Syrus Marcus Ware,

York University, US

Syrus Marcus Ware is a Vanier Scholar, a visual artist, community activist, researcher, youth-advocate and educator. As a visual artist, Syrus works within the mediums of painting, installation and performance to challenge systemic oppression. Syrus’ work explores the spaces between and around identities; acting as provocations to our understandings of gender, sexuality and race.

 

Website – syrusmarcusware.com/about/

 

Scene: 2025, Antarctica. BIPOC disabled folks have been sent to colonize the “wide white continent”. They have limited resources, little contact with home and a huge job ahead of them. And some of them are anti-colonial activists- sent to do the job of the colonizers. Sabian, a trans woman, is trying to convince her two loves Marcus and Jessica to join her n an escape plan- to go to the south of the continent and to set up a free space outside of the colonies. In this scene, Marcus tries to convince Jessica to come with them, and we find out a bit more about Jessica and Sabian’s relationship.

 

Scene 4

MARCUS:

Jess?

 

JESSICA:

Marcus! What are you doing here? Do borders mean nothing to you people? and its Jessica.

 

MARCUS:

Ha! I’ve been spending too much time with Sabian. I guess they don’t anymore.

 

JESSICA:

So why are you here? What are you protesting now?

 

MARCUS:

Naw. I’m not one for protesting.

 

Do you know what I was doing before I was deployed here?

Absolutely nothing.

 

I mean nothing of importance. my life was just getting and securing food and water and not much else. Day in day out.

 

When the company offered me a free trip to this icy paradise of course I went for it.

 

Not that I had much of a choice. (laughing). I could care less about the company, and I certainly don’t want to waste my time protesting it.

 

I just wanna have what I need and be safe. safer? You know what I mean.

 

JESSICA:

Why did you come here?

 

MARCUS:

Jess – JESSICA – I came because I guess I wanted to convince you to come with us.

 

JESSICA:

Marcus!

 

MARCUS:

I wanted to convince you to come with us, because…. well, we need you. I think Sabian and I will kill each other if we are left alone to our devices! (laughing)

 

No, but really Jess-…ica. Come with us.

 

It’s not gonna be safe here in the long run. Either we’re gonna be successful and set up the colonies and the rich folks are gonna come and turf us or we fail and we die here, alone, after our governments crumble.

 

Think about it- the crumbling… it’s already happening. When was your last dispatch from home?

 

They’re off schedule, right? (laughs) Mine are too.

 

JESSICA:

Marcus. I’m staying. Let me finish my work, I’ve got my log still to do.

MARCUS:

You’re still doing your daily logs? Man you are a company hero.

 

JESSICA:

I’m doing what I was assigned to do. Its called working and I’m lucky to have a job to do in this world- in case you hadn’t noticed- its on fire and we are basically the last chance for humanity! Our governments have trusted us with this duty. I’m serving the best way I know-how.

 

MARCUS:

Jessica! You cant be this right-wing! Not after what the governments have done to us all. How they’ve fucked us globally with this climate change. How they waited until the last moment then sent us here when its probably already too late…

 

JESSICA:

I’m not right-wing! I just believe in some things that you don’t. Like in our homelands, in the people we have elected to run those homelands. In the will of the constituents. All of our citizens who are praying for us to be successful so that they will have a place to come to. If you cant see that as being important, we have nothing left to discuss.

 

MARCUS:

What about Sabian?

 

JESSICA:

Not important Marcus. we have nothing left to discuss…

 

MARCUS:

Why couldn’t they have waited until this place had thoroughly thawed out?

 

JESSICA:

We had to come here now… every fucking one said it was time. The Antarctic plan had to begin. We had to come now. Don’t you remember your training?

 

MARCUS:

The fucking training! It was a joke. 54 weeks in the arctic where the temperatures were 20C and nothing like here. Learning skills ill never need and missing the ones that would keep me alive here. a fucking joke!

 

I just did what I had to. I wanted to come here- I needed a secure place and somewhere to actually put down roots. I was glad to come here. It wasn’t any patriotic shit.

 

JESSICA:

Patriotism? I’m not talking about patriotism, I’m talking about knowing where your next meal is coming from and staying true to that source. You know, there was antarctic tourism? rich tourists by the boatloads. Can you believe people wasting their money on this crap while the world was on fire??

 

My government vowed to put a stop to it, by patrolling the waters more, by denying permits… I voted for them and I believe in what they are trying to do.

 

MARCUS:

Come with us Jess. Sabian would – (Jessica cuts him off)

 

JESSICA:

Marcus! I’m so tired of this conversation. (She slumps mockingly).

 

MARCUS:

You know they protested? Me coming here I mean. The ableist assholes in my home country didn’t trust their lives, no their livelihoods with a disabled person. Didn’t think I was up to the rigour of the job.

 

JESSICA:

Fuck! Marcus.

 

MARCUS:

No, Jessica, I want you to realize, people are assholes sometimes! You are so willing to do anything for your country but would they do the same for you?

 

There’s few real people out there, people who get justice and self-determination and the need for all of us to get to make it, not just the rich few.

 

Shit. I do sound like Sabian. And speaking of Sabian – Shes one of the few people who really get it, I mean – (gets cut off)

 

JESSICA:

Marcus! Enough already. Its time to go. And just so you know- they weren’t exactly thrilled it was me – (gestures to the skin) – coming here either. But I’m who they have and I’m here to do my duty. I’ve got work to do.

 

Goodbye Marcus!

 

Marcus hesitates, then puts his hands up and then leaves.

 

Jessica starts back on her log.

 

JESSICA:

I remember when I had my first meeting with the company.

 

At my meeting, they told me to avoid eastern Antarctica, it was so much colder than the west due to its elevation. They told me that a one-room portable was being airlifted from my home to there for my efforts. They told me to get settled in and begin to set up a life there- living and establishing roots was one of the ways of ensuring the land claim.

 

I was warned that the other eleven countries were also sending delegates and that they would do everything they could to stake a claim, to try to push the boundaries of the treaty, and to watch out for tricks or pitfalls.

 

Of course, I was nervous. New people, new places, leaving everything behind.

 

But I believe in the company. And honestly? I couldn’t imagine more loneliness, more than my current life, and I was ready for something more to happen beyond trips to the rations station and the pressures of a life of isolation. I was going to have a fucking purpose.”

 

“They are nuts. They will never survive. It’s a fool’s mission. what will happen to their camps? what will happen to their territories? Its gonna be a massive land grab by someone. when its discovered that they are gone that is.”

 

That could take months.

 

(Jessica clutches her belly.)

 

JESSICA:

Months… okay. We reached the antarctic waters on November 20 2025….