<aside> Synopsis
Between the bullet and the obituary are a hundred split-second decisions. For honor-student Malik and his best friend, Jay, the aftermath of a gunshot reveals the fragility of flawed systems, the strength of connected community, and the injustice of stolen youth.
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MALIK: (M) Seventeen. Black. Shot before the play begins. Present in body and voice throughout. Fighting to stay alive. Fighting to be seen. He represents not just statistics — but the humanity behind them. He is conscious, even when silent. His internal voice reveals everything others miss.
JAY: (F) Sixteen. Black. Malik’s best friend. Quick, loyal, grounded. She never leaves his side — physically or emotionally. Jay is the truth-teller, the anchor, the embodiment of community and protection. She represents justice — not as a slogan, but as a presence.
Actor 1
NEIGHBOR 2: Any age. Black. First to call 911. Speaks for the collective exhaustion of the community, and the spiritual resistance that rises even when help doesn’t. Their presence is brief but powerful.
MALIK’S MOTHER: (F) Black. Strong, layered, and heavy with grief. Speaks with clarity, even in devastation. Carries the pain of every Black parent who’s been here before.
Actor 2
NEIGHBOR 1 (BARBER): (M) 30s to 50s. Black. Local barber and first responder in this moment. Trained in CVI (Community Violence Intervention) and Stop the Bleed. He doesn’t call himself a first responder, but he is one. Acts quickly and clearly. A trusted figure in the community who reflects how intervention starts before the ambulance arrives.
NURSE
CVI ADVOCATE: Black. Grassroots leader. Speaks at the presser outside the hospital. Grounded in lived experience, data, and urgency. Connects community intervention to survival. Holds the line between mourning and mobilization.
Actor 3
EMT 1: Task-oriented. Follows protocol. Detached. Makes choices based on timing, not context. Reflects the system’s capacity to move fast — without asking the right questions.
DETECTIVE RILEY: White or racially ambiguous. Investigative. Aggressive. Arrives to question Malik before he’s even stabilized. Symbolizes criminalization in place of care.
DR. HARRIS: Black, brown, or Middle Eastern. Trauma surgeon. Modeled after real-life physicians like Dr. Joseph Sakran. Believes medicine is also advocacy. Navigates systems with precision and purpose. A rare but necessary voice of care.
Actor 4
EMT 2: Observant. More open. Listens to the barber. Learns. Begins to shift when confronted with humanity. The system cracks — and something human comes through.
SOCIAL WORKER: Bureaucratic. Speaks in policies, not people. Instead of supporting the family, evaluates them. Represents institutional suspicion — especially toward grieving Black families.
DR. WEST: White or non-Black. Attending physician. Polished, authoritative — and biased. Makes decisions that feel neutral but cut deep. Represents how racism survives through routine.