Five Short Plays
It’s not always easy to know the right thing to do. For the people in these five short plays, life can be difficult and sometimes very funny.
Harry and his friends are fed up because they haven’t got any money. But Harry
has a plan to change all this. It’s a good plan, but even the best plans can go
badly wrong …
‘Listen,’ says Ron, ‘My friend over there has got a gun. Give me the money!
Give it to me now!’
‘What money?’ the woman answers. ‘I’m sorry, this is not a bank.
This is a library.’
Sid and Ron must steal something, but it isn’t easy to rob a library. The woman
happily gives them library cards so they can borrow books, and not steal them.
In fact, she’s very pleased to help …
Things are often more difficult than they seem. But as in all these plays, people
are often more interesting, and much funnier, when they’re trying to do the
right thing.
INTRODUCTION
This play is about a group of five friends. They are fed up
because they haven't got any money. But this is all going to change soon. One
of the group, Harry, has a plan - a very good plan.
CHARACTERS IN THE
PLAY
Harry
Sid
Wilf
Gladys
Ron
Three people reading in a library
Woman working in a library
PERFORMANCE NOTES
Scene 1: A room in the friends' home. There are chairs and a
table. Everything looks very old and dirty. Wilf and Gladys are drinking tea.
Ron is looking out of the window. Sid is watching the television, but it is not
working.
Scene 2: Inside a library. There is a woman sitting at a table. She works in
the library. Three other people are standing or sitting, holding books in their
hands and reading.
You will need a table, chairs, an old television, two library cards, and some
books.
The Robbery
SCENE 1
The plan
Harry comes into the room. His friends look up at him.
HARRY Hello,
everyone. What are you doing?
SID Nothing,
Harry, nothing! What can we do? We haven't got any money.
HARRY I know, I know.
But it's OK. I have some work for us. We can make a lot of
money.
WILF Work? But
you don't like work, Harry.
HARRY Ah, but this
work is different.
GLADYS How, Harry? What
are we going to do?
HARRY We're going to
rob a bank.
GLADYS Rob a bank? But
how can we?
HARRY I have a plan,
a very good plan.
WILF Which bank
are we going to rob?
HARRY The Capital
Bank.
WILF Which one
is that?
HARRY The one next to
the library in the High Street.
SID That's a
very big bank!
HARRY Be quiet and
listen. Now, I want Wilf to drive the car, and Gladys to stand
outside the bank
and watch the street.
'I have a plan, a very good plan.'
WILF AND GLADYS OK, Harry.
HARRY Sid-
SID (Excitedly)
Yes, Harry? What do you want me to do?
HARRY You must go
into the bank and speak to everyone there. Say to them, 'Stay there! Don't
move! I've got a gun in my pocket.'
SID But
Harry, we haven't got a gun.
HARRY I know that!
You just put your hand in your pocket like this. Move your hand up and down in
your pocket and say, 'This is a gun!'
SID I
understand.
HARRY Good. Now,
Ron, I want you to go with Sid-
RON Yes, Harry,
and then what?
HARRY Go to one of
the bank workers and say, 'My friend has a gun. Give me the
money!'
GLADYS What are you
going to do, Harry?
HARRY I'm going to wait in the car with
Wilf. Do you have any questions?
ALL No.
HARRY OK. So let's
look at the plan again ...
SCENE 2
The robbery
Sid and Ron run into the library. The people there look up
from their books.
SID Listen to
me, all of you. This is a robbery. Don't move. I've got a gun in
my pocket.
PEOPLE Oh, don't shoot!
Please don't shoot! We don't want to die.
SID Nobody's
going to die, but you must do what I say. (To Ron) Go on, Ron.
What are you waiting
for? Get the money! Quick!
Ron goes over to
the woman who works there.
RON Listen, my
friend over there has got a gun. Give me the money! Give it to
me now!
WOMAN What money?
RON What do you
mean, 'What money?' The money in this bank, of course!
WOMAN I'm sorry, this is
not a bank. This is a library.
RON What did
you say - a library?
WOMAN That's right.
People come here to borrow books. We don't have any
money here.
RON Er, you
don't have any money ... Oh dear! ... Sid! Sid!
SID What?
Have you got the money?
RON There
isn't any money. It's not a bank, Sid. We're not in a bank. This is a
library!
SID A library?
RON That's
right. They've only got books - lots and lots of books!
SID Books?
Well, get some of those, then. We must take something, or
Harry's going to be
angry.
RON (To the woman)
Give me lots of books!
WOMAN Have you got a
library card?
RON A card? No,
I haven't.
WOMAN I'm sorry, you
can't borrow books without a library card.
RON Look, you
don't understand, we're not borrowing books, we're stealing
them!
WOMAN I'm sorry, but you
can't do that.
RON Sid, we
can't steal books, she says.
'Have you got a
library card?'
SID I've got
a gun. Tell her that!
RON My friend's
got a gun and he knows how to shoot!
WOMAN Look, it's not a
problem. I can give you and your friend a library card.
Then you can borrow
the books and not steal them.
What are yournames?
RON Oh, all
right. I'm Ronald Savage, and he's Sidney Dupree.
WOMAN (Writing) Ronald
Savage ... Sidney Dupree. And what's your address?
RON 27 Dunfore
Road, Hamley.
WOMAN (Writing) 27
Dunfore Road, Hamley. Good, here you are.
(She gives Ron two library cards.)
Now you can borrow some books.
RON But I don't
know anything about reading. You must help me.
Which books are best?
SID Quick,
Ron! I can't stand here much longer.
WOMAN Here are some good
books for you.
(She takes three books from the shelves.)
The Great Train
Robbery, The Return of Sherlock Holmes,
and The Adventures of Robin Hood.
They're all very famous books.
RON Oh, that's
nice. They look interesting. Thanks.
SID Ron, come
on! Quick!
RON It's OK,
Sid, I've got the books.
SID All
right. (To the people in the library) We're going now, but don't move.
Don't move or talk for
five minutes.
PERSON 1 Can we read?
SID Er, all
right. But you must read quietly, OK?
RON Come on,
Sid! Let's go. Harry and the others are waiting.
WOMAN Goodbye, and happy
reading!
RON Oh yes,
thank you. All right, Sid. I'm coming.
They run out of
the library.
PERSON 2 Oh dear! I was so
afraid!
WOMAN Oh, they weren't so
bad. The one called Sid -
he didn't really have a gun, you know.
PERSON 3 Perhaps. But they
were robbers. They wanted to rob the bank!
WOMAN (Laughing) Yes, but
they came into the wrong building!
PERSON 1 Why do you look so
pleased?
WOMAN Well, it's
important for everybody to read books -
not just you and me, but everybody ...
even bank robbers!
PERSON 2 But you aren't going
to get those books back, are you?
WOMAN Oh yes, I am.
Remember, I've got their names and their address!
'Remember, I've got their names and their address!'
INTRODUCTION
In this play a man is lying in the street. Three different
people stop and look. Perhaps the man needs help. But they don't know him, so
it's not their problem, is it? Then a woman in blue arrives and suddenly things
are different.
CHARACTERS IN THE
PLAY
Patrick
Rebecca
David
Woman in blue
Michael Scott, a man lying in the street
Doctor
Nurse
PERFORMANCE NOTES
For this play you will need a small bottle of pills, a glass
of water, blue clothes for the woman, a white coat for the doctor, and perhaps
special clothes for the nurse.
The Right Thing to
Do
A man is lying in the street. Rebecca is walking past. She
stops and looks at him, then she looks around her - there is nobody there. She
starts to walk away, stops, and goes back to look at the man again. Patrick
walks past and stops to look at the man.
PATRICK What's
the matter with him?
REBECCA I don't know.
PATRICK Is he dead?
REBECCA No, he's alive, I
think.
PATRICK Are you going to
help him?
REBECCA Me? Why me?
PATRICK You were here
first.
REBECCA Yes, I was, but-
David comes in.
DAVID What's
the matter with him?
PATRICK We don't know.
DAVID He looks ill.
REBECCA His eyes are closed.
Look!
DAVID Perhaps he's
asleep.
REBECCA Asleep? In the
street?
PATRICK Wake him up then.
DAVID Why me? You
do it.
PATRICK (To Rebecca) What
about you?
REBECCA Me?
PATRICK Yes. You were
here first.
REBECCA Yes, but it's not my
problem.
DAVID And it's not
my problem!
A woman in blue
comes in. She kneels down at once to help the man.
REBECCA Hey, what are you
doing?
WOMAN I'm helping this
man, of course!
DAVID Are you a
doctor?
WOMAN No, I'm not, but he
needs help.
REBECCA Do you know him?
WOMAN No, I don't.
REBECCA Then he's not your
problem.
'Go and call an ambulance.'
WOMAN Oh, be quiet!
REBECCA (To the others) Did
you hear that? She said, 'Be quiet!'
WOMAN Be quiet and help.
REBECCA She said it again!
WOMAN (To David) Go and
call an ambulance.
DAVID Me?
WOMAN Yes, you. And be
quick.
DAVID But-
WOMAN Be quick! (David
goes away.) Now you - (turning to Rebecca)
go and get some water.
REBECCA Where from?
WOMAN From that house
over there. Don't look at me like that. Go!
REBECCA I'm going. (Rebecca
goes away.)
WOMAN (To Patrick) Feel
his pulse.
