Free Collaborators by John Hodge Page A

they’re never going to see their husbands again. Not that mine would complain! This is good. I like it. He’s in prison. But they can’t break him. In fact he converts the guards to Marxism! I love it!
    Stepan hurries offstage.
    He returns with a Man and Woman in their nightclothes, both in handcuffs.
    Vladimir consults a list.
    Am I right? You are the General Secretary of the Turkmenistan All-Union Communist Party?
    Man Yes, I am.
    Vladimir And you are his wife?
    Woman Yes.
    Vladimir In town for the congress?
    Man Yes. That’s correct.
    Vladimir You have a return ticket to Turkmenistan?
    Man Yes.
    He produces it from his pocket and Vladimir snatches it away.
    Vladimir You may claim a refund, Comrade.
    Man What have I done?
    Vladimir Conspiracy to assassinate Stalin, wreck the economy, overthrow the government, restore the Tsar. And so forth.
    Man Please – I’ll confess. To anything. But let my wife go. Please.
    Vladimir Shut up.
    Man Please, let her go!
    Stepan punches the Man once in the stomach. The Man sinks to his knees.
    Bulgakov pulls Vladimir aside.
    Bulgakov Vladimir! That man is an old Bolshevik! He probably stormed the Winter Palace.
    Vladimir So?
    Bulgakov He doesn’t seem a very likely traitor.
    Vladimir Oh, how naive you are. Listen, Mikhail: a man may appear innocent. He may even be ‘innocent’ as the term is conventionally understood. But he will have what we call objective characteristics which clearly point the other way.
    Bulgakov Objective characteristics?
    Vladimir In this case: that he is in a position of power.
    Bulgakov And that’s enough to make him a potential traitor, is it?
    Vladimir More than enough.
    Bulgakov His wife? What about her?
    Vladimir She has the objective characteristic of being his wife.
    The Woman turns to Bulgakov.
    Woman Please, Comrade – tell your men – we have done nothing wrong. We are good citizens.
    Vladimir That’s how it works when you make enquiries.
    Vladimir and Stepan exit with the Man and Woman.
    Bulgakov is alone on the stage.
    Enter the two Actors.
    Actor One is in prison uniform.
    Actor Two wears a police hat and jacket.
    Actor Two Dzughashvili! You have corrupted too many guards to your treacherous ideology!
    Actor One So what? Are you going to beat me? I do not care. You can never break me!
    Actor Two No – we are sending you to Siberia and from there you will never come back! Ha ha ha!
    Exit Actor Two.
    Enter Grigory stage right.
    Grigory Mikhail!
    Bulgakov Grigory – what are you doing out here?
    Grigory Looking for you.
    Bulgakov For me?
    Grigory I need your help.
    Bulgakov Tell me – anything I can do –
    Grigory My work is banned now. I’m banned! Everything I’ve ever written and everything I ever write in the future.
    Bulgakov Oh Christ.
    Grigory Unless I give in – unless I deliver a suitably damning self-criticism.
    Bulgakov Grigory –
    Grigory I refused. So I’m allowed to go on breathing, but that’s it, that’s the limit of my permissible creative activity. They buried me alive, Mikhail.
    Bulgakov I’m sorry.
    Grigory Can you help me?
    Bulgakov hugs Grigory.
    Exit Grigory.
    Actor One They can send me to Siberia, but they will never break me. I am not Dzughashvili any more. I am Stalin!
    Exit Actor One.
    Bulgakov turns back towards the table, cupboard, etc.
    Bulgakov Hello? Hello? Anyone home?
    No one. Then he has a idea.
    He slides open the cupboard.
    Sergei – will you come out?
    Sergei emerges cautiously.
    Where is everyone?
    Sergei Mrs Bulgakov – she has gone out – distributing food.
    Bulgakov Oh. Well, that’s fine. That’s all right. We have plenty.
    Sergei And Vasilly and Praskovya – they both went to work yesterday – but they never came back.
    Bulgakov Never came back?
    Sergei No.
    Bulgakov What does that mean?
    Sergei I don’t know. They didn’t come back.
    Bulgakov How strange. Not like them at all.