Holocaust

April 1978. A lower middle class suburb in East Warren, Illinois.

GIL WARNER, a manager at the local plant, chats in his kitchen with his wife ELEANOR and Hungarian neighbor and factory-floor co-worker JOE TAPOLCA. Joe is fearful of being laid-off, while Gil knows that his own position is secure. LEE (Gil and Eleanor’s only child) then arrives home from high school. Not academically minded, he has dreams of setting up as an auto mechanic in the local area. Gil and Eleanor are saving money for this without his knowledge. Joe’s teenage daughter KATE next visits. Ambitious and an A grade pupil, she is looking forward to attending university come the fall. Kate and Lee are secretly dating. UTA (Joe’s German wife and Kate’s mother) soon follows, jokingly teasing Joe for his general lack of sophistication. Having been a young G.I. stationed in Europe during the war, Gil has a bias against her.

Once alone, Kate tells Lee that she wants to catch a new miniseries on television that night titled ‘Holocaust’. It is a melodrama focusing on two warring families, one Jewish, one Nazi, in late 1930’s Germany.

Both families spend the evening at the Warner’s. The couples play cards while the children watch the broadcast. The adults pretend not to notice the on-screen atrocities, yet Kate, upset at what she is witnessing, walks out. Uta, a proud German and Holocaust denier, confidently states that the events shown are exaggerated. Later that night, Gil criticizes Uta and Kate’s heritage. Defending his girlfriend, Lee admits that they have been seeing one another. This begins an argument culminating in Gil confessing that he was one of the first Americans to liberate a concentration camp.

 

Set over a period of two days.

 

ACT I –  1 hour 5 mins

ACT II – 1 hour 5 mins

ACT III – 1 hour 5 mins

Total running time, with 2×15 min intermissions – 3 hours 45 mins

 

3 male, 3 female.

 

1 large set, with changes required throughout 7 scenes.

 

Full synopsis and 10-page dialogue sample available on request.

 


 

The Fury and the Sorrow

Los Angeles. MARÍA and HÉCTOR are a Mexican couple suffering the after effects of their young son’s death. Héctor is a church liturgist, and when María admits that she is no longer a believer, they realize that their marriage, which is primarily based on religious faith, could now be over.

African American couple BEN and HELEN are also grieving after the passing of their own daughter. Killed at a public shooting, Ben is now obsessed with taking the suicide gunman’s family to court. In contrast, Helen wants to support anti firearm groups. Ben’s self-loathing spurs him to force Helen in joining him on the basis that it was a hate crime. Leon, Ben’s boss, had also lost his child in the massacre and has encouraged Ben to fight the case as legal partners. Helen is against the idea but cannot go against her husband.

WAYNE is a TV repairman, married to JEAN, a nurse. She returns home from her first day back at work since the death of their own child by a hit and run driver. Wayne feels that his son had hated him for his bullish behavior, and even though Jean knows that this is the case, cannot admit the truth. Their marriage is crumbling under this lie.

 

1 hour 55 minutes with no intermission.

 

3 male, 3 female.

 

Set changes required over 12 scenes.

 

Full synopsis and 10-page dialogue sample available on request.

 


 

The Cutting Hour

San Francisco, 1999.

HANNAH is at home talking over coffee with her ex-husband IVAN. He is a confident and successful finance director now visiting to deliver serious news. Only in his late fifties, he has been diagnosed with a severe illness. Afraid to state it out loud, he hints that it is terminal. Having been estranged from his two children for many years, Ivan now wishes to know of their whereabouts. She tells Ivan that the children would not want to speak to him, but after realizing his desperate need, finally concedes. Once Ivan has left her home, she breaks down crying, having kept an air of both dignity and resilience in his presence.

Ivan then visits both his son MARTIN and daughter ANNE-MARIE on two separate occasions. Each call makes him realize that his children will never forgive him for his previous actions. They eventually tell him that their mother is now ready for a second confrontation, and that this time he will be made to fully understand the devastation he had caused. He is finally urged to go back to Hannah and in doing so, confront the worst aspects of his former self.

