This play begins in the fall of 2011, when a libertarian rancher, an anarchist punk, an aging hippie, a radical priest, and a single mother gather in Courthouse Square in Prescott, Arizona determined to fix America. They all agree that the one percent is too powerful, and the rest of us are getting screwed. When they try to get more specific than that, though, they find themselves disagreeing about nearly everything. Some want to focus narrowly on economic inequality, while some want to reimagine the entire structure of society. Some see the government as a potential ally, while some see it as the main enemy. Over the course of the occupation, unlikely alliances form even as friendships crumble. People unused to articulating their worldview in public are forced to defend their most cherished beliefs. The personal and political merge and fuse, and abstract debates about political theory suddenly become intensely emotional. This is a play about the sometimes boring, always necessary work of trying to create a new world.

The play is prefaced with two quotations, “We need a better world right away, this week” by Wallace Shawn and “We need everybody and all that we are” by June Jordan. These two “we needs” are held in tension in this play, as they are in our political moment. We must move incredibly quickly to deal with the myriad problems in our society, but we must also make sure we don't leave anyone behind. How do we do both at once? I don’t have answers. But I do have a play.