The President Comes to CitySpace on October 30
New play captures chaotic political moment in America just in time for the midterm elections.
The performance is 70 minutes followed by a 20-minute Q&A. Performances will take place at The Blue Room at CitySpace in Easthampton on
October 30 and October 31 (7:30 pm)
November 1 (3 pm)
November 4 (7:30 pm)
November 14 (7:30 pm) and
November 15 (3 pm).
Tickets are available here.
You can see a preview here.
It is two years into the presidency of Peter Peters. He faces plummeting poll numbers, rising opposition, and a credible threat against Easthampton, MA. In response, the president is thinking about declaring martial law. His opponents are hoping for a democratic uprising.
The President follows one day in the life of an American president facing a series of escalating crises. A charismatic terrorist from far-off Khazaria, presumed dead, has turned up very much alive and determined to bring down Peter Peters. The politician that Peters dropped from his vice-presidential short list wants political revenge. And the ghost of the president’s dead son materializes to confront his father with a dark secret from the past.
As President Peters scrambles to put out these fires, he can’t resist watching the country’s most popular podcasters as they comment on the day’s events in real time and contribute to shaping the outcome. The podcasters are asking the questions that Americans most want answered. Will the bomb go off in Easthampton? Will Peter Peters issue orders to shoot protestors on the street? Or will the opposition leader lead a movement to restore democracy?
The President—an original one-man show written and performed by John Feffer and choreographed by Tiffany Joseph—puts our perilous and polarized politics under a magnifying glass. Feffer’s previous two shows on American politics—The Pundit and The Politician, which debuted at the Fringe Festivals in Washington and New York—chronicled the rise and rise again of a DC pundit, Peter Peters, who enters politics and succeeds beyond his wildest dreams and modest abilities. In this self-contained finale to the trilogy, Peters returns for a rollercoaster ride through a political landscape that mirrors the America of today. The President is a fast-paced, funny look at how power corrupts and absolute power can seriously mess up your life.
After bringing Sherlock Holmes, Russian poet Vladimir Mayakovksy, and a modern-day Tevye to the stage in Western Mass, John Feffer is back to play eight characters, including an American president, his chief opposition leader, a Khazarian terrorist, and two ideologically opposed podcasters. Feffer is the acclaimed author of more than a dozen plays. His shows have appeared in the One Man Standing and United Solo festivals, at the New York and Capital Fringe festivals, and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Hailed as a “brilliant writer and performer” by the Washington City Paper, he received a solo performance award from the Maryland State Arts Council. His previous show about the Russian poet Vladimir Mayakovsky, directed by Chris Rohmann, debuted at Easthampton’s CitySpace in 2023. His show The Wedding Jester debuted at the Yiddish Book Center in 2025.