Summary
Over a six-year span from 2016 to 2022, an ambitious young reporter, Jason, hosts a series of election day focus groups just outside a polling station in notional ‘Wexler County’ USA. During the first election in November 2016, Jason’s producer, Stan, finds ten voters exiting the station to volunteer as focus group panelists. The ten voters represent the ethnic, social, and political demographics of the US electorate. To spice things up, Jason seats the panelists in chairs colored to signify their cultural politics – blue for liberals, red for conservatives, and purple for centrists.
The focus group is convened five times over the six-year span and the panelists engage in a rolling series of debates about the hot-button cultural-political issues of the moment. Each debate allows for satire about the positions and strawman arguments of the extremists, followed by more thought-provoking reasoned arguments from the less extreme on both sides.
With each successive debate, the polarization between the red and blue ‘tribes’ increases and so does the heat. The penultimate debate devolves into a verbal altercation and the final debate ends in tragic violence. The tragedy spurs all characters to come together to plead for more thoughtful discourse on the things about which we disagree, and greater recognition of the more plentiful and important things binding us in our common humanity.
Scene and Story Timeline
Act 1 - Scene 1
It’s Election Day, November 2016. A news producer, Stan, and crew are setting up chairs outside a polling station in ‘Wexler County’ to conduct a focus group discission with voters. The reporter, Jason, convinces the producer to use color coded chairs to highlight the panelists’ political affiliations and encourage more contentious debate to improve ratings.
Song 1: ‘Turn It Up!’ – Reporter, Jason, advocates making focus group more contentious. He describes the color-coded chair scheme and describes the kind of voter he wants the producer to find to fill each chair. Chairs are numbered from 1 to 10 across a cultural-political spectrum.. Chairs 1 to 3 are blue for left leaning voters, 4 to 7 are purple for centrists, and 8 to 10 for right leaning voters.
Producer finds four cheery centrists, Christy, Clayton, Clara and Craig.
Song 2: ‘Make it Happen With Your Vote’ – Centrists extol the importance and significance of voting to preserve health of democracy.
Producer, Stan, finds and adds six much less cheery partisans to the focus group: Lamar (Left), Florence (Far Left), Elaine (Extreme Left), Rachel (Right), Frank (Far Right), Eric (Extreme Right). Reporter asks each of them who they voted for and why. Reporter notes the partisan answers are not only more intense than the centrists’ answers, but also more disparaging of the opposition. Reporter asks if this level of partisanship is warranted or useful. All six say yes.
Song 3: ‘Go Tribal’ – Each partisan takes a verse to paint the election as a fight for his / her ideals and to save the country. They all sing the chorus recommending people go tribal because the stakes are too high for moderation. Centrists, Clayton and Cristy, use the bridge to warn that tribalism can go too far and lead to destruction. We should recognize we’re all one tribe.
Reporter asks partisans to describe the opposition candidate.
Song 4: ‘Ambition in a Pantsuit and Heels’ – Partisans, Frank and Florence put down opposition candidates, Clinton and Trump, in rap battle.
Act 1 - Scene 2
It’s 21 Jan 2017, the day after trump’s inauguration. In protest, Women’s Marches are conducted in cities nationwide. At a march in public park in Wexler County, Jason has assembled the ten panelists for a discussion of women’s and LGBTQ rights.
Song 5: ‘22 Weeks’ – Group debates abortion rights / restrictions.
Song 6: ‘Not Enough’ – Group debates LGBTQ rights
Act 1 - Scene 3
It’s Election Day, November 2018. Two years into the Trump administration the mid-term elections will determine control of the House and Senate. The ten panelists gather again outside the Wexler County polling station. Jason leads the group through a spirited round of debates about immigration and gun control. Tensions mount between Elaine (extreme left) and Eric (extreme right).
Song 7: ‘The Flow’ – Group debates immigration policy.
Song 8: ‘Madness’ – Group debates gun control.
Panelists nearly come to blows when Elaine calls Eric ‘stupid’ – a trigger word for him. As they stare each other down, the 5’-9” Elaine feigns a lunge at the 5’-6” Eric and the armed sovereign citizen flinches. Elaine calls him a bitch. As they are separated by others, Eric seethes at his humiliation.
Song 9: ‘Turn it Up (Reprise)’ – Jason celebrates the near chaos on the set as it boosts ratings.
Act 2 - Scene 1
It’s Election Day, November 2020 with Biden and Trump vying for the presidency. Outside the Wexler County polling station, Jason leads the group through a heated round of debates about the Trump Administration’s performance the previous four years, Covid restrictions, black crime rate, and police reform.
Song 10: ‘What’s Wrong With You’ – Panelists hotly debate COVID response / Trump Administration record.
Song 11: ‘Just Comply’ – Craig admonishes everyone to comply with police commands during detention and arrest on the street – regardless of the state of police reform.
Act 2 - Scene 2
It’s Election Day, November 2022, two years into the Biden Administration, with control of the House and Senate on the line. Outside the Wexler County polling station, Jason and Stan prepare for the focus group. Because of the success of the past focus groups, the set has new upgraded swiveling bar chairs with brighter colors and shiny metal frames. Jason and Stan discuss how this will be their last focus group given Jason’s promotion to an anchor desk position. As a last hurrah they agree to make this a memorable production and go out with a bang. Jason leads the group through a heated round of debates.
Song 12: ‘Tribal Truth’ – Jason points out how information bubbles exacerbate partisanship and political tribalism. Red and blue Teams debate the legitimacy of the 2020 Election, January 6 attack on the capital, Biden’s character and performance.
Song 13: ‘You’re Gone’ – Group hotly debates motivations of opposing sides. Left accuses right of being driven by anger and fear of change, leading them to reject science and liberal democracy, and embrace fascism. Right accuses left of being driven by arrogance and ungrateful disdain for tradition and real America, leading them to embrace woke ideology and socialism. Exchange devolves into name calling.
Elaine and Eric trade racial slurs, culminating with Eric calling Elaine the N-word
Elaine attempts to initiate a physical altercation with Eric. Craig (policeman) intervenes. In the melee, Eric shoots Elaine, Craig shoots Eric. Both Elaine and Eric are clearly dead
Song 14: ‘Turn it Down’ – Opposing bookend to Song 1: ‘Turn it Up’. In the immediate aftermath of the deaths of Elaine and Eric, other members of the group call for more temperance, as well as recognition we have more in common than the differences we spend so much time and energy fighting over.
With building chorus in background, each verse is sung as a duet by characters from opposite sides of the spectrum. Sequence: Christy and Clayton, Craig and Clara, Rachel and Lamar, Frank and Florence
Elaine and Eric join for final verse as duet. Others join for rousing emotional chorus.
Curtain Drop.
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