# Dress for Mona, A: Abridged one-act version

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-19 — 1 clipping.*

---

> CASTING REQUIREMENTS:  2f; 2m
> 
>  
> 
> 
> Introduction
> 
> 
> SCENE 1 - 
> Mona’s Dream
> 
> 
> SCENE 2 - 
> English Class
> 
> 
> SCENE 
> 3 - A Mosque & Mona’s room
> 
> 
> SCENE 4 - Prison
> 
> 
> SCENE 5 - 
> Interrogation Room
> 
> 
> SCENE 6 
> - Final Interrogation
> 
>  
> 
> Introduction
> 
>             The
> following one-act play is a shortened version of the full length play called,
> “A Dress for Mona.”  This is a play
> based on the life of a young Baha’i woman named Mona Mahmudnizhad, who was the
> youngest of ten women executed in Shiraz, Iran on the 18th of June, 1983 for
> their unwillingness to renounce their Bahá'í belief.
> 
>             Our story
> begins before Mona went to prison.  One
> night, she had a dream in which she was offered a gift from God.  She was offered three dresses and she had to
> choose one.  The first dress was red and
> it stood for martyrdom.  The second was
> black and it stood for a life of suffering and sadness.  The last was blue and it stood for a life
> dedicated to service.  
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> SCENE
> 1 - Mona’s Dream
> 
> 
> 
> Music.  Mona enters.  As she
> approaches center stage, a robed figure is illuminated.
> 
> 
> 
> A VOICE
> 
> A gift.
> 
> 
> 
> TWO VOICES
> 
> From.
> 
> 
> 
> ALL
> 
> God.
> 
> 
> 
>             [Silence.  The robed figure gestures right.  A red dress is revealed.  Mona takes the dress and holds it up to
> herself.]  
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> No!
> 
> 
> 
>             [She
> pushes the dress away.  The robed figure
> gestures left.  A black dress is
> revealed.  Mona again holds the dress up
> to herself.]
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> No! No! I don’t want that either.
> 
> 
> 
>             [Again,
> she pushes the dress away.  The robed
> figure comes forward and reveals a blue dress. 
> Mona slowly takes it and holds it up to herself.  The figure whispers in Mona’s ear.]
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> Yes.  This is the dress I choose.
> 
> 
> 
>             [The
> robed figure removes his hood, unveiling a handsome young man.  Mona is captivated.  As he speaks he eventually moves back behind
> the frame.]
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> Who are you?
> 
> 
> 
> YOUNG MAN
> 
> Look for me.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> What?
> 
> 
> 
> YOUNG MAN
> 
> I am there when you look for me.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> When I...? What do you...?
> 
> 
> 
> YOUNG MAN
> 
> In the face of others--
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> What do you mean?
> 
> 
> 
> YOUNG MAN
> 
> Look for me.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> I don't know what you mean.
> 
> 
> 
> YOUNG MAN
> 
> Look for me.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> Who are you?
> 
>            
> 
>            [A voice is heard, calling to her.  This time from the waking world.  It is Mr. Alizadeh, her English teacher.]
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH
> 
> Mahmudnizhad.
> 
> 
> 
> YOUNG MAN
> 
> I am.  
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH
> 
> Miss Mahmudnizhad.  Please, take your seat.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Back to Top
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> SCENE
> 2 - English Class
> 
> 
> 
>             [The
> young man pulls the hood back over his head and exits into the dark with the
> dress as the scene shifts to the English class.  Mona sits.  Mr. Alizadeh
> points to a board with an English phrase written on it.]
> 
> 
> 
> MR.
> ALIZADEH
> 
> And again...
> 
> 
> 
> THE CLASS
> 
> "I would like to buy a
> kidney pie for my wife."
> 
> 
> 
> MR.
> ALIZADEH (To audience.)
> 
> Everyone, please.  Yes, you too.
> 
> 
> 
> THE
> “CLASS”
> 
> "I would like to buy a
> kidney pie for my wife."
