Culture Clash (Still) in America (excerpt) by Culture Clash

CULTURE CLASH (STILL) IN AMERICA Written & Performed By Culture Clash New text by Richard Montoya Direction: Lisa Peterson Settings: Christopher Acebo Noise: Paul James Prendergast Illumination|Projections: Tom Ontiveros Rags: Carolyn Mazuca

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MAIN RAG: A large US Flag made of a SERAPE flies out.

MAN: A DETAINEE|DEPORTEE - is seen a the jail door TWO MEN in POLICE|ICE Jackets await him at Jail Table Analogue TAPE RECORDER, TABLE MIC, VIDEO CAMERA on tripod is set.

ICE UNIT WEST COUNTY DETENTION FACILITY RICHMOND CA. DETAINEE enters and is instructed back to the metal table: Contra Costa Country is printed on back of his orange jail jumperGo.

ICE AGENT 2

DETAINEE I cannot. Este, if I talk into this thing if I snitch to you I be kill in here for sure!

BELL or JAIL DOOR clang: Calm down.

ICE AGENT 1

DETAINEE No they tell me you cannot force me to answer you questions, is unconstitutional no?

ICE AGENT 1 You have no such privileges.

ICE AGENT 2 The constitution don’t mean shit...

ICE AGENT 1 Nobody knows you’re here.

ICE AGENT 2 Nobody cares...

DETAINEE The family lawyer we meet in Tejas, he care!

ICE AGENT 1 Sit down! Tell us about your journey.

DETAINEE Why I do this?

ICE AGENT 1 Tell us about the day you tried to cross.

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ICE AGENT 2 When you got caught...

DETAINEE What you do with all this?

Just begin.

ICE AGENT 1

DETAINEE The tear gas make the sun eclipse.

The birds go crazy, like a sign...

Thousands of wings flutter: DETAINEE (CONT’D) The children they are very terrify...

Yes...

ICE AGENT 1

DETAINEE I thinking I will die right here, my daughter she will die here for sure...

ICE AGENT 2 How old is your daughter?

Seven years.

DETAINEE

ICE AGENT 2 What is her name?

DETAINEE I cannot snitch on her, no way amigo!

ICE AGENT 1 What happened next?

DETAINEE The blue van drop us to the Dark Side the mountain.

ICE AGENT 1 The Mexican side of the border?

Correcto...

DETAINEE

ICE AGENT 2 Near Eagle Pass Texas...

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DETAINEE Piedras Negras si. There we meet another coyote, he lie to us, he say run to the next mountain, there is water there! Run to the next mountain there is shelter there at, but my daughter she cannot make the run so fast so I have no choice, I walk to the US border fence and we surrender...

ICE AGENT 1 To the ICE detention center?

DETAINEE Si. But they have too many people un chingo de gente, at this sector and so they bring us to here: ICE AGENT 2 Welcome to the refrigeration units of West County!

ICE AGENT 1 Contra Costa.

DETAINEE So fucking cold I could never imagine...

ICE AGENT 1 Keep going Deportee... (near gentle coax) DETAINEE I have cousin, he live in el Norte, en San Leandro creo, you hear of this horrifying place?

AGENTS nod in the affirmative: DETAINEE (CONT’D) He say I can chill in his garage there but then he fall in love with a very large blonde tooth-less tweeker gwoomans and he lose his casa, now they sleep in a parking lot at Home Depot in Oakland.

ICE AGENT 1 What kind of work you think could you get here?

DETAINEE Bueno you know this very large Oakland Bay Bridge?

ICE AGENT 1 Never heard of ot.

DETAINEE Years ago my primo was a maintenance man there, he still have the connections, so he gonna try hook it up for me, he was the guy who change all the light bulbs across the bridge, but he can no longer do this because he have the carpal tunnel syndrome.

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4.

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DETAINEE (CONT'D) He is the first Mexican to have this, porque Mexicans are not allowed to have the carpal cosa. I hope one day to have this gringo malady!

ICE AGENT 1 Bad news: The new bridge switched to solar LED’sDETAINEE No me digas! No more this?

ICE AGENT 2 Thank Governor Newsom for taking your job!

DETAINEE Maybe I will find work in the Mission District?

ICE AGENT 1 The Mission don’t want no Mexicans.

ICE AGENT 2 You’ll get run over by an electric scooter.

DETAINEE I will work I will make the money some how god willing then I bring my daughter to San Francisco!

ICE AGENT 2 If we can’t afford the Bay Area, neither can you pal.

ICE AGENT 1 I live in Stockton he live in Vacaville.

DETAINEE Those places sound horrendous pero no le hace I show anybody I even show the Border Patrol guys I not afraid to work man I even help Donald Trump to build his pinche wall!

Detainee rises from his chair the Agents recoil:

(CONT’D) (CONT’D) (CONT’D) (CONT’D) (CONT’D) (CONT’D)

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ICE AGENT 2 You’re gonna help Trump build his wall?

