A Nation In Peril

Roshan Nandkumar, Olivia Schulz, Michael Dinkel

Yellow

5/16/2019
Scene 1

(two good friends are walking on a beach on a sunny day)

Roshan: It’s a beautiful day.

Michael: Yeah, I love it when the government turns the sun on.

Roshan: (gives him a strange look)

Michael: Don’t you know the thing about the sun?”

Roshan: Well… it’s bright

Michael: It’s a lamp

Roshan: (incredulous) Are you serious??

Michael: Haven’t you ever looked at it?

(both look at the sun, forget that it hurts, and look away in pain)

Roshan: Looks pretty bright to me. Besides, where would the government find the power to create a lamp

that bright?

Michael: Underground.

Roshan: (pause)

Michael: They get it from the wheel!

Roshan: What wheel?!?

Michael: It’s just like the one that hamsters run on, but for humans! They run on it to generate power.

That’s how they power the light.

Roshan: You’ve been watching too many conspiracy theories.

Michael: Hey, you know not all conspiracies are fake, some have actual evidence behind them.

Roshan: I’ve known you for 11 years, and you’ve never actually believed this stuff.

Olivia: -- runs by the bench where Roshan and Michael are sitting --

Roshan: Whoa, did you just see that girl who ran by?
Michael: Yeah, she was wearing some weird hat of some sort

Olivia: -- turns around because she hears something about her hat --

Olivia: Hey, are you making fun of my hat?? This will protect me from the government’s mindreading!

Roshan: Okkkkkkk back up there, what are you talking about now?

Michael: I THIIIINK, she’s talking about the government controlling every aspect of our lives, like the

sun I was talking about.

Olivia: Oh yeah, you mean the lamp.

Roshan: You’ve gotta be kidding me! You, too?

Olivia: Well, I doubt you’ve heard of this theory, but let me explain.

Roshan: No you really don’t nee--

Olivia: Well, you see, this aluminum foil hat that I’m wearing is to protect me against mind-control and

mind reading by the government that the aliens from Pluto gave them in order to prep the people for their

transformation into asteroid mining slaves for the Plutonians. Those traitors in Washington will be spared

the fate of becoming asteroid mining slaves by helping the Plutonians capture and control the human race.

Michael: See? I’m not crazy, you’re just gullible. Always falling for the government’s tricks.

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Scene 2

*two news anchors sit at a table*

Michael: Hello, and welcome to channel 11 news.

Roshan: today we will be discussing the topic of the hour: did Russia interfere with the 2016 election?

Michael: The CIA, FBI, and NSA have all recently stated with high confidence that the Russians were

part of a plot to disrupt the Trump/Clinton election and our nation’s democracy. Russia has repeatedly

denied these allegations, yet President Trump continues to meet with Vladimir Putin.
Roshan: Many Americans believe that Russians not only spread fake news stories on the internet which

could have changed how some people voted, they also hacked the US voting system to cast votes in favor

of Donald Trump. Some believe these factors were the main cause of Trump’s victory. The question still

remains: are these accusations true, or are they part of an even greater conspiracy against the US

government?

Jordan: (to Olivia; maybe we can bring someone in) *turns off tv* Jeez, how can anyone believe that? It’s

total nonsense.

Olivia: I mean, I don’t know. You don’t think they could be right?

Jordan: Come on, another country messing with our democracy? You don’t hear how crazy that sounds?

Olivia: Well, the FBI, CIA, and NSA all think that something’s going on with the Russians! I mean, if

anyone would know it would be them.

Jordan: Yeah, but that doesn’t mean anything. The media tries to lie to us all the time. It’s a proven fact,

look at the stats.

Olivia: Ok, wait. You’re saying the media lies to us, but you also say that you don’t believe all the fake

news stuff. That doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.

Jordan: (incredulous) What, and you think believing all this stuff about the Russians is real? It’s a

conspiracy designed to trick you.

Olivia: I thought you didn’t believe in conspiracies.

Jordan: I don’t!

Olivia: But the media trying to trick us is a conspiracy.

Jordan: You could say that about the reverse too! Even if the Russians are up to something, the actual

conspiracy would be to make us believe that their plot is a conspiracy.

Olivia: Now you’re just not making any sense.

Jordan: But think about it, you either believe that Russians are trying to attack the US government or that

the media is corrupted!

Olivia: Those are both conspiracies, but only one of them really has facts to back it up.

Jordan: The media one.

Olivia: No, the Russians one.

Jordan: Ok, you’re an absolute idiot if you believe any of that. It’s fake news, for the last time!

Olivia: You just contradicted yourself!! See? Just a minute ago you were denying that fake news was even

a thing, and now you’ve gone full conspiracy-theorist.

Jordan: Oh my god. You’ve got to be kidding me. (beat) You’re really going to accuse me of being a

conspiracy theorist?​

Olivia: I mean it makes sense, doesn’t it?

