Production History

PLOT: 

Category E by Belinda Cornish is a sharp, dark comedy set in a near-future world where society is governed by rigid classifications that determine each person’s value and place. Citizens are sorted into categories based on their usefulness, and those deemed unproductive or non-compliant risk being reassigned to the ominous “Category E.” The play follows a group of individuals caught within this system as they try to understand the rules that control their lives—rules that are inconsistently applied, poorly explained, and quietly feared.

As the characters navigate this bureaucratic maze, their attempts to comply, resist, or exploit the system lead to shifting alliances, moral compromises, and moments of unsettling clarity. What begins as satire gradually reveals a more disturbing reality: the true danger lies not in the label itself, but in a society willing to accept dehumanization in the name of order. Blending humour with unease, the play exposes how easily people can be reduced to categories—and how quickly humanity is lost when no one questions the system.