Zone (play)
Zone is a French-language three-act play written by French-Canadian author Marcel Dubé. Written when Dubé was 21 and based on memories of his childhood, "Zone" revolves around a gang of teenaged Québécois criminals who sell contraband cigarettes, and the internal conflicts that ultimately tear the group apart. Cast. The original production of "Zone" was directed by Robert Rivard and first released on January 23, 1953. Summary. Tarzan assembles a group of teenagers who, under the stress of their familial or economic situations, agree to sell cigarettes smuggled into Canada from the United States. Ciboulette, the  youngest of the group and the only female, is in love with Tarzan, but does not reveal this despite Tit-Noir's urging, as she is worried it will ruin the business. Tarzan risks capture by crossing the Canada–US border with contraband cigarettes. While the others wait for Tarzan to return, Passe-Partout attempts to supplant as the gang's leader, and disobeys Tarzan's instructions by stealing a wallet from a passerby, who is actually a detective, Ledoux. Tarzan returns to the hideout but Ledoux arrives at the gang's hideout and arrests the teenagers with a police  brigade. The second act begins in the police station's interrogation room. Each member is questioned individually. During the interrogations, the police receive a call informing them that a border patrol guard was murdered earlier that day. The police chief interrogates Passe-Partout, who reveals that Tarzan had crossed the border that day. Under the impression that the other gang members have betrayed him, Tarzan confesses to the murder of the border guard. In the third act, Tarzan escapes from jail and confesses his affection for Ciboulette. Ciboulette suggests a makeshift marriage in the hideout, but Tarzan refuses, not wanting  to make his believed certain death more painful than it needs to be. Tarzan wastes all of his escape time making out with Ciboulette. Tarzan runs off into the night, followed by police. Heard shortly thereafter are several gunshots, ending in silence with Roger the police officer standing over Tarzan’s corpse after he shot him. The curtain closes on Ciboulette lying over Tarzan's corpse. Inspiration. Dubé based "Zone" in part on a past experience illegally crossing the Canada–US border. Analysis. "Zone" takes place in a "squalid" environment, familiar territory for Dubé, whose works often dealt with the  social disorder in French Canada at that time. The characters in "Zone", trapped within the poverty of their social milieu, resort to "adolescent ideals" in an attempt to escape. Laroche suggests that the teenaged gang members are play-acting as the characters they saw in films. Dubé's characters reveal their deepest thoughts and feelings in their dialogue, reflecting their underlying helplessness. The irony is that the gang, who began engaging in criminal activities to escape the societal "grey zone" they inhabit, are ultimately punished by the same society that offered them no support. Although the characters in "Zone" work  in a collective, they tear each other apart through internal rivalries and betrayal, rendering them incapable of standing up to society, represented in "Zone" by the police who interrogate the gang. It also deals with the complicated romantic relationship between a 21 year old man, Tarzan; and a 16 year old girl, Ciboulette. Reception. Edwin Hamblet criticized "Zone" for its "sudden and perfunctory" conclusion, finding that "Dubé tends to have trouble in ending his plays" and citing the artificiality of the plot twists. In 1953, "Zone" was awarded the Grand Prix for the best Canadian play at the Victoria National  Drama Festival. "Zone" also won the Calvert, Sir Barry Jackson and Louis Jouvet prizes.