Brexit: The Aftermath of a Country Misinformed

Roles
Charlie: roomate(S1/S2), scotsman(S3)
Jack: Englishman(S1), Mob member 1 (S4), Waiter (S5)
Declan: Merchant(S3), Irishman(S5)
Kevin: Politician (S2), Mob member 2 (S4), Drunk guy? (S5) Newscaster 1 (S1)

(angry mob pushes on-stage, moves around yelling)

Mob member 1: We don’t need your businesses!
Mob: Yeah!
Mob member 1: Get out of here!
(mob member picks up a loose brick on the ground and throws it. The sound of glass
shattering)
Mob member 2: That’ll teach you a lesson!
(mob leaves)
Scene 1:
Englishman (Jack) walks in, acting exhausted after a long day of work. He
collapses in a chair, and turn on a tv with the remote

Newscaster 1: The EU has issued a statement about the new issue of-

Man clicks another button impatiently

Newscaster 2: Northern Ireland has expressed discontent with the idea of a hard boc-

Man turns off tv, sets down remote, slumps over in the chair, and sighs.
Door opens, roommate walks in and hangs up his coat
Roommate notices Englishman’s upset composure
C- Something wrong?
J- What isn’t?
C- trouble at work?
J- Trouble all around.
C- Gonna be vague or tell me what’s wrong
​ verything going on. I'm sick of all this
J- All this. ​( gestures around) E
C- Don’t be cryptic, what’s going on?

Englishman turns on the TV

NEWSCASTER 1- New reports indicate that Brexit may be costing the UK up to 40

billion pounds per year.
NEWSCASTER 2- Over 2.5 million UK citizens have signed a petition to revote on the
Brexit referendum, claiming that they were misinformed by politicians about the
situation.
NEWSCASTER 1- After being rejected by parliament for the third time, Theresa May
looks for an opening to push her “revised” brexit deal forwards.
C- I know. The way the media is treating Theresa May and the brexit deal is atrocious.

Englishman puts his hand on his forehead and sighs

J- Do you know anything about brexit?

C- Yes, of course. We are trying to leave the EU, and parliament is being contrary even
after we all voted. The EU is also refusing to let us get a fair deal out of it.
J- Do you even know what the EU does for us?
C- They take our money! Right?
J- No. The bank of England, contrary to the blatant propaganda being spewed by the
treasury, said trade barriers could be .75 times smaller.
C- Yeah right, I call BS. Where’d you hear that, some bum?
J- The bank of England. I just said that. Also the pound will dramatically drop in value.
There are practically no benefits to our leaving.
C- What about our independence from the EU’s regulations?
J- What regulations? Which ones matter enough for us to completely leave?
C- Uh, I just saw something about them trying to ban the internet,
J-They’re trying to restrict it not ban it-
C- Exactly! See there are some benefits.
J- You’re missing the point, there are more disadvantages than advantages.
C- They’re letting the muslims in! They’re ruining our country!
J- Do you hear yourself?
C-I do.
J- I think you need some time to think before you speak next time.
Englishman gets upset and walks away
Scene 2
(politician stands at a podium with microphones. Flashing lights and general murmur
can be heard)
P: Every one! I have called you all here to address some of the concerns you voiced
about brexit! Please, I wish to have a civil discussion on these matters.
(​murmur dies down, and the politician sighs in relief)
Despite our opponent's insistence to the opposite, there are very legitimate reasons for
our departure from the EU. The immigration crisis that Europe is facing from the middle
east is terribly affecting our society. The immigrants are taking jobs from our British
citizens, and pushing our children out of their desired primary schools. This needs to
stop. The EU forces us to accept migrants, more than we need or want. The EU is an
unnecessary drain on our resources. As the leave campaign said, we can, and will save
350 million pounds that we give to the EU every day.
(Crowd moves about and whispers until one reporter speaks up)
C: What about May’s Brexit deal?
P: May’s deal is a reasonable way to remedy everyone’s concerns on this matter.
C: But-
(​politician speaks over him)
P: ​Brexit​ is necessary for the continued prosperity of the United Kingdom. We, as a
country, decided to leave the EU. We must leave the EU, if we want to ensure that the
UK is an influential country for as long as we live, and far into the future.

(A similar but slightly more angry murmur happens)

C: But sir, what about the problem of the irish border?
P: The Republic of Ireland chose to leave, they can accept the consequences.
(the roommate from the first scene stands)
R:How will this actually benefit the Uk?
P: Well-
R: No, none of that look to the future nonsense. I want to know, how will it affect me
now?
P: It’s important to think about the long term. May has proposed her deal and we will
stick by it.
R: According to the Bank of England this could dramatically decrease the value of the
pound sterling, what do you say in response to that?
(politician stammers and fidgets, while scene fades)
Scene 3
(Scottish man working at the docks, he is carrying crates from offstage to a merchant.)
Merchant notices the dock worker and smiles as he approaches.
Charlie: This may be the last shipment for a little while, friend.
Declan: Too much risk?
C: I mean it’s not like the navy’s chasing me, but it's no longer a guarantee like it used
to be. Damn politicians making decisions when they don’t even know what they’re
talking about.
D: What if it doesn’t go through? What if we stay here in the EU and you just lost your
job?

C: If we do, nobody will want anything to do with us. Say, if you had a friend, and he
kept asking you for stuff, and then one day he just left your friend group because part of
him wanted to? Now, say that same friend not only wanted to join back into your friend
group but also wanted to sell you something? I wouldn’t buy it, would you?

D: I wouldn’t trust anything the guy had to sell me.