> 
> 
> 
> MR.
> ALIZADEH
> 
> Not "vife"!
> Wa-wa-wa.  Wwwwwwife! Speak it like an
> Arab! 
> 
> 
> 
> THE CLASS
> 
> "I would like to buy a
> kidney pie for my wife."
> 
> 
> 
> MR.
> ALIZADEH
> 
> Now what about this word
> ordering? Does someone have it? Yes, Miss Mahmudnizhad.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> The subject comes first.
> 
> 
> 
> MR.
> ALIZADEH
> 
> And what is that subject...
> Yes?  The subject is "I."  Now, class, is it necessary to include the
> word "I"?
> 
> 
> 
> THE CLASS
> 
> Yeeeeesss.
> 
> 
> 
> MR.
> ALIZADEH
> 
> Are you sure? Class, is it not
> like Persian where you can just add the pronoun if you feel like it?
> 
> 
> 
> THE CLASS
> 
> Nnnoooo.
> 
> 
> 
> MR.
> ALIZADEH
> 
> The English are very impatient,
> you know.  They don't want to wait til
> the end of the sentence before they figure out who's doing what.  The subject is first.  Miss Mahmudnizhad, please continue, what is
> next?
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> Next comes the verb. 
> 
> 
> 
> MR.
> ALIZADEH
> 
> The verb comes next! Exactly,
> those English are so impatient they need to know right away what's happening
> and who's doing it.  Where's the poetry
> in that, I ask you?! Huh? Huh? Persian, you see, is a circle.  You need the whole of it to understand any
> of it, but the English, the English are in such a hurry, they hear the
> headline, the "who" and the "what" and, bam, they're off to
> colonize another part of the world, and you're not even finished with your
> sentence! (Mona raises her hand.) Yes, Miss Mahmudnizhad.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA 
> 
> Then why teach?
> 
> 
> 
> MR.
> ALIZADEH
> 
> Excuse me?
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> Why teach English? Why teach
> something that you don’t care about?
> 
> 
> 
>             [Pause.  A voice comes over the intercom speaker.]
> 
> 
> 
> INTERCOM
> 
> Mr. Alizadeh?
> 
> 
> 
> MR.
> ALIZADEH
> 
> (Shouting
> at the intercom speaker.)
> 
> What do you want, disembodied
> voice?! 
> 
> 
> 
> INTERCOM
> 
> Mr. Alizadeh, please come down to
> the main office.
> 
> 
> 
> MR.
> ALIZADEH
> 
> Disembodied voice! I finally get
> a student to ask a question and you interrupt!
> 
>  
> 
> 
> Back to Top
> 
>  
> 
> 
> SCENE
> 3 - A Mosque & Mona’s room
> 
> 
> 
>  Mona returns center stage. 
> She picks up the blue dress and stands as if assessing the fit of the
> dress in a mirror.  After a moment, she
> closes her eyes, breathing deeply.  Mr.
> Alizadeh reenters.  
> 
> 
> 
> MR.
> ALIZADEH
> 
> We have a visitor.  The Religious Magistrate of the
> Revolutionary Court.  Please welcome
> Ayatu'llah Qazá'í.  
> 
> 
> 
>             [He steps aside.  The doors to the back of the house fly
> open.  The RELIGIOUS MAGISTRATE
> enters.  He is played by the same actor
> that portrays the Young Man in Mona‘s dream, but now wears a beard and a large
> turban.  He walks straight towards Mona,
> who has opened her eyes with a start. 
> They are locked in a stare as he comes closer.  He walks until he is just opposite her.  He puts on a pair of eyeglasses, and her stare is broken as if the
> vision of him has vanished.  She breaks
> away.  He turns.] 
> 
> 
> 
> MAGISTRATE
> 
> Let us talk about
> "Bahá'í."  (Pause.)
