- Hello, I'm Monique Pappas-Williams and I am the writer of the play "The Mural."

"The Mural" is a love story, not just between two broken people, but it is the love story for art.

You know, it expresses the love of art.

I'm not a visual artist, but I wanted to see that on stage.

And what does that look like for two artists to be in love?

It also deals with mass incarceration and what that homecoming looked like and embracing them and how they dealt with the injustice and how you heal from that.

[door clicks] [Riz grumbling] [Nia breathing shakily] [Nia breathing shakily continues] [Nia screaming] - Nia, Nia, Nia.

- Riz, what are you doing here?

How did you get in here?

- I still got a key.

I thought you changed the lock, but knowing you, it's still the same.

I was right.

[Riz chuckling] - Well, you could have called.

- I tried several times.

You didn't answer.

- I don't answer phone numbers that I don't know.

I thought that was one of them fake auto warranty people.

- Fake auto warranty people?

- Nevermind.

What are you doing here?

Where are you gonna stay?

- I don't know.

I thought I could stay here.

- Well, you can't.

A lot has changed.

And besides all that, I'm waiting on an important phone call, so you have to go.

- Oh, a phone call, huh?

- It's business.

- Oh.

- Not that this is your concern.

- I bet.

A lot has changed, huh?

Well, you ain't changed the locks, but you sure did change a lot about this place.

- Tried to make it peaceful after you went away.

- Looks good.

Kind of like a rainbow threw up.

[audience laughing] But, it suits you so... - Look, I know you have some friends who would be more than happy to put you up.

- Okay, yeah.

Yeah, I'm sure there's somebody... Everybody loves Riz.

- I taught you everything you know.

- You taught me everything I know.

[siren wailing in distance] Nia, why didn't you come see me?

[phone ringing] - I have to get this.

Hello?

No, I thought I told you to put me on the do-not-call-no-more list.

[Riz mumbling] Yeah, nigga!

I'm waiting to see if I got this commission.

- Oh, yeah?

- It's a dope opportunity.

- Wow, what you working on?

- A mural, "The Fallen Angels."

- Another political piece.

Yeah, we heard about what the pigs is doing now.

Ain't nothing changed.

- After I did the Floyd, Breonna and Ahmaud piece in Fort Greene, I got nominated to do another commission, but this time in Lower Manhattan.

- I taught you everything you know.

- You taught me everything I know.

- What is this?

I ain't teach you this ****.

What were you trying to say with that piece?

Where's your unique perspective as an artist?

You have to have a unique voice.

You can't just jump on the bandwagon.

You can't just create because someone told you to.

It has to come from the heart.

- What?

What do you mean?

- It means that I don't see your unique voice in the piece.

I don't see the situation through your eyes.

- I have a perspective.

- Nevermind, my bad, my bad.

You know what?

I'm proud of you, from hobby artist to commissions.

That's what's up.

- It's not about the recognition, Riz.

I wanted to inspire people in our community to activism.

- It's good, it's good.

Look at you, Nia, working artist.

- Look, Riz, what do you mean by that?

I want the truth.

- No you don't.

You just want me to tell your **** is good.

That's it.

- The truth.

- It's about the interpretation of the work.

People will get the message if you paint from the heart, you know, create through the pain and the loneliness.

People will get the message.

You like one of those loud preachers acting like nobody can't hear 'em.

It ain't reaching nobody's soul.

Be real and people will get the message.

So Nia the activist.

Why all of a sudden?

- It's not all of a sudden.

What happens in the world has always mattered to me.

I just, I finally discovered a way to express that.

- Nah, you ain't never been political.

You was cool with your little sipping paint pictures.

[audience laughing] Well, you trading your red bottom heels for this little Erykah Badu look you got going on now?

[Riz laughing] - You don't know me, and that was the problem.

- I know you ain't gonna rock the boat.

- How do you know that?

- Why didn't you come see me while I was away, Nia?

