Patricia Cornelius - Boy Overboard

Authors Biographies Patricia Cornelius is a founding member of Melbourne Workers Theatre and an award-winning playwright. She has written over twenty plays including Love , Do Not Go Gentle , Cunning (with Irine Vela), Lilly and May , Jacks Daughters , OPAA Sexual Odyssey , Max , Platform , Hogs Hairs and Leeches . Whos Afraid of the Working Class? and Fever were written in collaboration with Andrew Bovell, Melissa Reeves, Christos Tsiolkas and Irine Vela. Her first novel, My Sister Jill , was published in 2002. Morris Gleitzman s brilliantly comic style has endeared him to children and adults alike, and he is now one of Australias most successful authors. His bestselling books include Two Weeks with the Queen , Toad Rage , Toad Heaven and Toad Away , Girl Underground and Once .

First Production Boy Overboard was produced by Australian Theatre for Young People (atyp) at Riverside Theatres, Parramatta, on 19 July 2005, with the following cast:

Rashida	Sarah Armanious
Driver	Sorie Bangura
Mohammed	Julian Dibley-Hall
Bibi	Emily Edmonds
Fatima	Aimee Falzon
Jamal	Ashwin Gore
Aziz / Ensemble	Andrew Gray
Gavin / Mussa / Ensemble	Paul He
Yusuf	Johnny Lieu
Ensemble	Bella Partridge
Ensemble	Grace Partridge
Omar	James Pike
Zoltan / Ensemble	Lloyd Ruz
Andrew	Leigh Scully
Ensemble	Alice Workman

Directors, Timothy Jones and Becky Chapman
Assistant Director, Laura Scrivano
Set and Costume Designer, Genevieve Dugard
Lighting Designer, Luiz Pampolha
Sound Designer, Composer, Max Lambert Characters Jamal Bibi Fatima , their mother Mohammed , their father Yusuf Zoltan , soccer boy Mussa , soccer boy Aziz , soccer boy Soccer girls Omar Rashida Driver Gavin Sailor Smuggler Andrew Chorus of refugees Setting A series of platforms at different heights, some suspended, some roped off, create various spaces for the action. One platform is the family house, one a shop, one a block of seating at a stadium; one is the back of a truck littered in sacks under which the family hide. One serves as the docks, one the deck of a boat. They can be moved in and out and around the performance space to accommodate the action. The platforms are like raftsisolated, floating and vulnerable. There is a boot of a car which is either attached to a car or not.

There is also an expanse of tents. Scene I MOHAMMED emerges silently from the shadows and walks to the boot of his taxi. He looks around. Assured he has not been seen, he opens the boot. Three GIRLS, heavily veiled, carrying school books under their arms, quickly get out of the boot. MOHAMMED closes the boot.

He watches the GIRLS exit. He furtively looks around. He opens the boot again and another three heavily veiled GIRLS emerge and follow the others. MOHAMMED closes the boot, looks about, opens the boot once more and three more GIRLS climb out and exit. The sound of drumming feet causes MOHAMMED to panic. Darkness. Darkness.

The sound of drumming feet continuesa slightly ominous sound. Zeir Baghali, from Inside Afghanistan, a recording by Deben Bhattacharya, accompanies the drumming, and continues into the next scene. Scene 2 The feet belong to a line-up of BOYS. Like a chorus line they move in a choreographed movement sequence toward the audience. It is as if they are playing soccer but there is no ball. The soccer moves are slightly stylised making them dance-like.

The ball is so acutely imagined we can almost see it as it bounces from knee to knee to head to foot to knee to chest. The drumming comes to a stop. The sound of a single bounce of an actual soccer ball is heard. The BOYS listen intently. Again there is the sound of the bouncing ball. They listen and the sound continues.

The line splits to reveal JAMAL behind them, soccer ball in hand, his face lit up in an exuberant smile. The BOYS collectively gasp. JAMAL lifts the ball above his head as if its some precious thing and moves forward to join the chorus line. They cannot take their eyes off it. YUSUF, JAMALs one-legged friend, appears on crutches and joins the line. JAMAL throws the ball high up into the air and a highly stylised game begins.

The BOYS move into action and freeze the moment the ball drops and JAMAL stills it with his foot. He narrates the game with intensity. Jamal Latching onto a fumbled ball from the opposition Manchester United, always in command, in fact, in inspirational form, deliver a stunning, curling, long-distance strike. Its intercepted by Newcastle United and could prove to be an expensive miss but Jamal dramatically, almost miraculously, regains possession and piles on the pressure. Aziz from Newcastle United lunges at me. I dodge the tackle.

Aziz is small but hes fast and he comes back for a second lunge. Three young boys, MUSSA, AZIZ and ZOLTAN, engage closely in the game. AZIZ makes a move. Aziz Youre dead meat, Jamal. Jamal I dazzle him with my footwork. He does.

Aziz Too good. Jamal I weave one way, then the other. The ball at my feet is a blur. Mussa, whos also Newcastle United, tries to remove my feet from my ankles. MUSSA moves into stylised action. Mussa Youre finished, Jamal.

Jamal I avoid his big boots and flick the ball between his legs. Mussa You always do that! Jamal [ with a laugh ] I duck past him, steer the ball around a bomb crater, and find myself in front of goal. And theres Yusuf. YUSUF, in position as if between goalposts, balances on his one foot, his crutches stretched out to the sides. Yusuf the terrible. YUSUF lets out an almighty growl.

His eyes never leave the ball at my toes. Yusuf Dont even think about it, Jamal. ZOLTAN gestures to JAMAL to pass. Zoltan Over here, Jamal. Jamal Thats Zoltan, hes Manchester United with me. Zoltan Pass.

Jamal Normally I would. Im known for it. Ask anyone. Zoltan Jamals a good dribbler. Aziz He is. Hes a brilliant passer.

Mussa Hes fantastic at dribbling and passing. Jamal If I had an unexploded shell for every goal Ive set up I could go into the scrap metal business. Yusuf Its true, hed be a rich man, Jamal Just once I want to score myself. Zoltan Jamal, over here! Jamal I want to smack the ball with all my strength and watch it whiz past Yusuf like a Scud missile. Zoltan Here, Jamal. Here! Jamal All Ive got to do is get around Yusuf.

Mussa Not a chance, Jamal. Aziz Not a chance. Jamal Hes really good at diving saves, especially for a kid with one leg. YUSUF growls. I really should pass. I steady myself and shoot.

The boys watch the progress of JAMALs imagined shot. Their faces register pain or pleasure as it clearly misses. Aziz Weak. MUSSA laughs. Yusuf Very sad, Jamal, very sad. Zoltan [ indignant ] Jamal, I was unmarked.

Jamal [ to ZOLTAN ] Sorry. [ To the audience ] I wait for Aziz and Mussa to say something nasty about mid-field players who think theyre strikers, but arent. The boys are silent but stare ahead in shock. JAMAL talks on, oblivious to them. But theyre good friends, they forgive me. Aziz Jamal.

Jamal They understand that every now and then youve just got to go for it. Mussa Jamal. Jamal Because one day, Ill take a shot and it will roar through those goalposts. Zoltan Jamal! Jamal What! He looks at their faces and realises something is up. Is it the government? The lights come up on nine-year-old BIBI, her hands defiantly placed on her hips, her veil slipped off her head. [ In horror ] Bibi. [ In horror ] Bibi.