Thou Shalt Not (Excerpt)

Synopsis:

In late 2023, Malka Leifer, the former principal of an orthodox Jewish school in Melbourne, Australia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, convicted on multiple charges of sex abuse of her underage students.

Not long after, Erin Patterson was sent to the same Protected Unit at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, in order to await trial for the alleged murder of three relatives by poisoning with deadly mushrooms.

Whilst it’s quite possible if not probable, given the layout of the Protected Unit, that the two of them never actually met, I have taken the artistic liberty of placing them in the same space.

How would two such markedly different individuals from two totally different backgrounds, each accused of heinous crimes, interact with one another in a setting so radically removed from the worlds they normally inhabited?

At its heart, ‘Thou Shalt Not’ is a dramatic exploration of what society regards as monstrous behaviour.

Character Breakdown:

The play is a two-hander:
MALKA LEIFER  56 – 57
ERIN PATTERSON 49 – 50

Running-time:  85 minutes.

Production History:  Not yet produced.

Excerpt available to download for free.