The Perfect Victim

MALIK – Seventeen. Black. Shot before the play begins. Everything centers around him. Fighting to stay alive. Fighting to be seen.
JAY – Sixteen. Black. Malik’s best friend. Quick, loyal, grounded. She never leaves his side – physically or emotionally.
NEIGHBOR 1 – Any adult age. Male and preferably Black. A trusted figure, “uncle” type in the neighborhood, looks out for everyone in the neighborhood, but especially the youth.
NEIGHBOR 2 – Any adult age. Female. A woman of color. Speaks for the collective exhaustion of the community, and the spiritual resistance that rises even when help doesn’t.
EMT 1 – Any gender or race. Task-oriented. Follows protocol. Detached. Makes choices based on timing, not context.
EMT 2 – Any gender or race. Observant. More open. Listens. Learns.
DOCTOR – White or non-Black. Attending physician. Polished, authoritative – and biased.
NURSE – Any gender or race. A natural advocate when necessary.
DETECTIVE – White or Non-Black. Investigative. Interrogative. Aggressive.
SOCIAL WORKER – Bureaucratic. Speaks in policies, not empathy.
MALIK’S MOTHER – Black. Strong, layered and heavy with grief. Carries the pain of every Black parent who’s been here before.

Roles may be doubled as follows:

ACTOR 1 – MALIK
ACTOR 2 – JAY
ACTOR 3 – NEIGHBOR 1, NURSE
ACTOR 4 – NEIGHBOR 2, MALIK’S MOTHER
ACTOR 5 – EMT 1, DOCTOR
ACTOR 6 – EMT 2, DETECTIVE, SOCIAL WORKER