PATRICK But I-
WOMAN Go on! Feel his
pulse.
PATRICK (Kneeling down
and taking the man's pulse) Well, he's still alive.
He's saying something!
WOMAN What
is he saying?
PATRICK He said, 'Pills,'
I think.
WOMAN (To Patrick) Pills?
Look in his pocket.
PATRICK I can't do that!
WOMAN Look in his pocket!
Patrick looks in the man's coat pocket.
PATRICK There's a bottle
with some writing on it.
WOMAN What does it say?
Read it!
PATRICK It says, 'For the
heart. If you feel ill, take one of these pills.'
Rebecca comes back with a glass of water.
REBECCA I've got the water.
WOMAN Good. (To Patrick)
Give him one of the pills with some water.
Patrick helps the man to sit up. He gives him a pill and some water.
MAN (Very
quietly) Thank you, thank you!
PATRICK How do you feel?
MAN A little
better now.
The woman in blue goes away. The others do not see this. David comes running
back.
DAVID The ambulance
is coming.
PATRICK Good.
DAVID How is he?
REBECCA He's feeling a
little better.
A doctor and a nurse come in. Patrick stands up.
DOCTOR (Kneeling down by
the man) What's the matter?
MAN I was ill.
It was my heart. That man gave me one of my pills.
I'm all right now.
The doctor and the nurse help him to stand up.
NURSE What's your
name?
MAN Scott.
Michael Scott.
DOCTOR Michael Scott, the
famous TV chef?
MAN Yes, that's
right.
NURSE Come with us,
Mr Scott. We'd like to take you to hospital.
MAN But I feel
better now.
NURSE Perhaps, but
you must go to hospital.
MAN All right.
(Turning to the others) Well, thank you very much, everybody.
DAVID That's all
right.
REBECCA We're happy to help.
PATRICK Get well soon.
MAN Thank you
again. Goodbye!
The doctor and the nurse help Scott to walk away.
REBECCA He's alive, and he's
going to be OK.
PATRICK He's
alive because we were there.
DAVID Michael
Scott-
REBECCA The famous TV chef!
PATRICK We can all feel
very pleased, I think.
REBECCA Oh yes, we can.
DAVID What about
the woman?
REBECCA Which woman?
DAVID The woman who
helped. Where is she?
PATRICK Oh, her! I
remember. She didn't help us.
DAVID 'Do this, do
that,' she said. 'Be quick!'
REBECCA She said, 'Be
quiet,' to me.
PATRICK That's right. I
didn't like her. Did you?
REBECCA No, I didn't. Where
is she now?
PATRICK She walked away.
DAVID That's right
- she just walked away. She didn't want to help.
REBECCA We did everything.
DAVID Yeah.
Everything.
PATRICK Today was an
important day for us.
DAVID It was. We
helped someone famous.
REBECCA Because of us he
didn't die.
DAVID We were there
for him.
PATRICK It was the right
thing to do.
REBECCA Yes, it was. Well
done, everybody!
DAVID (To Rebecca)
And well done to you-
PATRICK Well done to all
of us!
INTRODUCTION
This play is about a young person who wants to change his
life. Chris would like to see new places and learn new things, but the older
people in his life don't like his plan. They can only see problems. Chris finds
that he, too, is a little afraid of change.
CHARACTERS IN THE
PLAY
Chris, a young person who wants to travel
Cox
Mills
Harris
Dean
Wright
PERFORMANCE NOTES
At the beginning of the play Chris's friends are in a room.
Cox is reading a book, Mills and Harris are talking quietly to each other, and
Wright and Dean are looking out of a window. You will need six chairs, a book,
a bag, and a map.
Canada Can Wait
Cox, Mills, and Harris are sitting in a room. Dean and
Wright are standing by a window. Chris comes in.
CHRIS (Smiling)
Well, goodbye, everyone.
COX (Putting
down his book) Are you going?
CHRIS Yes, I must.
MILLS When are you going?
CHRIS Now.
COX Now?
So soon?
MILLS Don't go!
CHRIS But I must. I
need a change.
HARRIS What are you
going to do?
CHRIS I'd like to
travel for a time.
HARRIS Travel? How
wonderful!
DEAN Yeah, think of us when you're
travelling.
COX Yes, think of us - we have to stay here.
MILLS It's the same old thing, day
after day-
HARRIS The same old
faces.
WRIGHT The same old
problems.
MILLS Nothing different for us!
DEAN But someone has to do it.
COX Yes, that's right. We can't all go!
CHRIS Why not? You
can travel too.
COX Us? (He
laughs.)
MILLS How can we travel?
HARRIS We have things
to do here.
CHRIS What things?
WRIGHT He says, 'What
things?'
DEAN What a question!
COX (To the
others) He's tired of us.
CHRIS No, I'm not.
I'm not tired of you. I'm happy here.
MILLS Are you?
CHRIS Well, I was
happy here. It's a good place, and I-
HARRIS Yes?
Spain,
perhaps, or Greece ...'
CHRIS Well,
I like you. I'm one of you - one of the group.
WRIGHT That's nice.
DEAN So where would you like to
go?
CHRIS I don't know.
Spain, perhaps, or Greece ... maybe even Canada-
COX Canada?
CHRIS Yes. I'm very
interested in Canada.
MILLS Canada, well!
HARRIS That's
interesting.
WRIGHT You're very
adventurous, Chris.
COX We're not
adventurous at all, I'm afraid.
DEAN But then you're young-
'The lakes and the forests ...'
COX You have
your life in front of you.
MILLS You want to see exciting
places-
HARRIS Like Canada!
WRIGHT The lakes and the
forests ...
COX The great
St. Lawrence River ...
DEAN How wonderful!
COX Lucky
Chris!
MILLS It's different for us. We
have to stay here. We can't go to Canada.
HARRIS 'I'm one of
you,' you said, 'one of the group.' But you're not!
DEAN No, Chris, you're different
from us-
CHRIS No, I'm not!
Stop talking like this. I'm not different from you.
Sometimes I'm happy, sometimes
I'm not.
I work and eat and sleep, like you.
MILLS Ah, but you are going away-
HARRIS And we are
staying here.
WRIGHT And that makes
you different.
CHRIS I'm not different!
COX But what
about Canada?
CHRIS Stop talking
about Canada! I'm not going to Canada -
I'd like to go there, that's all!
COX So you
aren't going there now?
CHRIS I don't know.
Perhaps. I need some time to think about my life.
WRIGHT Oh, yes.
DEAN Everyone does.
MILLS It's usual for people to do
that.
HARRIS And there's lots
of time. You're young.
CHRIS That's right.
I have my life in front of me.
HARRIS So, take your
time.
CHRIS Right.
WRIGHT You can stay here
as long as you like-
DEAN And think about it.
CHRIS Yeah. (He sits
down.)
ALL Mmm ...
Everyone is quiet for a moment.
COX So what are
you going to do?
CHRIS Sorry?
MILLS Are you leaving today?
CHRIS Leaving? Er,
not today. I want to think about it first.
MILLS Of course.
HARRIS When are you
going, then?
CHRIS Well, not now.
Later, perhaps. I can stay here a bit longer.
There's lots of time.(Laughing) Canada
can wait, can't it?
WRIGHT Yes, it can. It
certainly can!
DEAN You're one of us really,
aren't you, one of the group?
CHRIS Yes, I am, I
think.
COX (Laughing) But, you know, you say-
CHRIS Yes? Say what?
COX Well, you
say some funny things sometimes!
CHRIS Like what?
COX Well,
Canada!
Cox, Mills, Harris, Dean, and Wright all laugh.
CHRIS (Looking at
them) What's so funny about that?
MILLS (Laughing quietly) It
doesn't matter.
HARRIS Forget it.
COX Look at the
time - I must go!
MILLS Me too. I have a lot to do.
HARRIS And me.
WRIGHT Let's all go.
DEAN Yes, let's leave Chris with
his dreams-
COX About
Canada!
They all laugh at Chris.
COX See you
later, Chris.
ALL Bye-bye.
COX (To Chris)
Bye-bye, traveller!
Chris's friends laugh, and then go out. Chris stands and watches them go. He
doesn't look happy. He opens his bag and takes out a large map. He opens the
map on the floor and looks at it carefully.
CHRIS Thailand
... Malaysia ... Indonesia ... Australia ... (He looks up, smiling.)
Mmm, Australia!
INTRODUCTION
A man goes into a grocery store and buys a lot of salt. At
first the other people in the store can't understand why. Then they hear his
story, and they all want to buy salt too.
CHARACTERS IN THE
PLAY
Shopkeeper, a person who owns a small grocery store
Groot
Nello
Durg
Spratly
Manra, a truck driver
PERFORMANCE NOTES
Scene 1: In a small grocery store. Scene 2: In a street,
some hours later.
You will need ten bags of salt, and a small cart on wheels. You will need the
noise of a truck stopping suddenly, but we do not see the truck.
Salt
SCENE 1
No more salt
In a small grocery store, Groot is asking the shopkeeper for
something. The others are waiting behind him.
GROOT I'd
like ten bags of salt, please.
SHOPKEEPER Ten? Of
course. That's ten dollars, please.
GROOT Here
you are.
SHOPKEEPER Can I help
you with all that?
GROOT No,
thanks. I have this cart.
SHOPKEEPER Ten bags.
That's a lot of salt.
GROOT Yes.
Salt is very important, you know.
SHOPKEEPER It is. But
why do you need ten bags?
GROOT Soon
there isn't going to be enough salt in the world. I saw it on
television.
SHOPKEEPER Not enough
salt? Really?
GROOT It's
true. So I'm buying some now. Goodbye!
He goes out with his cart.
NELLO Did you hear that?
DURG Yeah, there
isn't enough salt in the world.
SPRATLY Not
enough salt? That isn't true.
NELLO But
he saw it on television. Soon there isn't going to be any in the
stores.
'Did you hear that?'
SPRATLY Really?
That's bad - I need salt.
DURG Me too. I
can't live without it!
NELLO (To
the shopkeeper) Give me some salt, please, ten bags - no, make that
twenty bags.
SPRATLY And
me. I'd like thirty bags.
DURG Me first! I've
got a big family. We need salt.
SHOPKEEPER Be quiet,
all of you! You must wait.
NELLO But
we want our salt.
DURG And we want it
now.
SHOPKEEPER But that
man bought my last ten bags.
SPRATLY Then
it's true! He was right - there isn't enough salt in the world.
What are
we going to do?
SHOPKEEPER That's
your problem. It's six o'clock - time to close the store.
I'm going home.
NELLO But
what about our salt?
SHOPKEEPER Look,
there's a lot of salt in the world - enough for everybody.
Goodbye!
They all go out.
SCENE 2
We want salt!
Spratly finds Groot standing in a street with his cart.
SPRATLY Excuse me, I want
to buy some salt.
GROOT Sorry? What did
you say?
SPRATLY I know about the
problem.
GROOT What problem?
What are you talking about?
SPRATLY Soon there isn't
going to be enough salt.
GROOT Oh, you heard
about that?
SPRATLY Yes, and I want
some salt.
GROOT Then go to a
grocery store and buy some.
SPRATLY I can't find any.
Every time I ask, the shopkeeper says,
Sorry, no more salt.'
GROOT Oh dear!
SPRATLY But you have
some. You bought ten large bags - I saw you.
GROOT I'm sorry, but
I'm not selling my salt.
'But you have some.'
SPRATLY But
I'll give you ten dollars a bag.
GROOT (Laughing) No, I
want fifty dollars a bag!
It's more expensive every day. Soon there isn't going
to be enough.
SPRATLY All right, all
right, fifty dollars a bag! Give me five bags. Here's the money.
GROOT Good man! You're
doing the right thing.
Spratly goes out. Durg comes in.
DURG Excuse me, I saw you buy some
salt.
GROOT Ah!
DURG What's happening? I can't
find any. The shopkeepers all say,
Sorry. No more salt!'
GROOT There's a
problem.
DURG I know. It was on television.
Everybody is talking about it. Listen,
I must have some salt.
GROOT Sorry, I can't
help you.
DURG But I need it for my family.
Please!
GROOT All
right, all right, but it's ... er ... a hundred dollars a bag.
DURG Oh no!
GROOT I told you -
everybody wants salt. Well?
DURG Oh, all right, then. Give me
four bags.
GROOT Four? Good! You
understand the world, my friend. I see it in your face.
DURG Here's the money.
GROOT And here's your
salt! Goodbye.
Durg goes out. Nello comes in.
NELLO Hey, you,
stop!
GROOT Are you talking
to me?
NELLO Yes, you were
in the grocery store-
GROOT Was I? Perhaps.
I go into a lot of grocery stores.
NELLO You bought all
the salt in the store!
GROOT Well, there's a
problem, you know.
NELLO Yes, there is
- and it's all because of you!
GROOT That's not true!
NELLO I met Spratly
just now. He tried to sell me a bag of salt for five hundred
dollars!
GROOT That's too much.
NELLO Of course it
is - I know your plan! You go from store to store.
You buy all the salt, and sell it
for a lot more money!
GROOT OK, it's true -
I buy and sell salt - that's not wrong.
NELLO Then sell some
to me.
GROOT No, I don't want
to.
NELLO (Holding him,
angrily) Listen, I'm going to buy, and you're going to sell.
(Shouting) Do you
understand?
GROOT But
I've only got one bag left.
NELLO (Angrily) Give
it to me, then!
GROOT It's two hundred
dollars. Well, OK, you can have it for a hundred and fifty.
But let me go!
NELLO (Shouting)
Give it to me!
GROOT No, give me the
money first. Now let me go! Oh, help! Help!
Groot runs out. We hear a truck stop suddenly, and Groot cries out. The
driver, Manra, comes in, helping Groot to walk.
MANRA He ran in front
of my truck. I didn't see-
NELLO You didn't do
anything wrong. It was an accident.
MANRA But why did he
run across the street without looking?
NELLO I was angry
with him. So he ran away.
