Relative Good

By David Gow

In Relative Good, David Gow grapples with the complex implications of the War on Terror, and the resulting sweeping changes to law that allow authorities to violate basic civil rights. Mohamed El Rafi is a Syrian-born Canadian engineer. He's arrested in New York's JFK airport, held without explanation, interrogated, and eventually forced to sign papers that facilitate his deportation to Syria. As Canadian government involvement only worsens El Rafi's predicament, his lawyer and wife team up in an attempt to gain his freedom in a world where, as one character says, "Sometimes the price of freedom is freedom itself." This incisive drama lays bare the absurdity of official policy, and the human cost of racial profiling.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Scirocco Drama
• Release date: Oct 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9781990737619

David Gow

David Gow is the author of five full-length stage plays, and an award winning internationally broadcast radio adaptation. His plays have seen productions across Canada with many of Canada's most prestigious theatres (Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton), across the United States and increasingly around the world. In May of 2000, Gow's play Cherry Docs, premiered at Philadelphia's Wilma Theatre, starring David Strathairn. It was produced in Halifax and Montreal in 2003 and has also seen translation into Spanish, Hebrew and Polish and German. David's other plays include The Friedman Family Fortune, produced at Centaur Theatre, and The Flight Of Peter Pumpkin-eater. Cherry Docs has been performed at several prestigious German theaters. Relative Good is David Gow's most recent work for the stage and was staged in New York during 2007 with the title Arrivals.

Book preview

Cover: Relative Good, written by David Gow, published under Scirocco Drama, by J. Gordon Shillingford, shows the face of a man with his eye obliterated in white where book title is printed in red. Numerous maple leaves are printed across the book cover, and over the photo of the man's face.

RELATIVE GOOD

RELATIVE GOOD

DAVID GOW

Relative Good

first published 2010 by

Scirocco Drama

An imprint of J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing Inc.

© 2012 David Gow

Scirocco Drama Editor: Glenda MacFarlane

Cover design by Terry Gallagher/Doowah Design Inc.

Author photo by L. Kalo Gow

Printed and bound in Canada on 100% post-consumer recycled paper.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Manitoba Arts Council and The Canada Council for the Arts for our publishing program.

This play is a work of fiction as are the characters presented, any similarity or likeness to real situations or events is purely coincidental and is not intended to reflect or characterise any situation or any real person.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, for any reason, by any means, without the permission of the publisher. This play is fully protected under the copyright laws of Canada and all other countries of the Copyright Union and is subject to royalty. Changes to the text are expressly forbidden without written consent of the author. Rights to produce, film, record in whole or in part, in any medium or in any language, by any group amateur or professional, are retained by the author.

Production inquiries should be addressed to:

Agence Reisler Talent

P.O. Box 55067, csp. Fairmount

Montréal, QC H2T 3E2

info@reisler

ph 514-843-4551

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Gow, David, 1964-

Relative good/David Gow.

A play.

ISBN 978-1-897289-82-2

I. Title.

PS8563.O877R44 2012 C812’.54 C2012-904702-3

J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing

P.O. Box 86, RPO Corydon Avenue, Winnipeg, MB Canada R3M 3S3

For L. Kalo Gow

XV

Contents

Setting

Characters

Production History

About the Author

Prologue

Act I

Acknowledgments

Cover

Half Title Page

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Contents

Setting

Characters

Production History

About the Author

Prologue

Act I

Acknowledgments

Guide

Cover

Half Title Page

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Contents

Start of Content

Acknowledgments

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Setting

In the premiere production, September 2005, the set was made largely of glass (plexi) with black metal and stainless steel. Corridors made of bowed glass created a funhouse effect and a central interrogation area doubled as Laila‘s living room. Often the actors not present in scenes, most particularly Laila, remained onstage and witnessed the events of the scenes. The action of the play was virtually continuous.

Characters

The following four roles are played by one actor: