Tony Kushner

Abraham Lincoln recounts a humorous and poignant legal anecdote from his past to illustrate his philosophy on justice and executive power. He describes defending an elderly woman who killed her abusive husband and how he subtly facilitated her escape from the courthouse.

Robert Lincoln confronts his father about his desperate need to enlist in the Union Army to find his own worth and avoid lifelong shame.

Louis and Prior are at a funeral, discussing Louis's grandmother and the strange service. Prior then reveals a dark-purple lesion, informing Louis that he has Kaposi's Sarcoma, leading to a tense and emotional confrontation about his illness and their relationship.

President Lincoln and Thaddeus Stevens clash over political strategy and the moral necessity of pragmatism versus radical idealism in the fight for

President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln discuss his recurring haunting dreams and her lingering physical pain from a carriage accident. The conversation shifts as Mary astutely realizes that Lincoln is planning a risky political maneuver to pass the Thirteenth Amendment, warning him not to squander his public support on a likely defeat.

In the quiet hours of the pre-dawn, Abraham Lincoln reflects on the mathematical foundations of justice while drafting a crucial telegram. He uses Euclid’s axioms to explain the 'self-evident' nature of equality to two young telegraph operators, ultimately deciding to delay a peace commission to ensure the passage of the 13th Amendment.

Mitzi confesses her emotional infidelity to her son Sammy, promising to suppress her feelings for another man to keep the family together.

A angry, defiant, determined, satirical ZILLAH's monologue from "A Bright Room Called Day" by Tony Kushner.

Act I, Scene 2. Roy Cohn, a powerful and erratic lawyer, juggles multiple phone calls with aggressive charm and impatience, while his young protégé, Joe, attempts to get a word in. The scene establishes Roy's dominant personality and Joe's more reserved nature, highlighting the power dynamic between them.

Uncle Boris warns young Sammy that his passion for filmmaking will eventually force a painful choice between his art and his family.

President Abraham Lincoln meticulously outlines the complex legal and constitutional paradoxes he navigated to justify the Emancipation Proclamation. He explains the necessity of passing the Thirteenth Amendment to ensure that freed slaves are not returned to bondage once his wartime powers expire.

President Abraham Lincoln tells a humorous anecdote about Ethan Allen in a London water closet to ease the tension while waiting for urgent military dispatches. The scene highlights Lincoln's use of storytelling as a leadership tool and a way to manage his own anxiety during the Civil War.

Aspiring filmmaker Sammy Fabelman meets the legendary director John Ford, who gives him a blunt, profane lesson on the art of the horizon line.

Abraham Lincoln tells a humorous anecdote about Ethan Allen in London to ease tension and illustrate American resilience and wit.