Dealing in Futures: A Play in Three Acts

Set in a modest Lancashire village, the play opens in the opulent dining room of Jabez Thompson, a self‑made chemical magnate, as he and his strong‑willed daughter Rosie finish dinner. Their conversation quickly reveals a clash of generations: Jabez, ever the pragmatic businessman, worries about his daughter's impending marriage to the modest master dyer Charlie Bunting, while Rosie insists she can judge a man for herself. The household staff, especially the dutiful butler Mallinson, move silently in the background, hinting at the social hierarchies that shape each character’s concerns.

Within a single day, the audience watches family loyalties, romantic expectations, and the pressures of reputation collide. As Jabez prepares to summon Charlie and his father for a private discussion, the tension between paternal control and youthful independence becomes the play’s engine. Listeners are drawn into a vivid portrait of early‑20th‑century provincial life, where personal ambition and affection are constantly negotiating the same table.