Tracy Letts’ The Minutes is a dark comedy set entirely during a small-town city council meeting, where newcomer Mr. Peel asks relentlessly about the missing minutes from a previous session and the sudden absence of a fellow council member. The play, initially a sharp satire of petty local politics and bureaucracy, builds to a sinister, shocking revelation about the town's historical foundation. This play is a powerful modern allegory for how communities choose to remember or deliberately conceal uncomfortable truths about their past, particularly regarding their treatment of marginalized people. Ultimately, the play explores the lengths people will go to preserve their comforting, curated narratives of history and maintain power.