MANRA (To Groot) How
do you feel?
GROOT (Holding his
leg) Oh, my leg! My leg hurts. I think it's-
NELLO He's OK, I
think.
MANRA Wait a minute,
what's this in the street?
NELLO It's salt. He
had a bag of salt and I wanted it.
MANRA Salt? Well,
that's interesting! I'm carrying salt on my truck - bags and bags
of it!
NELLO Salt? Oh no!
(He laughs.)
MANRA Why are you
laughing?
NELLO It doesn't
matter. I can't tell you now.
MANRA Then you can
tell that policeman. Look, he's coming across the street now.
He saw the accident,
I think!
INTRODUCTION
Maggie works in a fast-food restaurant. People come here to
buy food when they haven't got much time. The restaurant sells 'fast food' -
things like pizza, burgers, chicken, and sandwiches. Five angry people are
waiting for their food.
CHARACTERS IN THE
PLAY
Maggie, a young woman who works in a fast-food restaurant
Two men
Three women
PERFORMANCE NOTES
In the window there is a sign saying, 'Fast Food'. There are
some tables and chairs, and a large high counter. Maggie is standing behind
this counter. The people in the restaurant are standing in front of it. They
are wearing outdoor clothes. Maggie is wearing work clothes. She also needs a
bag.
Slow Food
MAN 1 Excuse
me, is my food ready?
MAGGIE What did you ask
for?
MAN 1 I asked for
chicken.
MAGGIE Er, let's see.
Another five minutes.
MAN 1 Five minutes?
MAGGIE Sorry, ten
minutes.
MAN 1 Ten? That's no
good! I must go back to my office in ten minutes.
MAN 2 And what about
my food? I asked for a burger and French fries fifteen minutes ago!
MAGGIE I'm sorry, but
there are a lot of people eating here today.
MAN 2 But how long
is it going to take? My train leaves in forty minutes.
MAGGIE Not long. I'm
very sorry.
WOMAN 1 Excuse me, I was
before these men. Where is my coffee?
WOMAN 2 And what about me? I
asked for a sandwich and a coke half an hour ago.
WOMAN 3 Well, I'm before all
of you. I asked for a pizza forty-five minutes ago.
MAN 1 Look here, in
your window it says, 'Fast food'.
MAGGIE Yes, it does.
MAN 1 Then why is it
so slow?
MAGGIE It isn't slow.
But people today want everything faster and faster-
MAN 1 What are you
talking about?
WOMAN 2 Look, I can't wait.
I have to get back to work.
WOMAN 3 And I have a
meeting. I'm late.
MAN 2 Time is money,
you know!
WOMAN 3 Where's my pizza?
WOMAN 1 Where's my coffee?
MAN 1 What about my
chicken?
PEOPLE We want our
food!
MAGGIE Please,
everybody! Please! Your food is coming. He's doing it now.
'We want our food!'
PEOPLE He?
MAGGIE Sorry, they. The
chefs are doing it now.
MAN 2 How many chefs
have you got?
MAGGIE Oh, lots.
WOMAN 2 How many?
MAGGIE Some.
WOMAN 2 How many exactly?
Tell us!
MAGGIE Er, twelve.
WOMAN 2 Your restaurant has
twelve chefs?
MAGGIE Well, no, not
now. We had one in January, one in February, one in March -
one every month for
the last year. That makes twelve.
WOMAN 2 Well, where are they
now?
'Your restaurant has
twelve chefs?'
MAGGIE They
all stopped working here.
WOMAN 2 Why did they leave?
MAGGIE Because it was
too fast for them.
MAN 2 And how many
chefs have you got now?
MAGGIE Well, er ... one.
PEOPLE One!
MAGGIE No, sorry. That's
wrong-
MAN 1 I'm happy to
hear it!
MAGGIE We haven't got
any.
PEOPLE What?
MAGGIE That's right.
There's only me here. Our last chef left yesterday. He was fed up
with fast food.
MAN 2 Fed up?
MAGGIE Yes. He said to
me, 'That's it! Enough! No more fast food for me! I'm going!'
And he went.
WOMAN 2 But what about our-
MAGGIE And
do you know? I'm fed up too. Yes, I'm really, really fed up. Fast chicken,
fast burgers,
fast French fries, fast coke, fast coffee, fast talking, fast walking,
fast eating, fast
sleeping, fast living, fast dying! I'm fed up with it all!
WOMAN 2 But who is going to-
MAGGIE What's the matter
with everybody these days? Why is everything so fast? Come here. (Maggie walks to
the window.) Come on! (The people all go to the window.) Look
outside. Go on, look! It's a beautiful day. Life is beautiful. We can all be happy.
But first we must slow down. We must take the time to live.
MAN 1 Live? But we
have to work!