DETANEE rises from metal table: DETAINEE Oh yes, A Mexican can do the job better than anbody! And it will be a very beautiful wall, very strong wall, the wind will not push down my wall no! Muy profesional, like Aztec engineer, we gonna build so nice, aesthetically pleasing to the eye, we paint monarch butterflies on the side but only WE will know where the secret tunnels are so we can sneak back in! A toda dar!

ICE AGENT 2 Like El Chapo?

DETAINEE El Chapo that is funny...

ICE AGENT 1 Does El Chapo mean something special to you?

DETAINEE No! He say El Chapo I hate him he is a killer, oh, OK, I see what happen here you no like my Trump Wall humor because you are professional, my bad my bad, I sorry, do not snitch on me I totally respect the Ice Agents.

ICE AGENT 2 We’re not Ice Agents!

DETAINEE What you say?

ICE AGENT 2 We’re not Ice Agents.

ICE AGENT 1 We work in the theater. We gather stories...

ICE AGENT 2 But we just interviewed two Ice Agents.

ICE AGENT 1 And they gave us this SWAG...

DETAINEE This is very fucked up news.

ICE AGENT 1 That we’re actors?

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ICE AGENT 2 That we’re theater folk?

DETAINEE No. That I thinking I make progress with two ICE guys that we establish rapport maybe you take me to IKEA in Emeryville but no this is false narrative: You guys think I am only some caricature in American Dirt!

ICE AGENT 1 This is a conversation for the American Stage.

DETAINEE American Stage?

ICE AGENT 1 We create safe story circles.

DETAINEE What a fucking waste of time! This is some game?

ICE AGENT 2 Non profit theater is no game.

ICE AGENT 1 Do you have a pronoun preference?

DETAINEE Que que? I am very confused right now. This is jail house interrogation or I am your fucking research?

Both!

CHRONICLERS

DETAINEE I am asylum seeker or American invader?

Both!

CHRONICLERS

DETAINEE I am time honored refugee arriving on your teaming shore? Or I am dog fucker?

Dog fucker.

ICE AGENT 2

dog fucker...

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DETAINEE America have two souls.

ICE AGENT 2 Write that down...

Sweet.

CHRONICLER 1

DETAINEE But, I will show her, in spite of this that one day I will be great American, like eh Nancy Pelosi.

CHRONICLER 2 You chose her instead of Steph Curry?

DETAINEE I was going to say Buttigieg but is hard to say for a Mexican. I like Nancy, she ride with Pancho Villa!

CHRONICLER 2 She’s not that old.

CHRONICLER 1 Desculpe, how does it feel to be hated?

DETAINEE If they meet me, American will not hate me.

CHRONICLER 2 And what would you say to our audience?

CHRONICLER 1 They’re right there man...

DETAINEE May I have some music?

Chronicler 1 with nod to SM: affirm on music: DETAINEE (CONT’D) I would say...

HE rises. His manacles are gone. There never were manacles: DETAINEE (CONT’D) I will say, to the nice people: guys, Look, I am not rapist guy, I am not drug guy

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DETAINEE (CONT’D) I commit no crime, I carry no contraband, I not here to colonize you, no... in the US I have lived only in a cage...

I am, a father.

Western Guitar begins here: DETAINEE (CONT’D) And when I was out there, in the desert...

PROJECTION: Desert Road.

DETAINEE (CONT’D) It was no theater game cabrones, no, mija was very scare, the darkness seem to crush her little bones. Her spirit, so I sing song for her, I make bed time story I hold her as tight I can.

CHRONICLER 1 (gently) What happened to the mother?

DETAINEE Se fue, she abandon us, she go with the coyote, he have all the money the water and the drogas.

Out there mano...

COYOTE howl and the sounds of where he is NOW: NIGHT. Desert: DETAINEE (CONT’D) The desert fuck with you mind...

So I tell baby girl, to sleep mama: cierra los ojitos.

Gently shutting his eyes with his hands: DETAINEE (CONT’D) When she open her eyes she will see that to cross the line, is to be reborn. And she will see there is a path to America, but the path can be very dark, lighted only by the Torches of Charlottesville.

DEEP DRUM or far off thunder: DETAINEE (CONT’D) And the flash of the gun de Walmart en El Paso...

He crosses himself:

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DETAINEE (CONT’D) When finally they take her from me at ICE detention center, she screaming, so I quickly make little story for her, I put on her little Mickey Mouse backpack and I say mija, you are going camping, enjoy your first day de summer camp mija...

There is my smile, there is daddy smile!

Go with these nice guys. Andale. Andale! Enjoy!

What could I do?

What could I say? Take my story.

CHRONICLER 2 We’ll take it.

CHRONICLER 1 I understand you need to be an American but do you want to become an American?

DETAINEE I need I want it is same for me!

CHRONICLER 2 Can we offer you some money?

DETAINEE I cannot accept it in here it still a jail guys!

Do you have Organic Kambucha?

CHRONICLER 1 Hey, can you read this for us?

DETAINEE What is this?

CHRONICLER 1 California state law...

DETAINEE Estes la ley?

Si...

CHRONICLER 1

DETAINEE Cabrones... Ladies and Gentlemen, damas y caballeros silence you cell phones now?

Nice.

CHRONICLER 1

DETAINEE Why you have me read this crazy estupides?