Addiction

Struggles with substance addiction form a fundamental part of the lives of most of the play’s major characters (with the apparent exception of Yazmin), and as such is the basis of one of the narrative’s major themes. The experience is portrayed as being intense, dangerous, and life threatening; as being something that continues on a day-to-day basis; and as something that cannot ever be regarded as completely resolved.

Crack Cocaine

This potent, processed, highly addictive form of cocaine is the drug of “choice” for Odessa and the other addicts in the chatroom / support group she runs. It is also the drug used by Odessa in response to a stressful situation in her life that leads, at the play’s climax, to a near-fatal overdose.

The Phrase in Arabic

Former solder Elliot is haunted by a phrase spoken in Arabic that he heard in a...