Two Plays about Consumerism

Subject: Drama
Level: Secondary
Age Group: 11 - 14
Order Number: 5243

Buy one, get one free and Shop 'til you drop are two comic plays based on a series of improvisation sessions which were carried out with students aged from 13 to 15 years on the theme of consumerism. They can be performed on their own or as a pair. The parts in each play are suitable for classes of varying abilities. There are 16 parts in Buy one, get one free, and role doubling is viable. There are 11 parts in Shop 'til you drop. Each play runs for approximately 30 minutes.

Buy one, get one free: the Teasdale family live and work in their corner store which has hit upon hard times now the new supermarket has opened. They are forced to take desperate measures and introduce the 'Buy one, get one free' offer, even though they cannot afford to give away free produce. Out of desperate measures comes desperate behaviour as Ted, the dad, and Roger, the teenage son, attempt to retrieve the freebies from the shopping trolleys.

Shop 'til you drop: there's something strange going on at Cringe, Twist and Writhe, the market research company where Emma has recently got a job. The employees are catatonic and the employers appear more than a little unbalanced. Emma suspects the company is a cover for terrorist activity and contacts Investifirm, who turn out to be two scatty girls code-named Apricot and Strawberry.

Buy one, get one free and Shop 'til you drop, will amuse both adults and children alike as well as provoking interesting discussion and an examination of one of our more compulsive habits: shopping. The plays come complete with a props list and detailed descriptions of the sets.