Genre: Drama, Stage Play

Length: Two hours, one intermission

Casting
Any race or ethnicity:
1 woman, upper-middle age
1 woman, early twenties
1 woman, late twenties
2 men, upper-middle age
1 man, at least retirement age|
1 man, late twenties

Synopsis
Two middle-aged middle managers nearing retirement, two young idealists starting out, one crotchety old guy who’s been there for eons—all of them work for a global charity, and are proud that they are doing some good in the world. And then the organization gets a new, dishonest CEO who gives them unethical orders, as delivered by the CEO’s hatchet man and an ambitious young assistant on the make. The honest people face moral crises and their decisions will affect the rest of their lives.

Excerpt
Skylar: What’s your problem, Lee? What’s keeping you from getting with the program?
Lee: Your program is a made-up policy based on numbers invented by clueless people.
Skylar: If you reported to me—
Lee: You would torture me into submission or fire me for insubordination.
Skylar: I want—
Lee: You want me to turn Bob’s bullshit into cherry pie.
Skylar: Bob is dedicated to—
Lee: To siphoning off as much money as he can.

Production needs summary
Set
Elaborate sets are not needed. The various locations should be defined only by simple furniture, lighting, and placement on the stage. Details are in the script.

Costumes
Modern office casual.

Props
Two laptop computers, four cell phones, electronic remote, whiteboard with markers and eraser, food settings and trays. Full details are in the script.

Sound
Traffic noise for loading dock scenes.

Production History
Disrupting the Box has had several staged readings and Zoom readings. It has not been produced.