CHARACTERS:
YOU - Mid-20s to 40s, any gender
DEMOCRACY - Ageless, any gender
SETTING: A cramped, lived-in apartment. Center stage: a worn couch facing downstage right where an unseen television sits. Stage left: a small table stacked with newspapers, legal documents, and voting pamphlets. Upstage: a kitchenette with counter space. The apartment shows signs of long-term cohabitation - mismatched furniture and personal items scattered about.
PROPS:
Smartphone (YOU)
Stack of papers/documents (DEMOCRACY)
Remote control
Coffee mug
Newspapers scattered on the table
Landline phone on the side table
LIGHTING: The stage opens in dim, cool lighting, suggesting late afternoon/evening. The television creates a flickering blue-white glow from downstage right. As the play progresses, lighting becomes warmer and more intense during arguments, then dims to a single spotlight during Democracy’s final speech.
SOUND: Continuous low murmur of television news throughout, occasionally spiking with recognizable news audio. Sound fades during intense dialogue moments.
ACT I
(Lights up on the apartment. The low murmur of television news fills the space. YOU are sprawled on the couch, center stage, scrolling through your phone with earbuds in, occasionally clicking the remote, an energy drink on the side table. DEMOCRACY paces upstage, clutching a worn copy of the Constitution and historical documents, moving between the table and kitchenette with agitated energy. DEMOCRACY wears patriotic colors - a vintage-style jacket with a flag pin, or clothing evoking different historical periods.)
(Sound: TV news audio briefly rises - “...FBI search warrant executed...” then fades back to murmur)
YOU (not looking up):
You’re pacing again.
(DEMOCRACY stops mid-stride, whirls toward YOU)
DEMOCRACY (snapping):
Of course, I’m pacing! Did you see the news? Bolton’s house raided, mandatory death penalty in D.C., voter roll purges—
(YOU shrugs, still focused on the phone)
YOU:
I saw it. Big whoop.
(DEMOCRACY slams the Constitution down on the table, creating a sharp sound that cuts through the TV murmur)
DEMOCRACY (glaring):
Big whoop? That’s ALL you have to say?
(YOU pull out one earbud, finally look up, sit forward slightly, but remain on the couch)
YOU:
What do you want from me? I didn’t vote for the guy.
(DEMOCRACY begins pacing again, more frantically, gesturing with the Constitution)
DEMOCRACY (gesturing wildly):
Oh, brilliant. Gold star for you. Meanwhile, I’m over here bleeding out from a thousand cuts, and you’re acting like we’re discussing the weather.
(YOU rolls eyes, falls back against couch cushions)
YOU:
Bleeding out? Please. You’re so dramatic.
(DEMOCRACY stops pacing, points accusingly at YOU)
DEMOCRACY:
I’m dramatic? You’re lying there scrolling TikTok while they’re weaponizing the FBI against former officials!
(YOU stand abruptly, phone still in hand)
YOU (defensive):
Bolton? That son of a bitch warmonger? Good riddance.
(DEMOCRACY throws the historical documents onto the table with force, some scatter to the floor)
DEMOCRACY (bellowing):
It’s not about Bolton! It’s about using federal law enforcement for revenge! And don’t get me started on mandatory death sentences in D.C.—federal overreach much?
(YOU move toward stage left, putting distance between them)
YOU (snorting):
Oh, sure. Let me just call my representative about it. “Dear Senator Foghorn, please stop that fascist creep.” That’ll fix everything.
(DEMOCRACY grabs their head with both hands, turning away momentarily)
DEMOCRACY:
You could! Or write emails! Join protests! They’re deporting students for protesting Palestine, purging voter rolls in 19 states, and we just left the World Health Organization during a global health crisis!
(Lighting intensifies slightly, becoming warmer and more focused on the two characters)
(YOU throw your hands up in exasperation, moving center stage)
YOU:
Fine! I’m not ignoring it, okay? But what am I supposed to do? Pretend this system isn’t already broken? They’re going to do what they want anyway!
(DEMOCRACY stops pacing, faces YOU directly)
DEMOCRACY (glaring):
So you just... give up? Hand them the keys?
(YOU laughs bitterly, turns partially away)
YOU:
Give them the keys? They already broke down the door! FBI raids, rigged elections, targeting students—it’s already over.
(DEMOCRACY crosses to YOU, grabs their shoulders - first physical contact of the play)
DEMOCRACY:
Nothing’s over until you decide it’s over. That defeatist attitude? It’s poison. It kills hope. And without hope, you don’t act.
(YOU shake off DEMOCRACY’s grip, step back)
YOU:
You don’t get it! You’re just an idea. You don’t have to sit here every day watching everything fall apart.
(DEMOCRACY laughs bitterly, begins pacing again but slower, more deliberately)
DEMOCRACY: Don’t talk to me about falling apart! I’ve been gutted, sabotaged, and sold out more times than I can count. McCarthyism, Watergate, voter suppression—I’m still here. Barely.
(Long pause. YOU look directly at DEMOCRACY for the first time)
YOU (quietly):
Maybe you’re not worth fighting for anymore.
(DEMOCRACY freezes mid-step, stares at YOU. The TV sound fades to almost nothing. Lighting dims to focus on their faces)
DEMOCRACY (staring, stunned):
Wow. So that’s it? You’re surrendering?
(YOU turn away, move toward the couch)
YOU:
I’m being realistic.
(DEMOCRACY’s voice builds with controlled fury)
DEMOCRACY (fuming):
“Realistic.” You mean lazy. You think the suffragettes were “realistic” when they were force-fed in prison? Were civil rights leaders “realistic” when they faced attack dogs? No. They fought because surrender wasn’t an option.
(YOU spin back toward DEMOCRACY, yelling for the first time)
YOU:
And what if we fight and still lose? What if they stack the courts, rig the elections, buy off the press? What then?
(DEMOCRACY steps closer, voice becomes low and steely. Lighting tightens to a pool around them)
DEMOCRACY: Then at least you’ll know you didn’t roll over and let them bury me without a fight.
(YOU’s voice cracks, showing vulnerability for the first time)
YOU:
That’s not good enough.
(DEMOCRACY steps even closer, speaks with quiet intensity)
DEMOCRACY:
It has to be. Because doing nothing? That’s not just surrender—it’s complicity.
(Long silence. Only the faint sound of TV news remains. DEMOCRACY steps back, runs a hand through their hair. YOU sink onto the couch, staring at the television)
(Lighting dims further, becoming cooler)
DEMOCRACY (quietly, but firmly):
I’m not asking for perfection. I’m asking you to try. Before there’s nothing left to save.
(The TV sound rises briefly - sounds of protests, press conferences. YOU glance at DEMOCRACY, who stands watching expectantly)
(YOU sigh deeply, stand slowly)
YOU (sighing, standing): Fine. Hand me the phone.
(DEMOCRACY’s face breaks into a slight smile)
DEMOCRACY: Don’t look at me—you’ve had one in your hand the entire time.
(beat)
(Blackout. Sound of TV news rises one final time, then cuts to silence)
END OF PLAY
Great piece. Reminds me of this:
https://newutopia.site/out-driving-a-play-in-one-act/