A political satire written by Valerie Sing Turner
(in development)
Synopsis: December 12, 2002. In a nod to Dickens, a Scrooge-like Henry Kissinger is 16 days into the prestigious chairmanship of the commission to investigate the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States – but with the families of the 9/11 victims demanding Kissinger release a list of his consultancy clients to prove no conflicts of interest, he’s in a quandary. Returning to his office following a meeting with a delegation of 9/11 widows, the 79-year-old Kissinger falls asleep, only to dream of a middle-aged Robert McNamara, former Secretary of Defense under JFK and Lyndon B. Johnson, who warns of the imminent visitation of three spirits of the past, present, and future: an old man whose village in Laos was annihilated by a secret American bombing campaign; a female Chinese-American nuclear physicist who worked with Robert Oppenheimer on the Manhattan Project to build the first atomic bomb; and a Vietnamese girl, one of countless civilian victims of the Vietnam War. Kissinger was National Security Advisor when he assured President Nixon, “The illegal we do immediately; the unconstitutional takes a little longer.”
Update: March 2026
L-R: Anthony F. Ingram, Donna Yamamoto, David Bloom, Kameron Louangxay
A big thank-you to everyone who joined us for the first sneak-peek staged reading of Valerie's latest work on March 9, 2026 at The Post at 750. Her one-act political satire about power and geopolitics featured the acting talents of Anthony F. Ingram, David Bloom, Donna Yamamoto, and Kameron Louangxay, with dramaturgy by Stephanie Wong, and stage management by Xin Xuan Song. We're also grateful to the lively and enthusiastic crowd who stayed for the talk-back session following the reading to offer their thoughtful comments and questions!
Artists, L-R: Anthony F. Ingram, Donna Yamamoto, Valerie Sing Turner, Stephanie Wong, Kameron Louangxay, David Bloom
Development History
- May 2025: Guest Artist, Boca del Lupo SLaM Coastal Retreat
- March 8-9, 2026: development workshop and public reading
