Based entirely on original transcripts, Eric Bentley’s docudrama recreates the House Committee on Un-American Activities hearings of the 1940s, when artists, writers, and performers were called to testify about alleged political affiliations. The play presents the recorded words of figures including Arthur Miller, Jerome Robbins, Paul Robeson, Elia Kazan, Lillian Hellman, Abe Burrows, and Lionel Stander as they confront questions that threaten both their careers and personal convictions.

Structured around the testimony and interrogation of the hearings, the production examines the pressures of public scrutiny, loyalty, and self-preservation during a period of political fear and blacklisting.