A Better Tomorrow (90 mins.) comprises two related plays that explore how markets work, liberating some while others get trapped. Challenging economic orthodoxy, its innovative alternatives to neo-liberalism appeal to both left and right, helping to unite rather than divide.
In Trading to a Fairer Future, a fictional British Prime Minister and China hawk stands up to President Blimp. The PM finds willing allies among the many countries ambushed by tariffs and with their own grievances. In a press conference showdown, the PM announces a million dollar per day rent on any US commercial aircraft on British soil. US threats of retaliation only compound the President’s problems as other countries support the UK’s move. With looming chaos in the US airline industry, and retaliation effectively closing US international air travel, the PM offers the President a way out. Appealing to his vanity and to US interests, the Prime Minister induces Blimp to reform free trade and transform geopolitics by imposing tariffs on tyrants while trading with fellow democracies tariff-free.
In The President’s Plan, President Blimp and Vice President Haik are secondary characters, featuring in podcasts and newsreels. The Plan’s architect, Alex Archer, is caught up in White House machinations as he tries to prove his innocence so he can search for his missing wife and son. The Plan proposes a ‘tax ventilator’ to supplement existing monetary controls on inflation that could save hundreds of billions of dollars every year while promoting growth and reversing the rise in inequality. Their machinations take the US to the brink of civil war.
The scripts are available at newplayexchange.org