SYNOPSIS

Steve has moved from job to job in the Washington, DC area but no one has wanted to pay him more than baseline wages. His new job pays well, at the cost of thrusting him abruptly into the transactional world of policy entrepreneurs. Steve wants to establish a secure base for the next stage of his life but, a fish out of water in the policy trenches, he struggles to reconcile the needs of the industry with his core beliefs. As careers and friendships blossom and implode around him, Steve must make difficult decisions to survive in DC while the Constitutional Convention threatens to upend the American system of government.

PHILOSOPHY AND PURPOSE

Con Con was written to examine how individuals, groups, and networks perform under pressure. That goal is accomplished by building a world those entities act within and adding an inciting incident to the scenario to drive action. While characters and characterization are important, there is more focus on events and milieu than is typical.

Just as Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead offers a worm’s eye view of the larger events of Hamlet, Con Con takes place on the ground during a time with the potential for catastrophic change. As a result, it emphasizes the struggle within and against a system (man versus environment) as well as discovery of how the system operates. Actors and directors collaborating to fully develop characters within that framework, in combination with designers shaping the stage environment through costumes, props, sound, lighting, and set, will enhance the exploration and bring the performance to life. 

HISTORY

Con Con premiered as a staged reading in Hillsboro, Oregon as part of the Theatre 33 Summer Festival on July 12, 2026. The play was created and developed by the author through a series of table readings during the summer and early fall of 2025, with valuable dramaturgic support from Mara Gould. The staged reading was directed by Elizabeth Rothan. You can find more information about Theatre 33 on the Festival site. 

Now that the initial staged reading has concluded, Curt will incorporate audience feedback, notes from the actors, and his own observations into a revised draft. That draft will provide the base for a series of scene- and character-specific table reads in Seattle, another round of revisions, and possibly a concert reading.