THE WHOLE SHEBANG

by Jason Odell Williams

co-written by Charlotte Cohn

Kate, a straight-A high school senior, stops attending her AP Science class after her teacher delivers a lecture about mankind's responsibility for climate change. As a series of storms hits their small town of Martins Ferry, Ohio, Kate's friends, family and teacher try to convince her to come back to class and decline her invitation to appear on a popular conservative talk radio show to discuss her bold...

Kate, a straight-A high school senior, stops attending her AP Science class after her teacher delivers a lecture about mankind's responsibility for climate change. As a series of storms hits their small town of Martins Ferry, Ohio, Kate's friends, family and teacher try to convince her to come back to class and decline her invitation to appear on a popular conservative talk radio show to discuss her bold decision. But Kate keeps having flashbacks of her father when he was alive telling her coal provided good clean jobs and climate change was a hoax. Will Kate stick to her guns about the "climate change myth" she was taught to believe... even as a literal flood of evidence rises around her? Or will she see finally see the light and stand up for what’s right... no matter the cost? THE WHOLE SHEBANG is a darkly comic play about our core beliefs, our changing planet, and what we choose to value most. "Truth is in the eye of the denier."

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THE WHOLE SHEBANG

Recommended by

  • Cheryl Bear: THE WHOLE SHEBANG by Jason Odell Williams
    “

    An insightful look at the ability to accept information that contradicts what we've been raised to believe especially when it involves faith. Can we be open to a new truth or must we hold on to what we've been taught? Well done.

    An insightful look at the ability to accept information that contradicts what we've been raised to believe especially when it involves faith. Can we be open to a new truth or must we hold on to what we've been taught? Well done.

    ”
  • Interact Theatre Company: THE WHOLE SHEBANG by Jason Odell Williams
    “

    THE WHOLE SHEBANG was a finalist for InterAct's inaugural New Play Development Award. Out of a record-breaking 432 submissions, this play stood out through its clever, funny, and deeply human connections between cognitive dissonance and climate change.

    THE WHOLE SHEBANG was a finalist for InterAct's inaugural New Play Development Award. Out of a record-breaking 432 submissions, this play stood out through its clever, funny, and deeply human connections between cognitive dissonance and climate change.

    ”
CAST - 3W, 3M (with doubling, indicated below) -- or 7W, 7M without doubling
MAIN CHARACTERS:
KATE - A high school senior, 18, female, white. Smart. Intense.
WENDY - Her best friend and classmate, 18, female, any race, ideally not white. Bubbly.
TOMMY - Their classmate, 18, male, any race, but ideally black. Cute-shy-A.D.D.-nerd.
JAKE - Kate's brother. 20, male, white. A big-hearted lunkhead.
CARP - (aka Ms. Carpenter) AP Science teacher, 30s-40s, female, white. Smart & empathetic.
SAM - Kate & Jake's dad. 30s-50s. White. Pittsburgh working-class accent.
OTHER CHARACTERS:
WEATHER REPORTER(S) - High-energy. Multiple accents. Played by Sam.
ASHLEY ("ASH") POWERS - She's always right!! Kentucky accent. Played by Carp.
BBC REPORTER - Prim, proper, polite. Even when the news is grim. RP accent. (Sam)
MIDWESTERN MOM - Conservative soccer mom. Wisconsin accent. (Carp)
TWITTER TROLL - He's the worst. (Sam)
REDNECK GRANDMA - Get off her lawn. Georgia accent. (Carp)
BLEEDING-HEART LIBERAL - Ugh. This guy. (Sam)
PROMOTED AD - If commercials came to life. (Jake)
SNOTTY TWEEN - Eww. (Carp)
WHITE HIPSTER - A beard with a Twitter profile. (Sam)
PUBLIC RADIO HOST - Think Ira Glass. (Sam)
PUBLIC RADIO PRODUCER - Think Phoebe Judge. (Carp)
NEWS ANCHOR - Over-zealous local news anchor. ( Carp)
VOICE OVER DUDE - Loud. Obnoxious. Dude. (Sam)
UNSEEN VOICES:
PROTESTERS (Entire cast except Kate)
NURSE'S VOICE (Carp)
ASH'S PRODUCER (Sam)
SETTING:
Present day. September - June. Martins Ferry, Ohio.

Development History

Awards