WOMAN 2 We have lots to do.
WOMAN 3 And we want food.
MAN 2 We want fast
food-
WOMAN 1 Not slow food!
WOMAN 2 We haven't got time
to-
MAGGIE Time! Time! Time!
Don't talk to me about time. You don't understand it.
You - oh, it's no good,
you're not listening to me.
She takes off her work clothes and picks up
a bag.
WOMAN 2 Hey, where are you
going?
MAGGIE I'm going out.
I'm going to sit in the sun.
I'm going to look at the sky and listen to the sea. I'm
going to do nothing ... slowly!
WOMAN 2 But what about our
food?
MAN 2 What about my
burger?
MAGGIE You can do it!
MAN 2 What did you
say?
MAGGIE I said,
you can do it. Behind me is the kitchen. In the kitchen there's a big bag of chicken and
another bag of burgers. You can do your own food, and you can do it as fast as you
like. Goodbye!
PEOPLE But we don't-
MAGGIE And have a nice
day!
She goes out.
'We must take the time to live.'
GLOSSARY
adventurous of someone who likes doing exciting and dangerous things
asleep of someone who is sleeping; not awake
bank a place that keeps money safe for people
borrow to take and use something that you are going to give back after a
short time
buy (past tense bought) to give money to get something
counter a long high table in a shop or a restaurant that is between the
people who work there and the people who want to buy things
dream a hope for something nice in the future
fed up of someone who is not happy or who is bored because they have or
do too much of something
funny of something that makes you laugh; of something that is not usual
or is different
grocery store a building where people buy food and other small things
for the home
group a number of people together
gun a thing that shoots out bullets to hurt or kill people
heart the thing inside the body that makes the blood go round
kneel down (past tense knelt down) to go down on your knees
library a place where you go to borrow or read books
library card a piece of plastic from a library with your name on it; you
use it to borrow books
nurse a person who helps people who are sick or hurt
pill a small, round, hard medicine that you swallow
pizza a round, flat, Italian bread
plan something that you are going to do, and how you are going to do it
problem something that is difficult
restaurant a place where people buy food and eat it
rob to take things that are not yours from a bank, train (or other
places) or people
robbery taking things that are not yours from a bank, train (or other
places) or people
salt white stuff that comes from sea water; we put it on food to make it
taste better
sell (past tense sold) to give something to somebody who pays you money
for it
shoot (past tense shot) to send a bullet from a gun to hurt or kill
someone
steal (past tense stole) to take something that is not yours
take (past tense took) someone's pulse to feel the beating of the heart
in the wrist (or the neck)
travel to visit other countries
TV chef a person who cooks food on television
wake up to stop sleeping
world where we all live; people live in lots of different countries in
the world
Five Short Plays
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ACTIVITIES
Before Reading
1 Here are the five play titles.
Which of the five characters and fve things below belongs to each play? Can you
guess?
|
The Robbery |
a shopkeeper |
a map |
|
The Right Thing To Do an oɽce
worker a pizza |
||
|
Canada Can Wait |
a traveller |
a bottle of pills |
2 There is a character called Chris in Canada Can Wait.
What can you guess about him?
1. He wants to work in / visit Canada.
2. Canada is the only place / one of the places he wants to visit.
3. His friends / family want to go to Canada.
3 One of the plays is called Slow Food. What do you think this
means? Circle Y (Yes) or N (No) for each answer.
Food …
1. which is bad for you. Y / N
2. which everybody likes. Y / N
3. which takes a long time to grow. Y / N
4. which people need time to enjoy. Y / N
4 The ɹrst play is called The Robbery. Can you guess what is going
to happen in this play? Use the words below to make some sentences about your
guesses.
|
Harry |
watches for |
Sid and Ron |
|
Sid |
shoots someone in the car |
|
|
The police |
asks for |
borrow books |
|
The woman in the library ɹght
with |
the money |
5 At the beginning of the second play, The
Right Thing to Do, a man is lying in the street. What is going to
happen? Can you guess? Tick one box for each sentence.
YES NO PERHAPS
1 Everybody walks past him.
2 Some people stop and try to help.
3 A doctor calls an ambulance.
4 A friend takes him to hospital.
5 Someone steals his watch.
6 He wakes up
ACTIVITIES
While Reading
Read The Robbery. Are these sentences true
(T) or false (F)?
1. When Harry arrives, his friends are working hard.
2. Harry wants them to rob a rich old lady.
3. Harry teaches Sid to shoot.
4. Wilf is going to put the money in a safe place.
5. Sid likes Harry’s plan very much.
Before you read Scene 2, can you guess what happens?
1. Harry tells the police about the robbery.
2. The robbers ɹght with each other over the money.
3. There is no money to steal.
Read The Right Thing To Do. Who says these words? Who are they
talking to? And who or what are they talking about?
