Josef Džibrilovo / John Koensgen
Hamilton Barnes / Andrew Musselman
Inspector Lamb / Eric Nyland
Elena / Michelle Monteith
Young Girl / Natalie Julia Marshall

Director / Weyni Mengesha
Production Dramaturg / Laurel Green
Set and Lighting Designer / David Fraser
Costume Designer / April Viczko
Sound Designer / Peter Moller
Composer and Cellist / Morag Northey
Fight Director / Karl Sine
Stage Manager / Johanne Deleeuw
Assistant Stage Manager / Heather Rycraft
Child Supervisor / Jessica Del Fiero

7

A Note on the Lavinian Language

Christina E. Kramer and Dragana Obradović have created an imaginary South Slavic language, which we’ve baptized Lavinian. The idea was to create a language that sounds South Slavic but is not identifiable with any single group nor comprehensible to anyone outside the world of the play.

It is a phonetic language, which makes it easier to speak and memorize. Pronunciation keys for all Lavinian dialogue is provided in an appendix.

Since most of the Lavinian is understood within the context of the dialogue, the English translation is provided within linked footnotes, and also separately in the appendix. This placement allows for the reading experience to be closer to that of seeing the play performed.

Under no circumstance should the Lavinian be translated in performance (e.g., surtitles).

Josef Džibrilovo: YO-sef Dzhi-BRI-lo-vo

Marko: MAR-ko

Gnivomir Ilić: GNI-vo-mir I-lich

Juraj Plamen: YU-ray PLA-men (NB: ray rhymes with sky)

Kazimir Mstijov: KA-zi-mir MSTI-yov

Istvak Pasić: IST-vak PA-sich

Danijel: DA-ni-yel

8

Dramatis Personae

Josef Džibrilovo, 75
Hamilton Barnes, 36
Inspector Lamb, 45
Elena, 34
The Young Girl, 12

TIME AND PLACE

The action takes place in a Toronto police station during the early morning hours of December 25th.

STAGE DIRECTIONS

A slash (/) indicates where the next speaker interrupts the current one.

A star (*) before two character names indicates dialogue spoken at the same time.

Prologue

Darkness.

The deep, booming sound of something massive crumbling to the ground. A derelict building? The twin towers? Civilization?

A note, human in tone but not in quality, echoes in the dark. It is soon followed by a second dissonant note, then a third …

The Furies are waking.

There’s another soundscape in our world: the relentless pitter-patter of rain. It will echo throughout the space for the duration of our story, and will vary in intensity from soft to violent to diluvial.

Scene 1

Lights up.

The spartan office of a police station. It is void of personality: greyish walls, metal furniture, industrial lighting.

Those who enter this room often feel queasy: it’s the faint wave of institutional nausea.

A small, grilled window provides the only hint of a world beyond. Below the window is a steam radiator. It clangs every now and then.

On top of a filing cabinet is a small, sad-looking Christmas tree with multicoloured lights.

Slumped on a chair is JOSEF, dressed in a military uniform that has seen better days. He’s exhausted, in part from fatigue but also from years of running and hiding and secrecy. There’s a Santa hat on his head.

Two men loom over him: LAMB and HAMILTON.