 

1 hour 40 minutes with no intermission.

 

2 male, 2 female.

 

Minimal sets.

 

4 scenes.

 

Full synopsis and 10-page dialogue sample available on request.

 


 

Union Street Blue

FRANK O’CONNOR celebrates his retirement from the police force at his home in New Jersey. Having spent many years as Lieutenant, he has regrets at not being promoted to a higher rank. Fearing that this was due to his own leniency, he still strives to project an air of satisfaction to those around him. Celebrating Frank’s end of service are; STAN, a trusted sergeant and Frank’s closest pal; BRUCE, an officer who shares their bigoted views; and RHODA, Stan’s liberal minded daughter. Rhoda is in college and is dating TOM, Frank’s son. Tom is an ex-high school football star and his father’s main source of pride.

As the men deliver boastful anecdotes, Tom, becomes argumentative through drink. This forces a highly embarrassed Frank to tell everyone to leave. Now alone, Frank chastises Tom for his conduct. Full of self-loathing, and reduced to tears, Tom finally admits that he had suffered an attack a couple of weeks ago in the local park. Terrified at what his only child is attempting to say, Frank tries to ignore the confession. Tom then cries out that he was raped. Frank punches him to the ground.

Once Stan realizes what has happened, he forces Tom to end his relationship with Rhoda. Without full consent from Tom, the men, together with Bruce, now begin to find a way to seek retribution – outside the boundaries of the law.

 

ACT I – 1 hour 5 mins

ACT II – 40 mins

Total running time, with 20 min intermission – 1 hour 55 mins

 

4 male, 1 female.

 

1 fixed set.

 

Full synopsis and 10-page dialogue sample available on request.

 


 

Where the Buried Lie

RYAN, an ex-marine, is having a consultation session with therapist ALEXANDRA. Ryan admits that he feels cheated, fighting for his country overseas only to return to see his wife killed by a suicide bomber in their hometown.

HANK, an ex-security guard, sits at his kitchen table. He and his wife LEANNE argue. He finally admits that a charge is being made against him for voluntary manslaughter (as he was the only attendant on watch during the murders). She forces him to seek counselling. He grudgingly agrees.

Ryan arrives for his next appointment. He eventually tells ALEXANDRA his deepest secret – in that he has thoughts of killing the security guard who was on duty that day.

 

ACT I – 1 hour 15 mins

ACT II – 58 mins

Total running time, with intermission – 2 hours 30 mins

 

2 female, 2 male.

 

Set changes required over 10 scenes.

 

Full synopsis and 10-page dialogue samples available on request.

 


 

Salvation Alley

Little Italy, New York, 1973.

Having lived away for many years, RUDY, a lapsed Catholic and reformed drug addict, revisits his childhood priest at the neighborhood church. The 29 year old has returned due to his sister MARIA’S plans to become a nun under the clergyman’s guidance. Realizing that FATHER GIANCARLO possesses such a hold over her, he also fears that he may hide something more malevolent. This is not only heightened by the priest being her sole guardian, but because Maria has high functioning autism. In contrast, Giancarlo cannot put faith in Rudy’s promise to stay clean, and so becomes concerned that she will suffer from the young man’s influence.

 

ACT I – 1 hour 15 mins

ACT II – 45 mins

Total running time, with intermission –  2 hours 20 mins

 

3 male, 1 female.

 

Set changes required over 8 scenes.

 

Full synopsis and 10-page dialogue sample available on request.

 


 

The Death of Disco

Steelford, Michigan.

 

1980.

 

And so the decade of hatred began.

As all that shone bright

and decent

had to be fought,

grappled to the ground,

shamed,

disgraced,

bent and broken

to its knees.

Modesty, conscience and worth

all ignored by the triumphant force

of hollow might.

Dignity wept.

 

Eleven characters search for spiritual happiness though materialistic and sexual means.

An immigrant, his sister, and his American born son attempt to assimilate themselves in their new country; a superstitious mother tries to delay her daughter entering womanhood; a small time businessman influences his young employees into an immoral contest of egos, while a self-appointed matriarch plans to alter others lives with her own interests at heart.

