A one-act play set during the mid-80s in South Africa. Jon faces the possibility of being ordered to fire on black neighbors–but defiance means disrupting the life of his young family. Drawn directly from my family’s experiences. Any inconsistencies in setting or language are my own. Crisis of Conscience is available in full, formatted for production. Requests can be forwarded to richenda@richendagould.com

The city of hushed voices.

Where the wooshing of cars driving between the great columns of steel and glass buildings is all that’s heard on the street. Where all you see when you look into buildings, and cars, and eyes, is the reflection of the brighter lights outside. Where people walk by with their heads down; they never meet each other’s gazes. They’re too afraid to.

The children mumble sleepily; snoozily. She’s just put them down, in the middle of the afternoon, but the heavy curtains make the rooms dark and heavy. Both doorways face each other across the hallway, each close with the smells of small children. She, Karen, can see into the boys’ room from here. It’s thick and warm, set to the rhythm of air escaping and filling soft pink lips.