Corrupt corporations, domestic abuse, and environmental ruin for profit were some of the hot topics I dealt with when I directed my first new works play, ElectroPuss by Trista Baldwin. While it was based—or perhaps because it was based?—in a farcical landscape called Electricland with stock characters, these topics are more rooted in reality now than ever.

In 2003, I was the resident actor/director for Stark Raving Theater, an exclusive new works company. I was asked to direct this daunting play and began working on the research of it. Back then, I was obsessed with Gotham City and all things related to the corrupt fictional city. It was also when George Bush Jr. was in office and the political atmosphere was ripe with corporate corruption, global warming, and war (just like we are today). I wanted to bring to life this larger-than-life play based in a sci-fi, fantasy world while still bringing awareness to the real and prevalent themes of the play. By highlighting the comedy of the travesties, my hope was to illuminate the audience perceptions about the world we live in. To this day. I try, as a director, to change even one person’s perception or bring to light situations or topics that they can take away and think on. To illuminate humanity is my goal. As I look back on this play, Baldwin must have ESP, because she has written a timeless play that encapsulates the landscape not just from 2003 but also today when dealing with corruption, environmental damage, and domestic and human abuse.

The play is about Electricland, a company that employs the whole town and funds all the business as well as the school. “It keeps the power on.” It bribes the employees with “Donut Tuesdays,” “Spirit cheers,” and a constant motto of “We are Family.” The people in the play are either power-driven, damaged from the land, or damaged from abuse via domestic or work related. Electricland’s Vice President, Bob Mickey, is pocketing money for personal gain and pouring nuclear poison in the environment, creating a vast wasteland for its employees and population. The number of lies and betrayals this play exposes is reminiscent of the current political atmosphere. Terms like “fake news” have become a truth and spoon-fed to Americans just as Bob Mickey lies to his employees and family. He is so good at brainwashing his employees that one even tries to murder a co-worker so she can get ahead. It truly could be a mirror image of our president today. At the time I directed this play, hot buttons for me as an artist were injustice, domestic and work abuse, as well as global warming, so it was essential I drove home these themes. To this day, these topics are still important for me to explore.

Alarming facts drive home these issues. One study noted that in 2003, nearly 21 percent of reports of violence referred to domestic abuse. Some 15 years later, 35.6 percent of women reported domestic abuse, and 28.5 percent of men reported abuse. The numbers continue to rise. ElectroPuss also focused on abuses in the workplace. One study cited a workplace abuse report at a whopping 54 percent, more than 15 percent higher than in 2003. The questions I asked in 2003 resonate with me today. How can I help bring awareness to these abuses? How can I hold myself accountable for voicing these abuses? How can I be of support for the victims who receive this abuse and suffer from the trauma of dealing with it?

ElectroPuss also touches on catastrophic damage done to our environment. While it’s based in a farcical and fantastical idea, it really is not far off today’s dire warnings of global warming and climate change. Electricland is polluting the town with its nuclear waste. It literally turns the hero of the play into a super-powered catlike human-creature. Muffy Jonesmith, our lead character, was once a naïve, recently graduated high school student who transforms into this catlike creature by having chemical nuclear waste dumped on her. Her struggle to bring justice to her town and Electricland is a journey I relished exploring. As I look back on it, it still is. How do we reduce our carbon footprint as individuals yet still bring justice to those that recklessly endanger our world? It’s definitely a hot topic when looking for a presidential candidate today.

As I reflected on theatrical experiences that have affected my outlook or shifted my perspective and how they relate to the United States presidential and congressional elections in our times, it occurred to me that so many years later I am still passionate about all of these themes. When considering a play I want to direct, I constantly return to a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” This timeless quote so prevalent in the past is now more powerful today.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.

—Martin Luther King Jr.

ElectroPuss was well-received by Portland audiences. It won a Drammy for Best Ensemble and had sold out shows throughout the run. What made me proud to direct this timeless piece was the cast’s commitment, Baldwin’s words, and the impact it had on audience members. People would share with me their insight of truthful events of abuse and corporate corruption. People could relate to the themes in the play because it was actually happening in the world, albeit not in a super-charged-catlike-creatures-who-could-electrify-people sort of way. It showed good can win at the end of the day, and people like Bob Mickey get caught and are punished for their greed, abuse of power, and cruel behavior toward people. Hmmm … sound familiar?

I still believe there is justice in the world; that we as society will do the right thing when electing a smart politician with integrity. While it seems insurmountable today, I know we will find the right path to take today. We will curb our corporate corruption and weed out the greed, deal with our domestic abuse issues and for the love of Pete accept that global warming is real and not fake news. We might not cure it all, but we will shed light on those who are abusing our world and hold them accountable for the travesties they are inflicting on us. That we need to have a 16-year-old to champion our world environment is, quite frankly, sad—yet so inspiring. As ElectroPuss shows us, in the end, the good will outweigh the bad, the cover-ups will exposed, and people will be held accountable for their bad deeds.