 

Set in a once thriving auto industrial town.

 

ACT I – 1 hour 22 mins

ACT II – 1 hour 15 mins

 

Total running time, with 20 min intermission – 2 hours 57 mins.

 

7 male, 4 female.

 

Set changes required over 19 scenes.

 

Full synopsis and 10-page dialogue sample available on request.

 


 

Blood Requiem

The East Bronx.

ZOOT is fifteen-years old. His mother has been a shut-in since the premature death of his father. STOOGE is his closest friend, slightly older and prone to violent pranks. A troubled teenager, he is becoming both a danger to himself and to those around him. CHRISTINA is in her early forties, a widow and is the mother to a disabled son Tommy.

Zoot’s schoolteacher attempts to nurture his artistic talent, yet any realistic thoughts of moving out of his working class world are viewed as impossible. His only moments of hope are when he sees a girl who becomes the object of his unrequited affections. In contrast, Stooge’s life is rife with conflict, urging him to take out his aggression on weaker targets – one being Tommy.

 

1 hour 40 minutes with no intermission.

 

2 male, 1 female.

 

Three spotlights. No set.

 

Full synopsis and 10-page dialogue sample available on request.

 


 

The Family Calhoun

Akron, Ohio. CARL returns home after a seven-year absence, having been invited back by his widowed father RAY. A long-standing feud has existed between the two men and SANDY (Carl’s younger sister) hopefully believes that they will take this opportunity to resolve their differences. Sandy has looked after Ray since the death of their mother in a car accident, and soon learns that instead of Carl being there to reconcile, he has purely come back for reprisal; Ray had killed their mother while drunk behind the wheel on the night of Carl’s twenty-first birthday. Although privately understanding her brother’s anger, Sandy believes that forgiveness is Carl’s way forward, stating that their father’s only wish is to celebrate his twenty-eighth to gain closure.

 

ACT I – 55 mins

ACT II – 58 mins

Total running time, with intermission – 2 hours 13 mins

 

3 male, 2 female.

 

Set changes required over 7 scenes.

 

Full synopsis and 10-page dialogue sample available on request.

 


 

This Kind Life

ED and STACEY are visiting MICHAEL and KELLY at their lavish home in LA. Both couples are married. Ed is a carpet store manager and failed boxer, while Stacey is a beautician. Michael is a successful attorney and Kelly an accountant, born to a wealthy East Coast family. Ed and Michael are brothers.

Ed tells Michael that he is there on behalf of their father, explaining how the elderly man wishes to see his youngest son during the last few days of his life. Having been estranged from one another for thirty years, it is the father’s final plea. Michael, full of self-importance, turns down the offer. Kelly is ashamed at this. Ed argues the point, but Michael remains obstinate, condemning Ed for looking after the alcoholic for so long. It then becomes clear that Michael believes that their father’s selfish needs had stopped Ed from achieving his goals, therefore denying him a successful life. Ed is hurt, while Stacey remains silent. This reinforces Stacey’s disappointment at her husband’s current status and their uninspiring working class lives.

 

Hidden confessions and unwanted truths surface over the period of one evening.

 

1 hour 15 minutes with no intermission.

 

2 male, 2 female.

 

1 fixed set.

 

Full synopsis and 10-page dialogue sample available on request.

 


 

The Dogs of Samarra

JOE returns to his hometown after receiving a telephone message from his oldest friend JAKE. Jake is now married and shows signs of both anger and guilt at not giving his wife ROXANNE the life he believes she should have. The remorse is heightened by the fact that Roxanne is ill with a progressive condition. Unemployed and resorting to placing bets on the dogs, horses and ball games, Jake is a mass of pent up frustration and self-loathing.

Joe is then introduced to Roxanne, who remains stoic in the face of her poor health. She and Joe get on well, even though it is perfectly clear how much she loves and worries about her husband. Joe then witnesses several arguments, instigated by Jake. This makes Joe increasingly concerned for Roxanne’s welfare. At the same time, Roxanne feels naturally drawn towards Joe.