> Bahá'í says it is a religion.  Islam
> says Baha’i is a political sect. The Twelfth Imam has returned, Bahá'í says. My
> friends, if the Twelfth Imam had returned, I should not be standing here. He
> should be here, and I should be on the floor in humility like you. But here I
> am, and I ask: Where is Imam? (A beat.) But wait, you may say.  Baha’is aren’t so bad, you may say.  You see them around.  They seem nice, you say.  Before you know it, you’re seeking them
> out.  Meeting them in back alleys, and
> they begin to fill you up with their poison! Filling your cup! The poison is
> sweet, they say! Drink it down, my friends, BUT KNOW!!! God reads your heart, even
> as I read this Qur'an! (With a thick guttural Arabic pronunciation)
> “Házá va enna letagheyna lashara ma’ábe,
> Jahannama yaslavanahá fabe’ass-al Mehádo!”  [1] This is what
> God has revealed! This plague will be eradicated from this land.  Starting now.  And you will do it.
> 
> 
> 
>             [During the Magistrate’s
> speech, Mona, now wearing the dress, has returned to stand center stage.  He turns and prostrates himself.  Mona addresses herself in the mirror,
> practicing her delivery.]
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> My name is Mona.  I was asked to come and act as your
> teacher.  I’ve never done this before
> so... maybe we can start by getting to know each other better.
> 
> 
> 
>             [The Magistrate rises and
> walks to Mona.  She puts on a dark
> 
>            
> chador.]  
> 
> Back to Top
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> SCENE
> 4 - Prison
> 
> 
> 
> Mona kneels.  She sways a bit, eyes closed, apparently
> praying. We hear a voice from offstage.
> 
> 
> 
> WOMAN’S
> VOICE (Off.)   
> 
> Mona!
> 
> 
> 
>             [Mona
> opens her eyes.]
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> I’ll be right in, Zahra.  
> 
> 
> 
> WOMAN
> 
> Mona, look! Look!
> 
> 
> 
>             [The
> woman, Zahra, has entered and handed Mona a piece of paper.]
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> Is this real? I mean... a
> release? (A beat.)  But, no.  No. 
> I want everyone to be released. 
> I don't want to be the only one. 
> It's horrible.  How can I sleep
> in my bed when you are all here in the cold?
> 
> 
> 
> ZAHRA
> 
> We're not going to think about
> that, Mona.  
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> I feel torn.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ZAHRA
> 
> But don‘t you want to go home?
> 
> 
> 
> MONA 
> 
> Want, want, who cares what I
> want? No, no, no, Zahra.  This is not
> the way Baha‘is think about it.  We are
> here for God! We are in prison for our faith! What I want is what God wants for
> me! That's what I want.  That's what we
> all want.  That's why we're here.  That's why when they line us up and give us
> the choice... that's why we always come back here.  Because that's what we want. 
> We want what God wants.  (Pause.)
> It's just hard sometimes to figure out what God actually wants. 
> 
> 
> 
>             [A
> long beat.  She tears up the paper, then
> exits.] 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Back to Top 
> 
> 
> SCENE
> 5 - Interrogation Room
> 
> 
> 
> Mr. Alizadeh enters.  He takes a moment to look around, then
> sits.  Mona enters.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA (Surprised.)
> 
> Oh...
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Miss Mahmudnizhad.  
> 
> 
> 
> MONA 
> 
> Mister Alizadeh, Hi!  What...? 
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> It's good to see you again.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA 
> 
> It’s good to see you! What are
> you doing here? I... I wasn’t... This isn’t how we normally meet with visitors.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Miss Mahmudnizhad, I am here to
> discuss with you your options.
> 
> 
> 
>             [A
> beat.]
> 
> 
> 
> MONA 
> 
> My options? 
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH
> 
> Yes.  I have just spoken with the authorities here and...
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> I’m not going to be released.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH
> 
> Well, no, not yet... no.  But it is within your power to negotiate
> your freedom.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> Mr. Alizadeh, I don’t know if you
> know this but the only way they’ll release us is if we claim to not be Baha’is.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH
> (Gravely.) 
> 
> Yes.  
> 
> 
>  
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> So I really don’t have any other
> options.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Miss Mahmudnizhad, I am
> ashamed.  I am ashamed to find you
> here.  I am ashamed that Iran has fallen
> so low that it casts its innocent children into prison.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA 
> 
> You don't have to be
> ashamed.  I'm not.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> You should be free! You should be
> in school, learning! How can they do this? It was one thing to hear about it,
> but now to see you... No I cannot allow this. 
> I cannot.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA 
> 
> Mr. Alizadeh.  I'm in prison because of my beliefs.  There is no shame in that.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH
> 
> No this is unacceptable.  Unacceptable!
> 
> 
> 
> MONA 
> 
> I appreciate that, Mr.
> Alizadeh.  I do.  But there's nothing you can do.  We have to leave this in God's hands.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Is that how you really feel?
> 
> 
> 
> MONA 
> 
> Yes.  I’m content.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Really?
> 
> 
> 
> MONA 
> 
> Really.  There's nothing you can do.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Nothing? Before I was brought to
> this room, Aqa-ye-Husayni told me there were several women here in prison that
> were about to be convicted of capital crimes. 
> I asked if my student was one of them. 
> He said, yes.  And then he asked
> me -- me -- to help him.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA 
> 
> To do what? Convince me to
> recant? 
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Clarify your options.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA 
> 
> Mr. Alizadeh, I'm grateful that
> you've come to see me.  I am.  But if you've only come to convince me to
> renounce my religion... 
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Are you afraid I might succeed?
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> I'm afraid of nothing.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Nothing? Nothing, Mahmudnizhad?
> What if they torture you? What if they torture someone you love? You're not the
> only one you have to think about.  
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> Mr. Alizadeh...
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Are you afraid of truth,
> Mahmudnizhad?
> 
> 
> 
>             [Pause.]  
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> No.  I'm not.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Then you can listen to this old
> bachelor foreign-language teacher whose only wish is to see his students grow
> and flourish?
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> Of course.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Thank you.  (A beat.)  You know, you’re just like him. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> What? 
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Your father.  You have your father’s faith.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> MONA 
> 
> I follow the same religion as my
> father, Mr. Alizadeh.  My faith is my
> own.  
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Miss
> Mahmudnizhad, I am not here to convert you. 
> I'm only here to talk to you about your options.  I do not like the clergy.  But, Miss Mahmudnizhad, I can ALIZADEH
> (cont’d) 
> 
> find nothing of any worth in you
> dying for a belief.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA 
> 
> I understand why you might feel
> that way, but you are not a Bahá'í.  
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> I know something about your
> religion, Miss Mahmudnizhad.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> You are a Muslim, Mister
> Alizadeh?   
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> I was born a Muslim.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> Did Imam Husayn do well in dying
> for his faith?
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> My dear, you are not Imam
> Husayn.  Your story will not be
> told.  Mourners will not pour onto the
> streets for you.  They will not put up a
> wailing every year to remember your sacrifice. 
> Too many people have already died for causes.  We don't have room for you on our calendar.  
> 
> 
> 
> MONA 
> 
> I'm not doing this to be
> remembered by your calendar.  I'm doing
> this for God.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH
> 
> Yes, I know.  I know something about your religion.  Some very good people, and they say some
> good things about education...
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> Men and women.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Most admirable.  But, Miss Mahmudnizhad, the goal of
> education is to make this a better world, and yet you seem all too ready to
> give it all up for some other world. 
> Doesn't this seem to be a contradiction?  
> 
> MONA  
> 
> No, it's...
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> It sounds like fundamentalism.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> Am I killing myself? If it were
> up to me, I'd be back in school...
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> But it is up to you!
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> How?
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Just tell them what they want to
> hear and you're free to go.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> Mr. Alizadeh, you care about
> truth?
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Truth? What is truth? The truth
> is uncertain.  Even within Islam, there
> are different opinions about what truth is.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> You stood up for me when the
> clergy was trying to empty the school of Bahá'ís.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Yes.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> Why did you do that?
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Because I wanted to see you
> thrive and flourish, and live.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> Wouldn't it have just been easier
> to allow them to expel me?
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Easier? ... No.  I couldn't have lived with myself.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> Exactly.  And I couldn't live with myself if I were to
> recant.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> But there is a difference between
> me putting up with some heat from the clergy and you throwing away your life.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> How do you know they can't burn
> your house down?
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> I live in an apartment.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> No free thinker is safe in this
> society, Mr. Alizadeh.  Didn't you say
> that?
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> That doesn't mean we throw
> ourselves into the fire.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> Do you think you're the only one
> who should sacrifice?
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> That's absurd.  I love what I do.  I have sacrificed nothing.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> So if I told you I love my Faith
> more than anything else?
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> I'd say you're a fool to throw
> away your life for words.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> Words?
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Words!  That's all they are! Like words in a book.  Close the book and they are gone!
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> This book is my life, Mr.
> Alizadeh! 
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Precisely.  (A beat.)  Your faith advocates moderation in all things.  
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> It also demands absolute
> truthfulness.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> And yet 'Abdu'l-Bahá said you
> could lie to a dying man if it would comfort his mind.  How do you explain that contradiction?
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> 'Abdu'l-Bahá said that?
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> I know something about your
> Faith, Miss Mahmudnizhad.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> Where did he say that? 
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Some Answered Questions.  Chapter 57.  Verse 12.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> I need to check that.  But even then, that doesn't mean I shouldn't
> tell the truth about my belief.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> What is the truth, Miss
> Mahmudnizhad? Show me an absolute statement about any subject in your writings,
> and I will show you another to contradict it.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> I don't believe you.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Try me.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> I don't believe you.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> I'll prove it to you.  Try me.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> Okay, in the Bahá'í writings it
> says that we should investigate the truth for ourselves and that we should ask
> questions.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Bahá'u'lláh:  "The most burning fire is to question
> the signs of God." Words of Wisdom.  Verse 18.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> I don't see that as...
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH 
> 
> I know something about your
> faith.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> But...
> 
>  
> 
> ALIZADEH
> 
> There are no absolutes.  
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> Why are you saying this?
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH
> 
> Because you are my student.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> Baha’is don’t dissemble their
> faith.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Bahá'u'lláh says that Bahá'ís
> should act with wisdom to avoid persecutions. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> Bahá'ís don't dis-
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> But what about you, Mona? What
> about Mona? What does Mona think about it? Investigate the truth for
> yourself.  You say you're not afraid,
> but maybe you're just a little afraid to think for yourself?
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> No.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> Not even a little? (Pause.)
> You had a dream that you told me about. 
> With the dresses.
> 
> 
> 
>             [Mona
> looks down.]
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> You chose the blue one if I
> recall correctly... but that doesn't seem right.  The blue one was about life and service if I remember
> correctly... Am I wrong? You did believe that dream to contain a message, did
> you not? Mona?
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> Yes.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> So who was this message from?
> From God? Because God also appears to be the one telling you to die for your
> faith.  Well, which is it? Life or
> death? Or maybe God is confused?
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> How dare you say that?!
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> It was a question.  Am I not allowed to ask questions?
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> God is not confused.  You may be. 
> I may be.  God is not confused.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH
> 
> But, you see, I don’t think it
> was God sending you that dream.   I
> think it was your own unconscious. 
> Maybe it sensed that your life was in danger, so it fashioned a creative
> way of telling you...
> 
> 
> 
> MONA  
> 
> No.  It was more that that.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH  
> 
> The other option is a confused
> God.  Are you ready to die for a
> confused God?
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> Why are you doing this? I don’t
> know why you’re doing this.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH
> 
> You are my student...
> 
> 
> 
> MONA (A
> discovery.)
> 
> You were a Baha’i.
> 
> 
> 
>             [A
> beat.]
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH
> 
> I was.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> What happened?
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH
> 
> I woke up.
> 
> 
> 
>             [A
> beat.]
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> Do you believe in God, Mr.
> Alizadeh?
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH
> 
> I cannot believe in a God at war
> with Himself.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> I’ll be honest with you.  I didn’t expect to face this situation.  I didn’t. 
> But I have not been abandoned. 
> I’m seeing things now...  Life
> and death.  They don’t mean the same
> things any more.    Everything around us
> is telling us how fleeting this life is. 
> But God is present with us in this very moment, Mr. Alizadeh.  Do you feel Him? He doesn’t speak through
> human language, Mr. Alizadeh.  He speaks
> in the heart.  And sometimes it takes
> time to understand what He’s saying.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH
> (Harshly.)
> 
> What you're really talking about
> is another father figure that you can cling to when your real father is dead.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> I am not clinging to my father.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH
> 
> Then listen to what I’m saying
> and stand on your own!
> 
> 
> 
> MONA (Standing,
> trembling.)
> 
> I stand on my own.  I have left the house of my father.  My clothes are packed.  My rugs rolled up.  And I’m on a journey.  To
> the abode of my lover.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH
> 
> Your...
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> I am a bride.  And this is my wedding day.  This is my wedding dress.  The dress I have chosen.  The dress I have put on.  And no one will take it off me... until my
> wedding night.  And then only him.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH
> 
> What if someone kills him first?
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> What?
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH
> 
> Your lover? 
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> What are you...?
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH
> (Gesturing.)
> 
> What if someone holds him in
> front of you and -- with a word -- slits his throat? Because I can do
> that.  With a word.  I can kill with a word.  (A beat.)  Dead.  He’s dead.  Your lover is dead.  And you are alone in this world.
> 
> 
> 
>             [A
> beat.]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> Mr. Alizadeh, I just saw someone
> die.
> 
> 
> 
> ALIZADEH
> 
> Yes.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> Mr. Alizadeh, it was you.
> 
> 
> 
>             [End
> of scene.]
> 
>  Back to Top
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> SCENE
> 6 - Final Interrogation
> 
> 
> 
> The lights go off except for a
> single harsh light center stage. Mona comes forward to stand in the light.  As she comes into it, she is overtaken by
> exhaustion.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> How much longer are you going to
> keep me here? My legs are numb.  (Her
> head falls.  She starts.)  No! Gotta stay... here. Okay.  (She struggles to open her eyes.)  What did you want? (She struggles.)  I am still... I am still awake!  (Her head falls.)  Awake. 
> (She walks around in a small circle, stomping, trying to stay
> conscious.)  I’m awake! 
> 
> 
> 
>             [She
> falls asleep, standing. The Magistrate appears.]
> 
> 
> 
>   MAGISTRATE
> 
> I came across an interesting
> thing.  Under "desired
> profession", you have "service to humanity."  It's a noble thing, Mona.  May I call you Mona?
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> Yes, sir.
> 
> 
> 
> MAGISTRATE
> 
> Truly.  A very noble thing.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA (Very
> softly.)
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> 
> 
> MAGISTRATE
> 
> You also have here that one of
> your role models in this respect is your father.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> Yes, sir.
> 
> 
> 
> MAGISTRATE
> 
> He must be very proud.  Your father has been of great service to us
> here.  Reminding the Baha’is that they
> have nothing to hide.  What about you,
> Mona? Do you have something to hide?
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> No, sir.
> 
> 
> 
> MAGISTRATE
> 
> No doubts or fears, stray
> thoughts, questions why you’re really here? (A beat.) Mona?
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> I have nothing to hide, your
> honor.
> 
> 
> 
> MAGISTRATE
> 
> Then tell me why you’re here.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> I served as a teacher for a
> Baha’i children’s class.
> 
> 
> 
>             [A
> beat.]
> 
> 
> 
> MAGISTRATE
> 
> 
> When God's revolution came to
> this country, we took away your ability to congregate.  We dissolved your institutions.  We closed the border to keep you from
> spreading.  What is happening to your
> potential for service? We denied you rights of citizenship.  We had you expelled from schools, fired from
> your jobs.  Your homes were burnt, your
> leaders executed, your holy places destroyed.  
> Do you see what is happening to your service? You come here, cut off
> from the world, you have nothing, you are completely at our disposal.  Well then, you think, you can help the
> others in the cell with you.  Now you
> can't go near them.  You wanted to
> pray.  I took the words right out of
> your mouth.  (A beat.)  Now you feel that breath surging in and out
> of your nostrils, Mona? Huh? You feel that hot, moist breath surging in and
> out? Mona, I can take that away too. 
> How are you going to serve then, Mona, when Mona is no more?  
> 
> 
> 
>             [Mona
> doesn't respond.]
> 
> 
> 
> MAGISTRATE
> 
> What do you say to that, my
> child?
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> Then somehow, I will serve... in
> death.
> 
>  
> 
> 
> MAGISTRATE
> 
> Serve whom, Mona? Do you think
> anyone will ever remember what happens to you here? (A beat.) Do you
> think this is cruel? Do you? Can you forgive me? I love this country.  I love Iran.  And I love all the people in it, though I send
> 
> every last one to the grave!  I love them the way God loves them. With
> justice. And justice, in our sight, is only mercy. Do you feel my love for you,
> Mona? I am your real father, Mona.  I am
> telling you the truth, Mona.  So will
> you forgive me? Mona? 
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> There’s nothing to forgive. (A
> beat.) You lead me to my Beloved.
> 
> 
> 
> MAGISTRATE
> 
> We must obey the Qur'an.  Accept Islam or face execution.
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> I kiss the order of execution.
> 
> 
> 
>             [Mona kisses the hand of the
> Magistrate.  She then looks into his
> face.  She lifts her hands and removes
> his turban and his glasses to reveal the Young Man from her earlier visions.  His outer garment falls to the ground.  He smiles as she stares at him.   After a moment, he moves behind her.]
> 
> 
> 
> YOUNG MAN
> (Gently.)
> 
> Are you ready?
> 
> 
> 
>             [Mona nods and takes a step
> forward.]
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> Wait. (A beat.)  Last. 
> I want to be last.
> 
> 
> 
> YOUNG MAN
> 
> Are you afraid?
> 
> 
> 
> MONA
> 
> No.  I want to pray for the others. 
> 
> 
> 
> YOUNG MAN
> 
> It is granted.  
> 
> 
> 
>             [Mona lowers her head in
> silent prayer as the names of the Ten Women Martyrs of Shiraz are read
> off.  A carpet is spread out, and as the
> names are read, people come out carrying, with great care, dresses representing
> each woman.]
> 
> 
> 
>  READER (Throughout.)
> 
> Shírín Dálvand.  Táhirih Síyávushí.  Roya Ishráqí.  'Izzat
> Ishráqí.  Zarrín Muqímí.  Símín Sábirí.  Nusrat Yaldá'í. Mahshíd Nírúmand.  Akhtar Sabet.  Mona
> Mahmúdnizhád.
> 
>  
> 
>             [When Mona is called, she and
> the young man together remove her chador, revealing the red dress beneath.  She shivers and moves forward.  She lays down the veil.]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> THE END
> 
> Back to Top
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [1]   Qur’an 38:55-56 (Transliterated pronunciation)  “This is so! And for the transgressors will
> be an evil return! Hell! Where they will burn, and worst is that place to
> rest!”
>
> — *Dress for Mona, A: Abridged one-act version (Used by permission of the curator)*