Bystander by Wren Brian

In a militarized country in the middle of a war, a brash officer carrying a secret message asks to stay the night at a fearful citizen's house. The citizen is shocked by this odd request, but does not dare to say no. As the officer makes themselves at home, the citizen starts to relax, and even enjoy the officer's company. Small talk turns to joking and banter over drinks as they talk of happier times and partake in drunken philosophy. However, the citizen can't keep playing along after secretly reading the message and being horrified by what it says. 

Note: Characters can be played by actors of any gender and any ancestry. Every effort should be made for the play to be cast primarily, if not entirely, with actors who identify as disabled, female, BIPOC, and/or LGBTQIA2S+.

Keywords: war, military, bystander, soldier, morality, dystopian