The following morning, Jake tells Joe that he has a plan for getting Roxanne money for the medical care that she needs. Jake admits that he is to take part in an underground fighting contest, where he can win not only hundreds, yet possibly thousands of dollars in one single night.

At first repelled, Joe is eventually forced to support his once closest friend.

 

ACT I – 55 mins

ACT II – 55 mins

Total running time, with intermission – 2 hours 10 mins

 

2 male, 1 female.

 

1 fixed set.

 

Full synopsis and 10-page dialogue sample available on request.


 

American Italian

Brooklyn, 1983. GIO PALUMBO, a young priest, tells his parents VINCENZO and LILIANNA that he is tired of the local crime family DeLuca controlling their neighborhood. His aim now is to finally confront them. His mother and father are worried as to where this will lead their only child.

Cocaine addicted ENZO DeLUCA is showing signs of failure with his late brothers’ criminal empire. His father ROMANO still dominates the family, and so chastises his last surviving son for his lack of business acumen. SOPHIA, Enzo’s mother, does the same, hiding her envy of the Palumbo’s. ISABELLA, his younger sister, is the only one who shows sympathy. Closeted, she wants to be more independent, but does not know how.

SIGNORA PAVIANNI, an elderly woman, comes to Giovanni’s church asking for help. She tells him that her husband has been threatened for not paying his monthly protection payments, and so she fears for his life. Giovanni is swift in questioning Enzo (his oldest school pal) on the DeLuca’s immoral behavior, yet he still believes that nothing will be done.

Sophia DeLuca then visits Vincenzo and Lilianna, asking if Giovanni can perform a memorial service for her recently deceased sons. Angered, Vincenzo tells her that they were hoods and so justifiably killed. She is stunned at his directness. He then goes on to say how the DeLucas’ men appall Giovanni, as he has to hear their weekly sins in the confession booth, together with the stories from their victims. Sophia is shocked at Giovanni going against his oath of silence. Once alone, a scared Lilianna tells her husband Vincenzo that he was tactless, now making them more vulnerable to trouble.

Isabella visits Giovanni at his church. She has always been attracted to him. The feeling is mutual, yet he remains professional. She tells him how ashamed she feels about her family. He attempts to console her, but his words fail to reassure. Gio is now even more frustrated with his role as protector of the community.

 

ACT I – 1 hour 15 mins

ACT II – 1 hour 15 mins

Total running time, with intermission – 2 hours 50 mins

 

4 male, 4 female.

 

Several scene/set changes.

 


 

The Brutalists

KRYSTLE is a low paid industrial worker and single mother to fourteen year-old AMY. Frequently hit on by men in her factory, she is particularly prone to advances from her co-worker and next-door neighbor AUGIE. Augie is married to JANIS. Janis is her closest friend.

Krystle is concerned after receiving a telephone call from her ex-husband Lance. After being estranged for several years, he now wants to see his daughter. Krystle fears that he wants to disrupt their stable relationship. She also believes that he has a hidden agenda.

Augie continues to flirt with Krystle behind Janis’ back. Finding him repulsive, Krystle continuously rejects him in the gentlest manner. In frustration, he takes it out on the depressive Janis. Amy also notices his intentions towards her mother, seeing him as a problem. Krystle tells her to ignore him and that he is harmless.

Lance visits that afternoon. A handsome yet roguish truck-driver, he and Amy get on well. This worries Krystle. Lance then recognizes Augie’s interest in his ex-wife. Seeing it as an opportunity, Lance begins to work out a plan, with the aim of winning his daughter back and so taking her away from Krystle for good.

 

ACT I – 1 hour

ACT II – 52 mins

Total running time, with intermission – 2 hours 12 mins

 

3 female, 2 male.

 

1 fixed set.

 


 

Across Midnight

Michigan. Two strangers accidentally meet in a late night bar. At first friendly, they eventually reveal their pasts, finding that their lives are dangerously interconnected. Now no longer strangers, each one fights for their individual rights, beliefs and privately held truths.

 

1 hour 15 minutes with no intermission.

