2
THE CUT
By Mark Ravenhill
Rehearsal script 24.01.06
Characters:
Scene One Paul
John
Gita
Scene Two Paul
Susan
Mina
Scene Three Paul
Stephen
The play is dedicated to the memory of Tim Fraser
Scene one
A room. A desk. PAUL and JOHN.
PAUL Were the searches made?
JOHN I was searched, yes.
PAUL Was there any unnecessary brutality?
JOHN No. No, I wouldn’t say it was unnecessary brutality.
PAUL Because I need to record any cases of unnecessary…I’m compiling a dossier. Which many people are eager to read.
JOHN I see.
PAUL The last lot were very slack on unnecessary brutality. Blind eyes were turned. You remember?
JOHN Yes.
PAUL But we intend to be different. We’re shining a light on…We’re coming down, very hard. You see? On unnecessary…
PAUL But we need the figures, so if you were in any way…
JOHN No, no.
PAUL You have to tell me.
JOHN No.
PAUL Look to you I know I’m – what? – I’m Authority. Power. Strength. The Father.
JOHN Well –
PAUL But honestly you must tell me if there was any unnecessary – for the dossier.
PAUL You’re quite sure?
JOHN Very sure.
PAUL Well, that’s good. Good. Good. No fist?
PAUL No boot?
PAUL Good. Good. Good.
Beat.
PAUL You were searched?
PAUL Thoroughly?
PAUL But in such a way as not to…
JOHN Yes, yes, yes.
PAUL Good, good, good. You understand why we have to…?
JOHN Of course.
PAUL Someone did actually pull a gun on me recently. Little bastard actually got a gun through and pulled it out on me.
JOHN Shit.
PAUL And fired.
PAUL I actually saw the bullet coming out of the gun, saw it coming towards me and ducked. Just in time.
PAUL So as you can imagine I gave those guys out there merry hell. ‘Security? Security? Call yourself security and you let some fucker through with a gun?’ We’ve had to set a new target for performance. Utterly thorough without any unnecessary brutality. Using that performance indicator, how would you say the operatives did? In your experience?
JOHN Well…
PAUL Excellentverygoodgoodaveragepoor?
JOHN Very good.
PAUL So – some room for improvement. But…getting there. Good.
PAUL records this in a file.
PAUL Now. Can I give you any more information?
JOHN No. I don’t think so.
PAUL You’ve read the leaflets?
JOHN I’ve read everything.
PAUL Well…good, good. Very…impressive.
JOHN I’ve been preparing for this moment for a long time. Books. The clips. I’ve thought about this.
PAUL Good.
JOHN I wanted to be ready.
PAUL Excellent.
JOHN I really wanted to be ready for the Cut.
PAUL Yes. Yes. Well, we’ll have to see if…
JOHN Where are the instruments?
PAUL They’re with –
JOHN Only in the clips they have the instruments all laid out, you know. On the desk. There. Before I…before he…walks into the room they’re all laid out and then ‘Are you ready for the Cut?’, ‘Yes’. And – instruments in and –
PAUL Pain.
JOHN Pain and then – done.
PAUL Yes, well – that was the last lot. All very brutal. All very fast. We’re…different.
JOHN Yes?
PAUL Oh yes. We’re very different. We’ve made some changes.
JOHN Oh. I see.
PAUL We’re a force for change. So…let’s consider some other options.
PAUL We’re going to look at –
PAUL No?
JOHN I want to…I’m here for the Cut. I want the Cut. That’s what I’m here for. The Cut.
PAUL And I’m here to look at the options. And as I’m…as I’m this side of the desk, we’re going to look at the options. We’re going to look at your choices. Alright?
JOHN Alright.
PAUL There’s a prison facility. We offer a prison facility to the insane. Are you insane?
PAUL Because if you’re insane –
JOHN I’m not insane.
PAUL Although prison doesn’t come cheap. You pay. Or – poverty pending – we pay. So nobody’s keen on the prison facility. Still, if you’re actually insane –
JOHN I’m not.
PAUL Do you have the paperwork?
JOHN Here.
JOHN hands PAUL a piece of paper.
PAUL Well, this all seems to be…so you’re actually sane?
PAUL Well that’s very impressive. In this day and age. Now, there’s the army. Let’s think about that.
PAUL Or the university. Maybe we should be sending you to the university.
JOHN No, no. I don’t want –
PAUL The army and the university. Much more cost-efficient than prison. Let’s talk about –
JOHN No, no, let’s not. Let’s not mess about.
PAUL Mess about?
JOHN Mess about. This, this, this…you’re the man who does the Cut, right?
PAUL I’m in the office of the building where the Cut is –
JOHN Then do the Cut. Do the Cut on me.
PAUL This is the office. This is the building. But that doesn’t have to define…me. You. We have choices. You and me. We can be…there’s the army, the university, the prison. So much choice.
PAUL Oh, oh, would you rather be under the last lot?
JOHN No, no, no.
PAUL Because if you’re telling me you’d rather be under the last lot then that, my son, is a political statement, and if you’re making political statements, if you’re standing here in a public place – and yes, this is classified as a public place – standing in a public space and making political statements then it’s the university for you. I’ll send you straight off to the university and they’ll soon put a stop to these political statements.
JOHN No, no, no. I wasn’t…there wasn’t anything political, just…
PAUL Yes?
JOHN Just I’ve got this far, you know?
PAUL...
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