Professional Skepticism

by James Rasheed

Set in the late 1990's, Professional Skepticism takes up a timely matter in its portrayal of four accountants working for a Big Five accounting firm. The jockeying for position, power and money among the audit team is both hysterically funny and scarily dramatic. The team leader is Leo who suffers from emotional and professional disappointment, and tries to remain in a position of authority while his personal life is slipping away. Margaret -- entrenched in the old boys' network -- seeks respect and a deserved promotion, even during character attacks. Greg uses politics, religion and popularity to hide his dark secret from the audit team. And Paul, our naïve hero, struggles to find his place as a new auditor under the cloak of his own private ambitions. Taking place over a four-week period, the Mason Industries' audit scandal will change these characters into today's headline-making personalities.
Reviewers
If you thought accountants lived lives as gray as their double-entry numbers, then James Rasheed's hilarious new play 'Professional Skepticism' ought to correct your (understandable) miscalculation.... The playwright speaks with rare authority and insight as well as mathematically precise shafts of wit.... Rasheed sets forth the basic issues of a corporate audit with such clarity and succinctness that even the mathematically challenged can understand them. His dialogue is sharp and funny and the dramatic situation he depicts has a universality that speaks to any viewer. - The Boston Globe
Rasheed knows his characters well and the play often crackles with rich dialogue and keen detail. - Village Voice
Obviously blessed with Cassandra-like powers of prophecy as well as with the secrets lost in the shredding machines! - Boston Herald
Keep an Eye Out for Sharks Among the Debits and Credits - New York Times

77 pages, Paperback

Published June 18, 2022