Synopsis
Defamation
Published by Dramatic Publishing
2 Male 4 Female
After the meeting, Mr Golden realizes that his family heirloom watch is gone
And thereby hinges the story of Defamation,
The situation leads to a riveting courtroom encounter that illuminates our common perceptions and prejudices about race, religion and class
The play opens with Judge Adrian Barnes laying out the case as well as the stakes involved
Following testimony from each side plus a key witness, the judge tells the audience he's not going to adjudicate the case
The audience will be the jury
He polls them once
The judge then leads the audience in a 15-minute deliberation
He polls the audience a second time
And the result decides the evening's trial
But the case is not a simple "he said, she said"
There are twists and turns that keep the audience on their toes
A case without a smoking gun, Defamation cleverly challenges our preconceived notions about race, class, religion and even the law
As audience members and then jurors, we learn as much or more about ourselves as we learn about the plaintiff and the defendant
Runs about 90 minues - flexible Cast (6 M/F)