
Draining the Swamp is cautionary tale that takes a comedic jab at The One and the One Percent. Comic mayhem ensues when THE BOSS fires THE APPRENTICE, shoots THE DRIVER, and gets arrested for murder.
THE BOSS sets out on a journey with THE APPRENTICE and THE DRIVER. The goal is to scout locations for affordable housing and take advantage of a government program to buy swamp land cheap. They race THE COMPETITORS to claim the land first. THE BOSS connives, lies, cheats, and fires THE APPRENTICE who gets in the way. While on the journey they run into corrupt border guards and end up at a treacherous river crossing with no bridge. They abandon the car and swim across.
Now, on foot, THE BOSS force-marches THE DRIVER who pretends to know the route. THE BOSS interprets all of THE DRIVER’S actions with growing suspicion. Intensely paranoid by this point, and mistaking The Driver’s cell phone for a gun, THE BOSS shoots THE DRIVER dead. THE COMPETITORS suddenly arrive and witness the shooting, taking the smoking gun from the hand of THE BOSS as evidence. The trial of THE BOSS commences. To the shock of the courtroom, THE JUDGE concludes that THE BOSS acted in justifiable self-defense. THE BOSS is acquitted.
Keywords: Musical, Comedy, Political, Satire
Book & Lyrics by Desmond Price & Dawn Moore
Music by Kevin Michael Cripps
Produced by Havana Theatre, Vancouver BC, September 2017
Genre: Comedy, Dark Comedy
Acts: 1
Run time: 70 minutes
Suitable for students 14+
Cast size: 8 - 14 actors
Male roles: 5
Female roles: 9
Musician roles: 1
Casting notes: Using doubling the play can be acted with as few as 8 actors. The number of male and female roles given here is based on the first production. All of the characters could be any gender.
"Draining The Swamp has plenty to say…...they sound fantastic while they’re doing it."
- Lillian Jasper, Two Cents & Two Pence
“Kicks into high gear right out of the gate. A hilarious look at the growing political and financial gap that’s deeply dividing society... Audiences can expect to laugh at Draining the Swamp and revel in the subtle mockery of a system that places a wealthy few at the top, where they’re governed by an entirely different set of rules.”
- Christine Beyleveldt, Capliano Courier