- I wanted to.

- I wanted to and doing it is different.

Why didn't you?

- I figured you would be home a lot sooner than you were.

I didn't know that you would sit there all them years just waiting for a trial.

- You know, when I was in, I saw this newspaper article about you.

Imagine how shocked I was to see your face in the paper.

"Artist makes mark with controversial Ah, you blowing up.

- You know that I've always wanted to make a difference.

- Then why didn't you come?

- I don't know.

- You know, of all people, I never thought you'd be one of them.

- One of who?

- One of those artists who talk the talk, but don't walk the walk.

Make it because it's fashionable.

- I'm at every protest.

I have dedicated my work to making a difference.

- Making a difference to who, hm?

You never came to see me.

Your chance to make a difference was right in front of you.

- I was busy, Riz, I was busy doing the work.

- All of this.

I was away.

And you never even thought of coming to see me.

You're just like all them other artists.

You think that this is the work?

But can't look at the person right next to them, right in their family.

I was alone, Nia!

Now you never even came to see me.

Like... - Do you hear yourself?

Because it's all about you.

I did the time too.

You left me, all those sleepless nights wondering if and when you were ever coming home.

You don't think that I didn't suffer too?

Oh, I was supposed to put my life on hold?

I had to move on.

You made a choice.

- I was innocent.

- I told you not to be hanging around with those people you were running with.

- Hey, I didn't know what the kind of **** they was into.

- What then?

What did you think they were doing?

- I didn't know he had it on him at the time.

- I told you, 'Don't go.'

- I know.

I should have stayed with you.

It don't matter.

I'm just peeping how much you changed in four years.

You just like one of those people we used to joke about making art as a political statement, but don't know nothing about the struggle.

You can paint about it, but you can't actually get your hands dirty.

As long as it's over there somewhere, not in your face.

- You mad that I got that commission?

- Ugh.

- What was I supposed to do?

It was an opportunity of a lifetime for any artist.

Look, I wanted to come, all right, but you weren't exactly boyfriend of the year.

First, I wasn't even sure if you had just ghosted me or not, you know, your inconsistencies.

Yeah, I needed you to man up, but you couldn't do that.

- Look, I know I wasn't perfect, but you could have come on some humanity ****.

Not even some relationship ****.

- It was painful.

The activism, the art, it was comforting at the time.

It was all I had, all right?

I had to find myself without you.

I tried.

You don't know how many times that I did come down there, but I couldn't go through with it because the thought of seeing you locked up.

- You look beautiful.

- You can't stay here.

[phone ringing] Hello, yes, this is Nia James.

Yes, yes.

I'm so excited too.

Oh, I see.

Well, thank you for the opportunity to review my work.

Yes, yes.

Thank you, next time.

Now what?

- Hey.

[Nia crying softly] You're no less of an artist or an activist without that work.

I am gonna go and let you...

Wait.

Whoa, what's this one?

- I don't know, it's incomplete.

I was just freestyling in the moment.

- No, this is it.

A man's hand coming out of the water with a shackle around his wrist.

That's dope.

Is he drowning?

A woman, that look on that woman's face.

Is she watching that nigga drown?

- No, Riz, she feels helpless.

She can't save him.

- I see.

It's powerful.

Finish it.

- I am not in the mood for painting right now.

- Mm-mm, You so full of ****.

You an artist!

You supposed to stay ready.

- What are you doing?

- This is where the real work begins.

- No, stop, stop.

Wait, stop.

Riz, stop, stop.

Stop, you're ruining my work?

What are you doing?

- This is where the real work begins, out of the uncertainty, the pain, the confusion.

This is it.

Whatever you're feeling in the moment.

The stuff we don't talk about.

No persona, no preconceived messages.

Just your heart on the canvas.

And the truth.

The truth, Nia.

- But sometimes pain suffocates creativity.

[audience applauding] [upbeat music] [upbeat music continues] [upbeat music continues]