 

1 male, 1 female.

 

1 set.

 


 

One Shining Day

Modesto, California 1968. GEORGIA arrives home for summer break having spent her first year away at university. Her mother BRIDGET makes gentle fun at her left-leaning interests, preferring her to have a more materialistic outlook. RALPH, her older brother, also teases her new high-minded opinions. Staunchly conservative, he is adamant that his views are best for the country. EVE, 9, is showing her first interests in things outside of the home. Georgia is hopeful that she can inspire the child with a teenager’s ‘artistic and philosophical knowledge.’

GLENN, their father, is the owner of a financially successful furniture store. Also delighted to see Georgia back, he is looking forward to them spending quality time together. Everyone then plays out subtle power games, but all are harmless and end in laughter.

That night, Georgia grows increasingly concerned about Eve’s mental health. Georgia believes that it has to do with their father’s increasingly open far-right beliefs and his growing influence over the family.

An intense, slow-burning and provocative drama set over a period of two days.

 

Set over a period of two days.

 

ACT I – 1 hour 5 mins

ACT II – 1 hour

ACT III – 40 mins

Total running time, with 2×15 min intermissions – 3 hours 15 mins

 

3 female, 2 male.

 

1 main fixed set (able to be reimagined as 2 bedrooms and one small outdoor location).


 

Those That Fall

July 2016. Married couple SHARNAI and CLARENCE BROWN live and work in Inglewood, Los Angeles. They are successful lawyers. Clarence is defending a well-known businessman accused of rape. Sharnai is representing a white-collar fraudster. Sharnai fears that her moral standards are being constantly lowered, whereas Clarence takes pride in his elevating career.

Clarence is interested in attending an African Americans For Trump event, yet Sharnai finds the idea ridiculous. Despite her better judgment, he finally persuades her to join him that evening.

ADRIAN and DYNESHA JOHNSON also reside in the same area. He is a family physician, while she runs her own online cosmetics firm. Adrian is concerned about a young patient who is considering abortion. Although a Christian (and pro-life like Dynesha), he is beginning to think that termination is the best option. He is conflicted. Dynesha is more interested in going to the AAFT talk. Even though Adrian thinks it beneath them, he still agrees to accompany her, if only for the curiosity.

Sharnai and Adrian ‘meet-cute’ at the event. Clarence also gets to speak to Dynesha. Both pairs share views that are more in line with their truest selves, rather than with those of their spouses. Sharnai then visits Adrian at his practice due to a minor health issue. They connect yet again. On the same day, Clarence runs into Dynesha. Like the former pair, they also find an interest in one another, but theirs shows far stronger hints of sexual promise. Sharnai and Adrian then begin a platonic friendship suggesting a future romance, while Clarence and Dynesha immediately take things to the next level.

Tensions gradually build, forcing the couples to eventually confront their deepest set fears with uncompromising and moving honesty.

 

ACT I – 1 hour 5 mins

ACT II – I hour 5 mins

Total running time, with intermission – 2 hours 30 mins

 

2 male, 2 female.

 

Several scene/set changes.


 

Tessa Loves Violence

JOAN is the manager of a legalized brothel in Nevada. Now in her early sixties and thinking of retirement, she is tired from a life spent in the sex trade.

The owner BOB DUPONT pays her an unexpected visit. Having worked together for many years, he presumes that she will continue with her role. When she admits her thoughts of giving up the job, he shows only the slightest understanding. She is trapped, with little way out.

Bob asks how many girls are in that afternoon, as he has a couple of V.I.P’s waiting outside. Recently released from prison, he wants to offer them a little R & R on the house. Joan is reluctant, but Bob insists. The ex-cons go by the names of MARVIN and WADE.

With histories of abusive crimes unknown to her and her staff (working girls HEIDI and GISELLA), the men slowly unveil their true selves – with an intensity that changes the course of all of their lives.

 

ACT I – 1 hour 10 mins

ACT II – 53 mins

Total running time, with intermission – 2 hours 23 mins

 

3 female, 3 male.

