Written by Chase Brown
Joshua Schaad, a twenty year old kid with a seemingly troubled past, is finally a part of
something bigger than himself: a religious “hate-group”. Ike Foster, leader & founder of the cultish society, with charm and promises of salvation, manages to take young Joshua under his wing. Despite Ike’s bigotry and malicious nature, Joshua works tirelessly to make himself indispensable in the eyes of his new mentor, compromising moral decency along the way. In order to garner more public renown for the church, Joshua suggests Ike allow a British documentary filmmaker, Charlie Costello, visit and film an exposé on the church. Ike reluctantly agrees, but later regrets this decision after seeing how he and his followers are portrayed to the rest of the world. Ike then forces Joshua to appear on a popular chat show, The Trudy Butler Show, to justify the church’s actions and exploit this newfound infamy. Once on the show, however, the usually easy-going host, Trudy Butler, presses Joshua to the point where the legitimacy of his own faith is questioned. Joshua’s existential breakdown is televised across the country, throwing his church into hot water, and his sense of belonging out the window.
The play jumps in time, travelling from the past, present, and an ambiguous ‘in-between
place’. Therefore, the description above isn’t necessarily indicative of how the plot
functions.