Man of the People
by Different Stages

Jan. 09 - Jan. 24, 2026

 

Man of the People dramatizes the rise and fall of Dr. John R. Brinkley, a notorious 1920s medical charlatan who claimed to cure impotence with goat gland transplants — and the Chicago doctor who tried to stop him. Set against a backdrop of early American radio and unregulated medicine, the play explores America’s deep-rooted relationship with quacks, populists, and the power of broadcast media to shape public perception.

 

Notes from playwright Dolores Diaz at her website:

As playwright, I developed Man of the People through extensive historical research, creating a bold, satirical, and haunting meditation on populism, virility, and the American obsession with reinvention. The play centers a high-stakes rivalry between Brinkley and Dr. Morris Fishbein of the AMA — a man with no power but the truth, trying to take down someone who’s mastered the tools of misinformation.

The storytelling blurs political farce and emotional realism. I used mirrored opening and closing scenes, interwoven motifs of silence and static, and radio as both literal and symbolic backdrop. The characters wrestle with truth, spectacle, and credibility in an America where optics often win over facts. Designed for contemporary resonance, the piece draws clear parallels to the rise of misinformation, media manipulation, and the cult of personality in public life.

 

Poster image from 2022 production by Stage Left Theatre, Chicago via website Theatre in Chicago with links to four reviews.

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Man of the People
by Dolores Diaz
Different Stages

January 9-24, 2026

Trinity Street Playhouse

901 Trinity St. First Baptist Church, 4th Fl

Austin, Tx 78701