Jordan: I can’t believe you. I actually can’t believe that you’ve -- devolved to that kind of thinking! I

thought you were smarter than this.

Olivia: You think I’m stupid for choosing to believe a news source I trust.

Jordan: I didn’t say that.

Olivia: No, that’s exactly what you said. I’m just doing exactly what everyone else does and believing

what they see on the news. Where else am I supposed to get my information, huh?

Jordan: No, I think you’re dumb for not being able to see the facts!

Olivia: Oh my god. You’re impossible.

Jordan: Well, you’re the one who’s being stubborn.

Olivia: This is ridiculous. You just can’t see what’s right in front of you.

Jordan: Right in front of me? All that’s in front of me is lies.

(Jordan storms out)

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Scene 3

(Olivia, the same character from the previous scene, goes to her office in the house that her and Jordan

were arguing in. Michael, her brother, walks in)

Michael: You’re such a horrible person!

Olivia: What did I do?

Michael: I can’t believe you would allow 9/11 to happen!

Olivia: What do you mean? I would never allow an attack on the U.S.

Michael: You worked in the White House for Bush didn’t you?

Olivia: Yeah but that doesn’t …

Michael: You monster! You knew it was going to happen. You knew that Bush was going to do 9/11.

Olivia: Where’d you get that idea? Are you crazy? Bush didn’t do 9/11

Michael: Yeah he did. There is no possible way that the towers could have come down because of the

plane crash. Steel melts at 2,777 degrees fahrenheit, but jet fuel only melts at 1,517 degrees fahrenheit.

There had to be explosives inside that brought down the towers. Besides, someone did a report and found

out that Bush admitted to doing it.

Olivia: First of all, the steel doesn't have to melt to be unable to support the tower. Also, where did you

find that report?

Michael: Online. It doesn’t really matter though, because it is still there.

Olivia: It does matter, anyone can post stuff online. I could post right now that you robbed a bank. You

need to find out who and where things you found online came from before you can judge people off the

information in them.

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Scene 4
Roshan: (scrolling through his phone at a bus stop) Oh my god! I hate Hillary Clinton!

Michael: What? Dude, why? I voted for her, she’s a good person and she should’ve been president.

Roshan: Did you hear what she did!

Michael: If you’re talking about the whole email scandal thing, they found evidence that nothing

happened with that.

Roshan: No! She approved weapons sales to ISIS.

Michael: What? (suspicious) How do you know?

Roshan: It says it right here in this article.

Michael: Oh man. I… I would never vote for someone who supports terrorism. Are you sure?

Roshan: Yes I’m sure! There’s no way this isn’t true, they’re showing pictures of actual messages and

stuff, there’s all kinds of proof. You can see for yourself.

Michael: Huh, I guess… I guess you’re right. Well, what are we supposed to do?

Roshan: I’m not really sure. It just occurred to me -- it kind of runs in the Clinton family to lie about their

activities. First Bill with the Monica Lewinsky thing --

Michael: (cuts him off) And now Hillary with this! You really can’t trust politicians, can you?

Michael: oh, here’s my bus. (Michael walks off stage)

(Roshan scrolls through phone)

Roshan: Whoa, what…this can't be right

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Scene 5

(Congressional representative talking with constituant who believes in conspiracy theories. Roshan is the

same person from previous scene, doesn’t leave stage)

Olivia: Hello this is your congresswoman for the ninth congressional district of Indiana. Can I help you?
Roshan: (on the phone) Hi I’m concerned about our nation’s healthcare. I just read an article that Indiana

tax dollars are going towards paying for corrupt politicians plastic surgery.

Olivia: I can assure you that that doesn’t happen. How’d you find this out?

Roshan: Facebook.

Olivia: (stuttering) W-What?

Roshan: You need to get rid of healthcare, so that this can’t happen.

Olivia: I’m telling you this doesn’t happen. Healthcare benefits a lot of people.

Roshan: I’m looking at photographic evidence right now that proves that this happens! The government

uses tax dollars to their advantage.

Olivia: I can promise you from the bottom of my heart that this isn’t the case.

Roshan: Well if you want my vote you’ll do the right thing. *hangs up*

Olivia: That’s the tenth call I got today about this. I guess if I want to get re-elected then I can’t support

healthcare.

Michael: (walks through the door) Hey, there’s a crowd of people outside yelling about their tax money or

something?

Olivia: You’ve gotta be kidding me! How many people have seen this nonsense?!

Crowd: *jumbled voices* Congresswoman!! Stop Corruption! Get rid of healthcare!! Is this true?! Did

you know about nine-eleven?? What is the extent of the Russian influence? We want the truth!

*dada-esque movement towards the center of the stage, Olivia looking panicked and overwhelmed*

*Tableau in the center of the stage, looking angry at each other*

END

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