ICE: Cassandra Badbaadey
Somali for “Cassandra Redeemed”
A short play written on Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2026
Inspired by meditations on silence, complicity, and recent events in unceded Dakota and Anishinaabe land, also known as Occupied Minnesota.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

WAITPERSON - peasant attire, apron
KITCHEN WORKER - appears later, marled Baja hoodie and chef's apron
GUITARIST- equipped with a Spanish guitar
ICE AGENT #1 - tactical vest, blue jeans, neck gaiter
ICE AGENT #2 –-tactical vest, olive drab trousers, neck gaiter
SS MAN - 40s, black uniform, swastika armband
ANGELIC FIGURE - flowing robes, blindfold

===========================================
STAGE NOTES
The set is a small cafe. Three men are seated at a table covered with a plain white table cloth.
ICE MAN #1 and ICE MAN #2, seated at an angle towards backstage, their faces in shadow.
SS MAN seated furthest towards back of stage, facing audience, swastika armband visible, flanked by the ICE MEN.
GUITARIST is sitting on a stool, gently playing, softly singing Gracias ala Vida in Italian.
===========================================
CURTAIN
===========================================
ICE and SS finish their meal.
WAITPERSON: Approaches table, smiling broadly.
¿Cómo estuvieron las enchiladas?
ICE MAN #1:
Muy delicioso—
ICE MAN #2 clamps a hand over #1’s mouth.
SS MAN:
Sehr gut. Enchiladas sehr gut.
They rise, turning towards audience to reveal that the down stage side of the ICE faces are smeared with white paint. They face the audience and rapidly pull their neck gaiters up. They proceed to stage right as KITCHEN WORKER watches.
KITCHEN WORKER:
Adios, amigos. (waves — no reply)
They walk a few yards, mumbling German/English fragments. Offstage voice:
MECHANICAL OFFSTAGE VOICE:
TURN AND BURN! ripetere ad libitum
(additional layers: drums, pots, pans, industrial clangs)
ICE/SS MEN (startled, then dumbfounded, eventually joining the chant, menacing, then absurd):
TURN… AND… BURN… TURN… AND… BURN…
The three stand stiffly; sound builds.
Abrupt silence.
They look at one another, and then stare collectively at the WORKERS.
ICE MAN #1 turns, looks at SS MAN.
SS MAN: Nods.
ICE MAN #1 grabs KITCHEN WORKER; drags offstage.
KITCHEN WORKER:
Por qué, por qué! Why!
ICE MAN #2 grabs WAITPERSON; SS MAN hauls GUITARIST off stool.
GUITARIST manages one last chord; strings ring as they pull him away.
ALL: EXIT STAGE RIGHT

Abrupt pause.

A single drum beats slowly, amplified. Silence stretches between strikes.
SS MAN (German-accented, offstage, shouts: SILENCE!
(The drum continues, slow and measured, its resonance filling the empty stage.)

SS MAN: SILENCE! ripetere ad libitum
DRUM: Decrescendo
ANGELIC FIGURE enters from stage left, robes flowing, blindfolded. Moves to center stage. The drum fades to nothing.

SPOTLIGHT ON SIGN:
They will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
LIGHTS FADE TO BLACK
==========================================
CURTAIN

© 2026 Geof Bard — CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Director’s / Production versions available separately.

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Oof. Thats pretty embarrassing.

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