Till & Martin

Since I wrote my article story on Emmett Till and Trayvon Martin, it gave me the idea on writing a short play on Till and Martin meeting in a place called Memory. Inspired by Janet Langhart Cohen's play, this time with Trayvon and Emmett, both black teenage boys whose murders spark the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter Movement.

I guess you can say this is a sequel to Anne and Emmett.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Main

Emmett Till: a 14-year-old African American boy from Chicago staying with his relatives in Mississippi until he was kidnapped, tortured, and lynched by two white men: Roy Bryant and J.W. Milan. His body was found in the Tallahatchie River.

Trayvon Martin: 17-year-old African American from Florida stayed at his dad's house until he was killed by the neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman.

Till Era

Mamie Till-Mobley: Emmett’s mother.

Carolyn Bryant: wife of Roy Bryant claims she was “harassed” by Emmett.

Roy Bryant: husband of Carolyn Bryant who kills Emmett Till.

John William "J.W." Milam: brother of Carolyn Bryant and husband of Juanita Milam.

Juanita Milam: Wife of John William “J.W.” Milam.

Moses Wright: Emmett’s great uncle.

Martin Era

Sybrina Fulton: Trayvon’s mother.

Tracy Martin: Trayvon’s father.

George Zimmerman: a neighborhood watchman who kills Trayvon.

Special Appearance

Anne Frank: a Jewish girl (references from Janet Langhart Cohen’s play Anne and Emmett) who wrote her diary documenting her life during the Holocaust and the Secret Annex with her family.

***Six extra actors to portray protesters (3 for Civil Rights Movement Protestors and another 3 for Black Lives Matter Movement) or the cast of characters to play the protesters.

Setting: A Place called Memory

Time: 1955, 2012

*****Memory: a non-specific afterlife or alternative dimension.****

(Violinist plays “Stand Up” by Cynthia Ervio. Music ends. The stage becomes dark.)

ACT ONE

SCENE ONE

SETTING: Mississippi, somewhere near the Tallahatchie River, 1955

AT RISE: Curtain Opens. Lights up at the stage. The sound of the truck approaches. Two Caucasian men, Roy Bryant and John J.W. with 14-year-old Emmett Till enter pushing Emmett onto the ground. They both look at Emmett.

ROY (demands) Get up!

ROY I SAID GET UP BOY!!!

(EMMETT slowly gets up.)

J.W. Look at him, Roy. He looks scared.

ROY Well he should be.

(ROY grabs EMMETT.)

ROY You little negro boy! Who the hell do you think you are, huh? Come here to this town with your little black self. Going in on our store and disrespecting my wife? Huh?

EMMETT I ain’t disrespect nobody, sir!

(ROY hard slaps EMMETT.)

J.W. You think tough, huh?

(J.W. grabs EMMETT by the neck.)

J.W. Listen here, you little-

(ROY stops J.W.)

ROY Leave him, J.W.!

(J.W. lets EMMETT go.)

ROY He’s mine now. When I start, you intervene. Let me have him!

J.W. What are you going to do with him, Roy?

ROY You know what I’m going to do?

EMMETT (sob) Please!

(ROY grabs EMMETT.)

ROY Shut up! I’m gonna teach your black ass a lesson.

(FADE TO BLACKOUT. END OF SCENE ONE.)

ACT ONE

SCENE TWO

SETTING: Florida, 2012

AT RISE: Over A sound of a 911 call from George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watchman reporting a “no good “. TRAYVON MARTIN enters dressed in a dark hoodie with Skittles and Arizona Tea in his pocket.

GEORGE Hey!

TRAYVON Hey man! Why are you following me?

GEORGE What’re you doing around here?

TRAYVON Nothing. Whatchu want?

GEORGE Get over here.

TRAYVON No I don’t know you like that. Get away from me!

GEORGE (demands) I said get over here!

TRAYVON No get away from me man!

(GEORGE grabs TRAYVON.)

TRAYVON Don’t Touch Me! Get off! Stop! Help! Help! Stop!

GEORGE Listen, you little thug, the Police are on the way!

(TRAYVON tries to fight back.)

TRAYVON Get off, man! Leave me alone! Help!

EMMETT Please leave me alone! Help!

(Lights up at EMMETT getting beat up, TRAYVON then fights back at GEORGE. GEORGE and ROY pull out their guns. ROY points it at EMMETT. GEORGE points at TRAYVON. BLACKOUT. OVER BLACKOUT TWO GUNSHOTS RANG OUT. Sirens going off. A sound of River splashing. END OF SCENE TWO.)

ACT ONE

SCENE THREE

SETTING: Memory

AT RISE: Emmett slowly rises. He stands up and glances at Trayvon laying down. He wakes up and gasps for air. Trayvon checks his chest to see if he was hit.

TRAYVON Oh God!

EMMETT You got shot, right?

(TRAYVON screams and sees EMMETT.)

TRAYVON Huh? What?

EMMETT You got shot, didn’t you?

TRAYVON I don’t know. I be-Hey, you’re not him.

EMMETT Who?

TRAYVON The man that was following me.

(TRAYVON looks around to find him.)

TRAYVON What happened? Where did he go?

EMMETT What did he look like?

TRAYVON Well, he looked mean, aggressive, and he followed me when I was on my way to my dad’s house, and he had a gun.

EMMETT Was he white?

TRAYVON No. I believe he was Hispanic. And he pulled a gun at me. And he shot me.

EMMETT Me too.

TRAYVON What?

EMMETT I got shot too. Well, these two white men took me from my uncle's place.

TRAYVON What? Oh man, that has happened to you?

EMMETT They were at my uncle's house and took me and told me they were gonna teach me a lesson and t-t-they hit me and shot me.

TRAYVON I’m sorry that happened to you. Who are you?

EMMETT I’m Emmett Till. I’m originally from Chicago. What’s your name?

TRAYVON I’m Trayvon Martin. I’m from Florida.

EMMETT Nice to meet you Trayvon.

(EMMETT puts his hand out. TRAYVON stares at his hand.)

EMMETT Aren’t you going to shake on it?

TRAYVON What? Oh, I’m sorry.

(TRAYVON and EMMETT take his hand then pulls back away from EMMETT.)

TRAYVON Woah.

EMMETT What is it?

TRAYVON Nothing, I just felt like there was something.

EMMETT Something like what?

TRAYVON Like, there is a connection. You didn’t feel that?

EMMETT Yeah. I felt there was something that was there too.

COMING SOON!!!!

Comment what you think of this play.

The website link for info on Janet Langhart Cohen's one-act play, Anne & Emmett