1916 Script
By Emma Boyle 4a
Blurb:
An English soldier interviews an Irish woman whos thought to be associated with
the 1916 Leaders.Her name is Theresa McDonnelle and the soldiers name is
William Cooper. Theresa is held hostage for a couple of days. William is forced
to find out the information the Captain yearns for. After a couple of days, the
soldier falls in love with the woman. But will they escape their enemies or will
their enemies be a step closer in this game of tango?
The Old Fishery Docks, Harwich, Essex,England.
Tuesday, 3rd May 1916 2.34pm
* A woman is sitting in a chair in a room with only a table and a door by the
corner.*
Theresa: Where am I? * Looks around old warehouse with a complexion of
confusion on her face*
William:Theresa McDonnell, twenty two years old, female, origin; Dublin City. I'm
William Cooper, your questioning officer. You are being held for questioning in
England.
William: The authorities have informed us that you have valuable information
about the insurgents involved in the Rising that took place last Monday.We know
your fianc has been working with the leaders.
Theresa: I dont know what youre talking about.
*William leans over the interviewer table and looks at Theresa with a hard
expression.*
William: I know you are hiding something, I can tell you are lying by the way you
look down to the ground instead of looking me in the eyes. Speak now!
*Theresa raises her head slowly and fixes her eyes on William.*
Theresa: I was at my home,scrubbing floors and doing laundry for the wealthy
merchants of Dublin. My fianc was called out of the house for urgent work
business. I don't know where he is now.
William: Who is your fianc? You can tell me, I'm not the bad guy, trust me.
*Theresa sighs and slightly hunches her shoulders, pulling her sleeves over her
clenched fists.*
Theresa: His name is Thomas OReilly. It wasn't exactly a match made in heaven.
He's quite a wealthy man. He owns a few shops in Dublin, one right beside Tom
Clarke's tobacconist and he even rented land to Patrick Pearses family. He
supported the Home Rule party that wanted independence in Ireland. He is
twenty years older than me, I guess you could say he only wants me for one
reason, to fulfill his manly desires, he just takes advantage of me because I am
poor and he is rich and every time I protested against him he threatened to
throw me out on the streets. He sees me as some deal between my father and
him. He gave my father some wealth in exchange for his daughter, nobody else
would want a manipulative man like himself, and myself being a woman of lowly
worth had no choice but to agree.So I stayed with him. To survive.
*William lowers his head and looks at Theresa with soft eyes.*
William: Thats enough for today.
*William walks to the door.Before he closes it behind him he looks back at
Theresa.*
William: By the way, I don't agree with men treating women like that.I would
never lay a hand on a woman.
*Theresa looks at William with a small smile and tears in her eyes.*
William: Get some rest. The Captain is coming on Friday. He's the big guns of the
industry.
*William exits *
The Old Fishery Docks, Harwich, Essex England.
Wednesday, 4th May 1916, 12.00pm
*William enters the room.*
William: Im sorry about yesterday. All my actions were caused from extreme
stress. The Captain has had it hard on me, ever since the war began, and the
rising didnt help his case either.Not that i'm rejecting the Rising.
Theresa: The Rising was long due.Ireland is sick of you English, taking our land
and making us speak your language. Arent you people tired of killing us? And
they only read out a proclamation. Didn't hurt nobody, not physically anyway.
*William puts out his hands in a reassuring manner.
William: Okay then. I understand where you are coming from. My family were
originally from Waterford. My great aunt moved here during the Famine and soon
we were all here. I am of Irish heritage and I know Ireland needed that Rising.
But when you live here, its not so easy to have your own opinion.The Royal
family see it as a threat to the Crown.
Theresa: Im sorry, William. Im just surprised you are the one interrogating me.
*William sits down on a chair and stares at Theresa.*
*Theresa fidgets uncomfortably in her chair.
William:Anyway, let's get on with things. When was the last time you saw
Thomas?
Theresa: I seen him last Wednesday, it must've just turned eleven in the morning
when Tommy the milkman turned up at our door. He said there was a few
problems around the city, and that Thomas had urgent business to attend. I
wasn't at all concerned at the time. Thomas and Tommy were always running
around like headless chickens because so and so did this and the government
will end up cutting Thomas funds. If there's one thing I know about Thomas, he
gets everything his way or no way. When he didn't show up in the evening I
started to worry. I asked the neighbours on his whereabouts but no one had seen
him, not today. All the neighbours were talking about was the so called Rising
that was taking over the GPO, Bolands Mills, Jacobs Factory and more important
buildings. And before I could do anything the British had started to shell Dublin,
the leaders and troops were being rounded up and I found myself here, in front of
you.
William: So, you don't know anything else?
Theresa: No, I don't. You can let that Captain of yours torture me all you want,
but he can't get anything else out of me.
William: Thank you Theresa, that will be all today.
*William turns to leave but Theresa shouts at him.*
Theresa: Wait, what's gonna happen now? I told you everything I know and the
Captain doesn't come for another two days.
William:You stay here with me until the the Captain arrives.
*William leaves.*
The Old Fishery Docks, Harwich, Essex,England.
Thursday, 5th May 1916, 9.45am
*William enters the room with a bowl of hot broth. He shakes a sleeping
Theresa awake.*
William:Wake up Theresa, I have your breakfast.
Theresa: Thank you. *She takes the bowl off of William and eats the broth*
*William sits in the chair across from Theresa.* How are you this fine
morning? The sun is shining today, for once
Theresa: Isn't it just beautiful, you can really get the best view from these
four concrete walls.
*William laughs*
Theresa: Why are you so nice today anyway?
William: I don't have to do my job today, so I'm just being my normal self
today.
Theresa: would've helped if you were more cheery on Tuesday.
*William and Theresa look at each other and smile*
Theresa: So, why are you even here?
William: I beg your pardon?
Theresa: Nice men aren't prison officers, so why are you one?
William: Well, I was a soldier, all the young lads like myself were
brainwashed to join the army, so I did and I celebrated my 21st at drill
training camps in 1914! When it came for me to go to over to France two
years ago, my mother got the cancer. I wouldn't leave her but I still
needed the money, we weren't exactly the richest people coming from the
run down tenants. I couldn't leave my mother behind, all on her own with
no one to care for her. So I got a deal with the Captain, he agreed to help
me with my mother if I did what he said, and I thought this was the best
deal I could get. So here I am now.
Theresa: How is your mother now?
*William looks down at the ground.* She passed away last year.Her name
was Theresa Cooper. You remind me of her, you have her gentle eyes that
understand the world yet a rebellious flaunt that thirsts for justice and
peace.
*Tears reach Theresas eyes and she reaches over the table,clasping
Williams hands in her own.*
Theresa: I'm sorry William, I really am.
*William smiles at Theresa and brushes her cheek with his hand.*
William: They wouldn't let me leave when she died. They said I would do
whatever they wanted me to do or I would end up on the streets. Theresa,
they made me do some horrible things, lock up innocent victims,
commission death warrants to people who had not committed murder,
just because they seen them as a threat to society. The worst thing
about it though, I have blood on my hands that can never be washed
away.I fear they will treat the 1916 leaders the same- martial court
without a trial.That can cause more riots and uprisings, and then where
will we be?
I protested all I could but they just said leave all you want, but nobody
will employ an unskilled labour in the middle of a war, especially one who
has unclean blood on his hands. So I stayed. To survive.
Theresa: I understood every word you said. Every last one.
William: I already knew that.
*William reaches over and kisses Theresa.*
William: I can't make the same mistake with you. If they don't force me to
lock you away with the other Irish internees then you will be sent back to
that manipulative, abusive fianc of yours. I know your life won't be great
either way. You need to come with me.
Theresa: How can I trust you? I only met you two days ago!
William: You already do. You told me about your past and I told you about
my past too. I think we know each other better than we think.
Theresa: Unskilled labourer, huh? You just read me like an open book!
William: You can trust me. I can protect you. I have some money stashed
away in my house. We can use it to get away from here, to escape. We
both have troubles to escape from, so why not do it together?
*Theresa contemplates the rash decision in silence for a few moments*
Theresa: You're willing to use all your money on our escape?
William: I've never been so sure of anything in my life.
Theresa: Why?
William: You mightn't believe in soulmates, I didn't until I seen you in that
chair, long chestnut hair, evergreen eyes and a soul that had been
crushed like mine. I didn't want to torture you, and no matter how much I
tried I couldn't fight the temptations, I had to be with you.That man
doesn't treat you right but I can.
Theresa: That's the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me.
Thank you. Why was I questioning you, you have clearly proved yourself, I
hope you're still considering me.
William: Of course. But we need to leave now if we ever have a chance of
surviving.
*Theresa grabs Williams hand*
Theresa: Lead the way.
*William and Theresa run away from the abandoned warehouse. *
Harwich Harbour, European ship departure
Thursday 5th May 1916 1.56pm
*William and Theresa stand in que to a French ship. William has an
envelope of money and a suitcase of several belongings.*
Williams: I only have enough money for France, I wish we could go to
America, but I can't afford it.The war is bad there too , an even higher risk
of danger andTheresa: Don't worry, I feel horrible for not contributing at all. France is far
enough.
William: You sure you can trust me now?
Theresa:Can't help it, I already do.
*William and Theresa board the ship*
William: Free at last
Theresa: Let's hope it stays that way.
*The ship pulls out of the harbour and sets sail for France.*
The Old Fishery Docks, Harwich, Essex
Friday 6th May 1916 3.30pm
*The captain arrives at the abandoned warehouse to find both the
detective and prisoner gone.*
Captain: Call the authorities to meet tonight at the Headquarters by
morse code. Tell them we have two wanted insurgents
Officer:Yes sir
Captain: And try the Dublin authorities to contact Thomas OReilly,if he
refuses to show tell him we know where his fianc is, and make sure he
knows she escaped with a man of her kind.
