A one-act play by Anton Bonnici & Youssef Alaoui
"When The Phone Rang" is an urgent and unflinching exploration of psychological torment and human resilience. When a prisoner of war, Muhammad, is subjected to relentless interrogation, his mind escapes the confines of his cell, creating a fragile sanctuary. But when an imaginary phone begins to ring, the lines between reality, memory, and torture blur, forcing him to confront the nature of his own pain. This application provides an interactive deep dive into the play's powerful structure, characters, and searingly relevant themes.
The play's power lies in the constant tension between three distinct spaces that coexist and collide. Click on each world to explore its significance.
The stark, physical reality of imprisonment and torture. A cage designed to break the body and spirit.
The weaponization of language and logic. A space of psychological warfare where truth is a casualty.
The fragile inner world created as a refuge. A mental living room that becomes its own kind of prison.
Select a world above to see its details.
This chart visualizes the escalating psychological strain on Muhammad. The narrative is not linear; it is a descent punctuated by moments of false hope and crisis. Hover over points to see key plot events.
A prisoner of war, mid-forties. His reality has fractured into a desperate struggle for sanity.
Both in their early twenties. They are the instruments of the interrogation, embodying the detached and systemic nature of the violence.
A mysterious, scalded-faced figure who appears to Muhammad. He is a manifestation of pain, a tormentor, a guide, and perhaps Muhammad himself.
LIGHTS UP ON: INTERROGATION OFFICE. MUHAMMAD is sitting on a chair across from SOLDIER ONE... his hands handcuffed...
SOLDIER ONE: Is your name Muhammad?
MUHAMMAD: Yes.
LIGHTS UP ON: HOLDING CELL. SOLDIER ONE and SOLDIER TWO are holding MUHAMMAD against the iron bars...
MUHAMMAD (V.O.): These are the years between the wars. Toward the end of the last war, I was plucked from the streets of my town because I was walking home with bread on the wrong day.
LIGHTS UP ON: INTERROGATION OFFICE. MUHAMMAD is sitting on a chair across from SOLDIER ONE... with his hands cuffed to the table.
SOLDIER ONE: Are you the son of Mr. and Mrs. Nablus?
MUHAMMAD: Yes.
"The because doesn't matter anymore. So Muhammad tells us shortly into the play... The 'because' never mattered, of course. There has never been a true rhyme or reason to discrimination at its most vile. Other than for those in power to weaponize fear, to use it as a tool for control over the masses... The only difference, as many have already pointed out, is that, this time around, the mask is fully off."
"Black site prisons, prisons that operate outside the remit of any local or international law, are in use by a number of politically significant countries including Russia, China and the United States. Since 9/11, the U.S. has detained 780 Muslim men and boys that we know of, most of whom have never been charged with a crime, and all of whom have been tortured. At the time of this writing, 30 such detainees are still being held..."