IF TRUTH BE TOLD (A KARMA DRAMA)

PLOT SUMMARY AND SYNOPSIS

SUMMARY -

An aging amateur Community Theatre faces imminent closure with pressure from the local
council. The Committee are a group of long-time members with shared histories and
memories, both good and bad. Most of them have secrets - some of them shocking - that
they have tried to keep from the others.

The group’s regular lottery syndicate happens to win a jackpot which they have agreed to
spend on the theatre. However, a devious and unpopular committee member disappears
with the winnings and it is against the backdrop of this drama that many of the long-held
secrets are gradually revealed.

Fortunately, just when all seems lost, some good karma shines upon them.

SYNOPSIS -

A small-town community theatre, which is owned by the local Council but operated by a
Management Committee, is facing imminent closure due to the aging building being
condemned by the council if it cannot complete the required urgent and expensive
renovations. With the lease on the building also about to expire, and a lack of funding due to
dwindling local community interest, the theatre will be shortly shut down.

All of the members of the Committee have personal secrets and past histories that they have
attempted to keep from the others for a long time. Some of the secrets are simply
embarrassing, but some could be destructive and are better left buried.

As the drama unfolds and the tension increases, the hidden secrets are revealed one by
one, devastating the relationships in the group.

The management committee has operated a lottery syndicate for several years, with the
understanding that any winnings they collect has always gone towards theatre profits and
building maintenance. A previous windfall $250,000 ten years ago paid for a 10-year lease
and new roof, but the lease expires shortly and is unlikely to be renewed.

Fortunately, the syndicate wins a lottery jackpot of $12 million. All of the members agree for
the money to be spent on the required repairs to the theatre and renewing another long-term
lease. All agree that is, except for the unpopular committee treasurer and his greedy young
girlfriend, who wish to keep his share of the money for themselves.

The Committee holds an impressive media event for the whole town, where the large lottery
cheque is presented, and the community celebrates the future of the theatre.

At the next Committee meeting they discuss how they will spend the lottery winnings. The
Council has agreed to a 20-year lease once the necessary renovations are completed.
However, it transpires that the dodgy treasurer and his girlfriend have absconded to
Bangkok with the lottery money, where he was arrested for unrelated indiscretions, and his
wealth confiscated.
With the lottery money gone, the future of the theatre again looks bleak, as the Council have
determined that the building will still be condemned when the lease expires. Each of the
characters are dealing with the drama in their own way, as well as the fallout from the
revelations of each of their secrets that affect their relationships with each other.

Luckily, just as everything seems lost, the thief’s wealthy elderly mother, who has cut her
son out of her will, comes to the rescue and saves the theatre in reparations for her son's
misdeeds.

The play ends with several old secrets being revealed, and happy endings for many of the
characters.

SETS -

The main stage is divided in two parts. One side is a large office boardroom, with long table
and several chairs etc. The other side is a smaller backstage store room where the 'janitor'
lives. The front main stage is also used in several scenes with the main curtains closed,
using the auditorium as the theatre in the story, which gives the audience the feeling of
'being there' as the drama takes place.