t
Tell them this is our home
Don’t
Tell them we were driven out
Tell them we came back
Don’t
That they attacked us first
Don’t
Tell them we took our land back
We will keep taking our land back
Tell them the world will be looking for us
Tell them we have guns
Bigger guns
Tell them we won all the wars
Tell them we’ll win this one
Don’t tell them that
Tell them they can make a change
Tell them they can break the cycle
Tell them they can be the good guys
Tell them the Teffilah Zakah
Don’t
Tell them please…
Tell them it hurts too much
Tell them I’m frightened
Tell them when it’s over
I’ll come looking for them
Tell them I will
Tell them I promise
Tell them they’ll be sorry
Tell them I’m gonna fuck them up for this
Tell them it’s just the beginning
Yeah. Tell them he’s a hero
Tell them they’ll die for this
Don’t piss them off
5
Please tell them to stop hurting me
6
Ask them for some food
You ask
Ask them for a drink
Ask them how long
Ask them if we can watch TV
You ask
Ask them if we can go to the toilet
Ask them if we can call home
Just once
Ask them why
Ask them what we’ve done
Ask them why us
Of all the kids
Ask them why
Ask them nothing
Ask them if they have kids
Don’t ask them that
7
Tell him not to be frightened
Tell him to be quiet
Tell him we’ll protect him
Tell him god will
Tell him he’s too loud
And it will be over soon
Tell him about that time in camp
Remember
Tell him how we sneaked out
Tell him how we did it together
Tell him we can do it again
Tell him we’ll win
Don’t
Tell him there’s not many
Tell him we’re heroes
Don’t tell him that
Tell him we’re leaving
Tell him to keep quiet
Don’t frighten him
Tell him we love him
8
Tell him to stop screaming
Tell him they do it more when he’s screaming
9
Tell them it wasn’t me
Tell them I didn’t know
Tell them I’m just a boy
Tell them I never hurt anyone
Tell them I like to read
Tell them I play with their children
Tell them it hurts
Tell them they’re going too fast
I’m going to fall
Tell them they’re hurting me
Tell them I’m innocent
Tell them I’m scared
Don’t tell them that
Tell them about that time I found one of their boys and he was hurt and I helped him and I gave him water and my T-shirt because the sun was burning and the guns were loud and I protected him and he thanked me
Tell them he was scared
Tell them he was young
Tell them I saved him
Tell them I’m a good boy
Tell them I’m good
Tell them I just want to go home
Tell them I won’t say anything
Tell them I promise
Tell them I can’t see
Tell them they don’t have to put that over my face
Tell them I can’t breathe
Tell them I can’t breathe
Ask them
Please
Tell them I’m scared
Tell them not to take you away
Tell them no
TELL THEM NO
Tell them not to do it
NO
Tell them the bang hurts my ears
Tell them you were my friends
My brothers
TELL THEM
…
Tell them I’m just a boy
Tell them I don’t deserve it
Tell them they’re cowards
Tell them they’re monsters
…
Tell them I’m sorry
…
Tell them I don’t care any more
Tell them they were my brothers
Tell them I’ll miss them
…
Tell them just do it
…
Tell my mom I love her
STEPHEN LAUGHTON
Stephen Laughton is a playwright whose work includes: One Jewish Boy (Old Red Lion, London, 2018); Run (VAULT Festival, London, 2016; The Bunker, London, 2017); Nine (part of the PlayWROUGHT#3 Festival at the Arcola Theatre, 2015); and Marina Abramovic is Staring at Me (Terra Firma Theatre's 2011–12 Boxcar Reading Series at the Railroad Playhouse in Newburgh, New York, then Cell Theatre, Manhattan).
His work for television includes Forward (Blacklisted Films) and Black Hill (Lime Pictures).
A Nick Hern Book
One Jewish Boy first published in Great Britain in 2018 as a paperback original by Nick Hern Books Limited, The Glasshouse, 49a Goldhawk Road, London W12 8QP
This ebook first published in 2018
One Jewish Boy copyright © 2018 Stephen Laughton
Three copyright © 2018 Stephen Laughton
Stephen Laughton has asserted his right to be identified as the author of these works
Cover image by Alex Fine Photography
Designed and typeset by Nick Hern Books, London
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 1 84842 815 7 (print edition)
ISBN 978 1 78850 136 1 (ebook edition)
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