ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE at The Justice Theater Project

Adapted from the play An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen, Enemy of the People tells the story of a man following his conscience and doing what he feels is morally right, despite the negative impact on his reputation and his family's security. Adapted from the Ibsen play, this Enemy of the People is set in the fictitious town of Cushing, OK, which contains huge oil storage tanks and functions as one of the largest oil transfer stations in the country. Millions of gallons of oil move through Cushing to the gulf coast and the refineries and tanker ships waiting there. The play takes place the weekend before the 2016 election and reflects some of the restlessness of the rural red states. A month before, a significant earthquake hit a town 40 miles north of Cushing. If one hits Cushing, the damage could be catastrophic. The editor of the paper, Daniel, wants to write an editorial urging citizens to action, but his brother, the town sheriff, prevents him. When Daniel decides to press his point, bad things happen. One of the shows central messages is that the individual who stands alone is more often right than the mass of the peoplean important message for our times.