C: What if your other friend, who’s never left your side offered to sell you two for the
same price?
D: I’d take it.
C: So why in the hell would France buy our fish instead of Norway's?
D: I see your point. I’ll miss the haddock though. Considered moving?
C: Oh yeah, i’ll move to switzerland. I'm sure they’ll appreciate my warm personality.
D:Yeah yeah, not surprised there. Hope you stay close, always been a good friend.
C: Well, I’m not gonna go out and become a singer so don’t worry about anything for
now.
D: I wish I didn’t have to.
C: Here comes James with his crabs
D: There's always trouble wherever he comes by.
Scot exits
Merchant exits closely after
Scene 4
Continuation of the previous scene

A nearby shiphorn is heard

An angry mob appears

Mob member 1: Our country is not open!

Mob member 2: You don’t belong here!
More murmuring among the crowd and angry yelling
Mob member 3: Go back to your country!
Mob member 4: You stole my job! And my brothers! We were doing fine until you came!
A bit more angry yelling and then it dies down and a man steps out and faces the
off-stage ship
Mob member 1: Hey you! What are you doing here
Another man steps out
Mob member 2: Yeah! This is our country!
Mob member 1: You’re the reason we’re going the wrong direction
Mob member 2: Our country used to be great.
Mob breaks off, all but mob members 3 and 4 exit
Member 3: They stole our country from us
Member 4: Yeah! We need to close the border, we can’t let them in anymore, it's not
good for us.
A more distant shiphorn than before blows
Member 3: Yeah thats rights get out of here! We don’t need you!
Both run off stage.
Scene 5
Irish pub, music playing loudly, two men sit at a table, one almost passed out, and the
other drunkenly cracking jokes. The pub is fairly full, but not packed.
D: I heard them saying that a good Brexit deal may take ten years, but it's too bad most
of the people who voted for it will be dead by then!
Employee approaches the table
J: Oh come on, don’t they have it bad enough?
D: They did this to themselves, I don’t have to feel bad.
J: Well you should. I mean, people over there are really thinking that their lives may be
over. And it may be that way for some of them, how can you just sit here and laugh at
them?
D: Well, maybe they should have thought about that before they went and voted to
destroy their whole country.
J: Sure, they should have, just like you should have probably gone to a different pub but
but they didn’t, and they cant change that.
D: Hey! Shut it! Besides, they made a decision and now they have to live with it.
Everyone makes decisions, we don't get to back out of them whenever we realise they
were wrong.
J: Well of course not. They cant un-vote for brexit, but there's no reason to kick them
while they’re down. You know it's gonna affect you too right?
D: Not sure if you’re new, or if your just dumb, but we aren’t living in the UK.

J: I know, but we import a lot from them. Most of our fuel we get from them, a good
amount of food, plastics, electronics, we’re very reliant on the british economy over
here.
D: They’re not going off the face of the earth, they’re just leaving a union.
J: Sure, but if they don’t have the financial benefits from the Union, they might not be
too keen to be giving their food and fuel to another country, especially at the same
prices.
D: So because they messed up now we gotta pay too?
​Irish man gets noticeably angry
D: Now how’s that fair!
J: Nothing’s fair, that's the point. They made a mistake, and they regret it . They just
need help fixing it. They’re going through alot, so all i'm saying is that maybe instead of
making fun of Britain, you should sympathize.
D: Well you’re partially right. Life isn’t fair. Britain showed that life isn't fair to half the
world. They need to get over themselves.
J: Look, it’s clear we don’t see eye to eye on this. How about you order a drink and we
go our separate ways.
D: You don’t need to leave. You aren’t british, and I ain’t the EU.
​ hat can I get you?
J: ​(sighs) W
D: Guiness.
J: Big surprise.
(Walks away to get beer)
D: The lip on the servers these days.
(Server comes back and gives him the beer, then walks away. Irishman takes a long
drink)
D: Damn idiots…
(Sips Drink)
 Sources

Ash, Timothy Garton. "The voice of the people?" ​University of Oxford News and

​Event,​ Oxford University, 3 Feb. 2017, www.ox.ac.uk/news-and-events/

oxford-and-brexit/brexit-analysis/voice-people. Accessed 22 Mar. 2019.

Kottasova, Ivana. "Brexit is costing the UK economy $1 billion a week. And it

could get worse." ​CNN Business,​ Cable News Network, 22 Mar. 2019,

www.cnn.com/2019/03/22/business/brexit-uk-economic-damage/index.html.

Accessed 22 Mar. 2019

Mueller, Benjamin. "What Is Brexit? A Simple Guide to Why It Matters and What

Happens Next." ​The New York Times,​ The New York Times Company, 22 Mar.

2019, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/world/europe/what-is-brexit.html.

Accessed 22 Mar. 2019.

Ritholtz, Barry. "How to Fix Brexit in Three Simple Steps." ​The Big Picture,​ 25

Jan. 2019, ritholtz.com/2019/01/how-to-fix-brexit-in-three-simple-steps/.

Kottasova, Ivana. "The UK government says its Brexit deal will hurt the
 economy." ​CNN Business,​ 28 Nov. 2018, ​www.cnn.com/2018/11/28/economy/

Barnes, Peter. “Brexit: What Happens Now?” ​BBC News,​ BBC, 11 Apr. 2019,
www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-46393399.

brexit-economic-impact/index.html. Accessed 22 Mar. 2019

Costumes
Scene 1: Regular clothes, nothing obviously American
Scene 2: Nice suit, same clothes as roommate from previous scene
Scene 3: Merchant wearing something fairly nice, sailor is wearing white shirt
Scene 4: Regular clothes.
Scene 5: Regular clothes, preferably something irish.