Eraser, livre ebook

• First presented as part of Why Not Theatre’s Riser Project at Theatre Centre, Toronto, in May 2019.
• Eraser originates from a devised theatre course a few of the authors took together, inspired by conversations about the group’s diverse upbringings.
• One of the authors, Bilal Baig, is the star and co-creator of the hit HBO/CBC series Sort Of.

NOAH: Jihad, tell her.

JIHAD: / What?

TARA: Guys I think she knows you’re talking about her.

NOAH: Communicate in your language and tell her her food smells bad.

ELI: She obviously / knows.

JIHAD: We probably don’t / speak the same language.

NOAH:(to ELI) I wasn’t talking / to you, was I?

TARA: But Jihad you can speak Indian right?

WHITNEY: Um don’t you mean Hindi?

TARA: Jihad, is the language spoken in India Indian or Hindi?

WHITNEY: / Why are you asking about India if she’s from Pawk-i-stan?

NOAH: / Oh my god who cares Jihad just go talk to her.

JIHAD: / Why are you asking me?

TARA: Aren’t you from there?

JIHAD: No I’m not, I’m from Michigan.

ELI: Man, stop lying.

NOAH: Jihad PLEASE.

WHITNEY: Yeah Jihad, could you talk to her?

JIHAD: Okay fine!

JIHAD goes to AFROZE.

AFROZE: Assalam’olaikum.

JIHAD: Walekum’assalam.

AFROZE: Tum Urdu bol saktey ho?

JIHAD: Urdu? Oh no, I speak English.

AFROZE: Arbi bol thay ho? Arabic?

JIHAD: What? Uh, look, I just want to let you know that sometimes, we eat in the hallways, we’re allowed to do that here it’s kinda cool, I can show you.