 

1 fixed set, able to make minor changes for other scenes.


 

A Deeply Honest Man

After nursing his mother during her last few months, JAMES NICHOLSON decides to move back permanently to his old hometown of Trenton in the mid-west. Previously a philosophy lecturer at NYU, he now enjoys his new job as a teacher at the local elementary school. Popular with the kids and their parents, he is also respected by his neighbors; these are MITCH, TOBE, LYLE and GARY. All regular blue-collar guys, they see ‘Jim’ as a trustworthy person to share pleasantries with.

That summer in the run up to the 2016 Presidential election, Jim places a Bernie Sanders poster in his window. As an area that is voting unanimously for Trump, this does not go unnoticed. His choice of riding a bicycle to work instead of driving a car also raises some eyebrows. Likewise, the fact of him not having a female partner at age forty begins to paint a picture of the man that may or may not be true. Becoming platonic friends with Mitch’s wife DENISE only increases the gossip.

Small town paranoia surface when a rumor is spread about Jim’s suitability as a teacher to young children. This brings about a chain of events that will stain the area forever.

 

ACT I – 55 mins

ACT II – 55 mins

 

Total running time, with intermission – 2 hours 10 mins


 

Uncle Federico

Brooklyn 1953. ALDO is expecting his brother FEDERICO to visit from Rome. His wife MARGERITA and his children CARMELLA and SAVEIRO are anxious of his arrival. Aldo is also apprehensive as he has always been in his brother’s shadow. Federico is a distinguished priest who believes that America has ruined the family, especially the children.

Once Federico arrives, they all listen with deference. He then tells them how his church is a success and that he wants the same for their chapel in Brooklyn. He has already made plans with the local priest, and so all should go ahead.

That night, Saveiro (13) passes Federico’s room. The man invites him in and tells him that he looks “too American”. Saveiro does not know how to take this, but Federico has a critical air, saying that American society affect’s one’s identity, and cheapens it. The boy leaves the room with shame. Federico gets on his knees and prays by his bedside.

The next morning, Carmella (12) comes in the kitchen to see her mother. She is upset as she has had her first period. This is made more traumatic as the priest is now under the same roof. Margerita hugs her immediately, but cannot find the courage to tell her all will be fine.

A bitter battle ensues once the two brothers are finally alone. Federico has the upper hand and is determined to see his many plans come to fruition. A shy and polite man, Aldo can do nothing but concede.

Gradual changes placed upon them eventually tear the family and their small Brooklyn world apart.

 

ACT I – 1 hour 7 mins

ACT II – 55 mins

 

Total running time, with intermission – 2 hours 22 mins


 

Philadelphia Hustle

ESTELLE, a widow, works minimum wage on a market stall. Her son ROSCOE is bullied at school, while her eldest child TYRONE has unrealistic dreams about becoming part of the Philly music scene. Her daughter BRENDA wants to change her name to Asya (‘born during time of grief’) and is about to start her first week away at college. Estelle worries about them all.

Brenda, a feminist and Back Power advocate, finds that her tutor condescends her. This makes the young woman fear she may lose her place on the course. At the same time, Tyrone believes that he has made a good contact in the music industry, only to quickly see his hopes dashed. Roscoe tries his best to get through each day at his inner city school, while Estelle’s boss openly belittles her in front of his white customers.

A tale of a family surviving in 1970’s North Philadelphia.

 

ACT I – 55 mins

ACT II – 55 mins

 

Total running time, with intermission – 2 hours 10 mins


 

The Innocent and the Damned

1989. A studio loft in Tribeca.

EVAN McNAMARA is a young, handsome and highly ambitious artist working on the finishing touches to his first solo exhibition. His ironic and shocking take on fascism in the 20th century has already created a buzz. His agent has set up a pre-show viewing with RENA BLASS, the most important art critic in New York at the time. Believing that charm can win her over, he shows outward confidence when she arrives at his door.

Having experienced fascism at first hand in Poland, she has a vested interest in his theories and motives. An intellectual and much older than him, she asks if he is connected to Judaism or Jews as a people in any way. As a WASP, he says he is not.

