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Spotlight
During a major U.S. Senate campaign the front-running candidates both attempt to manipulate the coverage of the race to favor one over the other. The tricks each candidate employs to grab the spotlight range from the subtle to the nasty and even to the shocking as this riveting and at times hilarious story unfolds. Inspiration for the PlaySpotlight was inspired by a number of things including my experiences working with Sawyer-Miller Group, a political/corporate consulting firm in New York, in 1990-1991. I worked with an incredible collection of heavy hitters there including the late public relations strategist John Scanlon, GOP political strategist Ed Rollins, the late Democratic political strategist David H. Sawyer, the late advertising executive David McCall, art director Rick Beaulieu, chairman Jack Leslie, Democratic political strategist Mandy Grunwald, and public relations strategist Bob Chlopak. Every one of the above names is or was a major force in their respective fields; a quick Google session with these names will knock your socks off. Sawyer-Miller advised a number of American and international candidates, most notably Michael Dukakis in 1988. Their strategies and tools amazed me; they knew countless methods for swaying opinions and votes and employed them ruthlessly at times. Another inspiration for this play is my work as a filmmaker and as a close watcher of the world news and entertainment media. I've always been fascinated by the question of who has more power in this country today, the media producer or the politician. I'm still not sure I know the answer, but this play is an attempt to at least discuss the issue. I'm also fascinated by the part that morality plays -- or doesn't seem to play -- in media and politics. At times I worry that morality is no longer seen as "good business" and is therefore routinely ignored by our leaders. |
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Spotlight is a one-act play performed in two scenes. Scene One takes place during the evening of the primary of a major U.S. Senate campaign and Scene Two takes place the evening of the election itself for the same campaign. Both scenes are set at the "victory parties" of the front-running candidates from the two major parties: Vivian Jade and incumbent Senator Christopher Worth. The two parties are covered by anchorpeople for Cable News Central, a worldwide news channel chaired by Richard Reagle, who happens to be romantically linked to Vivian Jade.
The play depicts events that take place during the two election nights as the two candidates and their staffs, supporters, and loved ones attempt to manipulate the coverage of the race to favor one candidate over the other. The tricks each candidate employs to grab the spotlight range from the subtle to the nasty and even to the shocking as this riveting and at times hilarious story unfolds.
In the end Vivian Jade emerges as the victor and as she faces a future of fame and power, she ponders the ways she squandered both her values and the loyalty of her friends in a race to the top.
The play poses the question, Does it profit a person to gain the world but lose their soul?
I hope audiences of Spotlight will understand that we as a country face grave consequences if we choose to ignore the power at the disposal of the rich, famous, and connected. We as voters and media consumers are daily bombarded by hundreds of subtle and not-so-subtle attempts to sway our opinions as well as attract our dollars. Many of us choose to simply accept what is thrown at us because sifting the lies out from the truth is too daunting a task. We choose instead to trust "sources" such as The New York Times or CNN or to label some figures as "trustworthy" and others as "liars".
As technology interconnects us all in more and more ways, it also provides more tools to those who would seek to deceive us. With this play I hope to provoke viewers in an entertaining way, to remind them that they have not only the opportunity but the responsibility to evaluate every one of their opinions with the goal of ensuring that they are based on fact as well as sound moral principles.
I also hope to remind them that every one of our leaders, be they politicians, CEOs, or simply heads of families, is human and is every step of the way not only capable of making mistakes but also of greed and corruption.
4 females/4 males/8 either; 30-35 minutes; 1 set. Single copy: $5.00; single amateur/community theater performance: $30.00.
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