They begin to debate issues of cultural appropriation, moral obligation, the superficial against the authentic and the many fundamentally human principles at stake.

Sides are taken that bring out more than what was initially expected, leading both to dissect one another and leave neither party unscathed.

 

90 minutes. No intermission.


 

Until the Bough Breaks

Many lives intersect in the week running up to a Black Lives Matter protest march
in the summer of 2020.

The full-length dramas under the umbrella title Until the Bough Breaks are as follows:

 

God’s Only Child

14 year-old Monisha is about to deliver her poem at the upcoming Black Lives Matter march. Encouraged by her two older sisters Yasmine and Lalique, she is afraid of taking to the podium. Their mother Cara, highly fearful of it being a super spreader event, is also nervous about the idea.

 

Can You Handle It?

Councilman Isaac and his assistant Kira are readying themselves for Saturday’s demonstration. Kira, an admirer of Afro-Marxist leader Kareem Kingsley, firmly believes that the protestors are taking the higher moral ground. Isaac, a liberal-centrist, is wary of the backlash they may receive from white voters. Both are torn between their roles at work and their inner beliefs.

 

Buzz

Buzz Kowalchuck is a biker in his late 40s. Out of work, disaffected and brought up as a white supremacist, Buzz agrees to rejoin the local contingent named The Real Heroes of America. His childhood pal Axl is heading this BLM counter group. As a man prone to violence, Axl urges his gang to fulfill his personal ambitions.

 

Of Prejudice

Steadman is excited when he is offered the role of Mr Darcy in the new streaming show Pride and Prejudice. With an all Black cast, his partner Tamika shows doubt at its legitimacy when she learns that the writer, director and producer are all white.

 

Pariah’s Call

Hailey Powell, a virologist, visits her old pastor William D. Carson on her way to seeing her grandmother at a local nursing home. Bill welcomes her with paternal-like pride, but once he mentions his indifference to the threat of Covid, she begins to worry about the more vulnerable members of the parish.

 

When Things Break Down

Hudson, 19, lives at home with his father Samuel. A local gym owner, Samuel faces the harsh reality of his business going under. Hudson is uneasy since coming out as gay. As they can no longer live together, each man heads off into his own uncertain future.

 

Too Far Gone

Maya and Bernard are the first Black couple to live in the white area of Scottsdale. Both highly educated, they joke on how no one will share their tastes and views. Cliff Maddison, a cop, is their neighbor while his wife Cheryl is a high school graduate. Maya encourages Bernard to introduce himself to them, and the scene is set for a night of power games.

 

A Change is Gonna Come

Jessica Channing is a well-respected member of The National Federation of Republican Women. Roger, her husband of thirty years, is a high profile conservative politician. Angered at the upcoming march, they try not to show their thoughts while in the presence of their help, Cara. Cara eventually admits that her daughter Monisha will be speaking at the demonstration. This throws the couple into a journey of conscience, one that they are determined to win.

 

Savior’s Day

Chantelle, 36, is a nurse at the city hospital. Otis is a volunteering orderly. They meet on a corridor bench. Their attraction is mutual, but soon leads to a profound change in both of their lives.

 

A Taming of the Wind

Natonya is shocked to find that a stranger has found her surname online, making the link to an 18th century slave owner. The woman states that she wants reparation, as her ancestor was once a victim of Natonya’s family. Natonya, a mixed race textile designer, decides to meet her accuser in person, although her partner Farida is against it.

 

It’s Right Where You Left It

Rae, a paramedic, is exhausted from tending to BLM campaigners suffering from injuries inflicted by the police. Her husband Gregg feels that the street violence is making it harder for her to cope. Even though Caucasian, he tells her what is best for her life. This is made worse when she finds out his secret beliefs.

 

Life Will Be Good

Barry Stone is the owner of a bar that has been trashed by BLM activists. An African American Trump voter, Stone goes to see his councilman to force a state of emergency on the city. When things don’t go the way he wants, he sets out to find his own means of retribution.

 

Total running time, with breaks between days – 17 hours.