1. ‘Is he dead?’
2. ‘Why me? You do it.’
3. ‘He’s not your problem.’
4. ‘It was my heart.’
5. ‘Where is she now?’
6. ‘We were there for him.’
Read Canada Can Wait. Then circle the
correct words in each sentence.
1. At the beginning Chris wants / doesn’t want to leave.
2. Chris’s friends think that he is tired of / happy with them.
3. They want to see Canada’s cities / lakes and forests.
4. They have to visit Canada / stay at home.
5. At the end they all laugh / shout at Chris.
Read Salt, and then put this summary into
the right order. Start with number 3.
1. Groot and Nello start ɹghting.
2. The shopkeeper closes the store.
3. Groot buys ten bags of salt from the shop.
4. Manra’s truck hits Groot.
5. Spratly buys five bags of salt for $250.
6. Spratly tries to sell a bag of salt to Nello.
7. Durg buys four bags of salt for $400.
Read Slow Food, pages 32 to 34. Underline
the mistakes in this paragraph and then correct them.
On the counter there is a sign saying ‘Slow Food’. Maggie is sitting at one of
the tables. The ɹrst man is asking for a pizza. The second man wants chicken
and French fries – he has to catch a bus in forty minutes. The three women are
only waiting for drinks. They are all sorry for Maggie, because the food is so
bad. Maggie loves her work.
ACTIVITIES
After Reading
1 Match these halves of sentences to make a summary of The
Robbery. Use these words to join the sentences.
because but or so when
1. Sid and Ron wanted to steal some money,
2. Sid said, ‘I’ve got a gun in my pocket,’
3. They couldn’t steal any money,
4. They didn’t want Harry to be angry,
5. The woman in the library can write to Sid and Ron,
6. … they weren’t in a bank.
7. … she wants the books back.
8. … perhaps steal some books.
9. … they borrowed some books.
10. … the woman in the library wasn’t afraid.
2 Here are some new titles for
the five plays. Which titles go with which plays? Which titles do you prefer?
Why?
|
Fast Living |
Home’s Best |
Harry’s Plan |
|
Get Well Soon! |
The Man With the Cart The
Dreamer |
|
|
Time is Money |
Bad Hearts and Good |
The Right Price The Wrong Building
3 Use the clues below to complete this crossword with
words from The Right Thing to Do. (All the words go across.)
1. The liquid in rivers, seas and lakes. (5)
2. The thing in the body that makes the blood go round. (5)
3. A glass or plastic container for holding pills. (6)
4. The opposite of dead. (5)
5. Someone whose job is to make ill people well again. (6)
6. Well known. (6)
7. A special car or van which carries people to hospital. (9)
8. A small bag in your clothes for carrying things. (6)
Can you ɹnd the two hidden words in the crossword?
1. What are the words?
2. Who said them, and why?
4 In Canada Can Wait, perhaps Chris wrote this letter to his friends
the next day. Complete his letter with the groups of words below.
about it, exciting places, funny things, have to stay, in front of, tired
of, try to stop, have a dream
Dear friends,
I’m leaving tomorrow. Please don’t _________ me. I’m not going because I’m
_________ you; I’m going because I want to travel. I’m young and I have my
life_________ me. I want to see _________, like Greece, Spain, and Australia.
Canada can wait, perhaps, but not
for me! Perhaps I do say _________ sometimes, but it’s important to _________, isn’t
it? You can travel too, you know. You don’t _________ with the same old
faces and the same old problems day after day. Think _________!
Yours, Chris
5 Perhaps this is what three of the people in Salt are
thinking.
Who are the people, and what is happening in the play?
1. ‘Ah, good, time to go home. Chicken for dinner tonight, I think. I must
remember to get some more salt tomorrow.’
2. ‘Oh no! Is he dead? No, he’s getting up – I haven’t killed him! Why did he
run into the road like that? Hey – you!’
3. ‘I’m going to ɹnd that man and tell him what I think of him! I know his
little plan. And I’m going to have some of his salt too!’
6 In Slow Food, perhaps Maggie writes an
e-mail to her friend, Dave, the day after leaving her job. Use these words to complete
her e-mail. (Use each word once.)
burger, chef, clothes, everything, food, restaurant, sea, work,
yesterday
Hi Dave
Guess what! ______ I left my job at the fast food ______ ! You see, I had to do
______ there, even the cooking, because the ______ left the day before.
Everybody wanted their ______ so fast! I couldn’t stay there any longer. So I
took oʃ my work ______ and just walked out.
I went to sit by the ______, and looked at the sky, and felt a lot better. I’m
going to look for some diʃerent ______ tomorrow – I never want to see a ______
again!
See you, Maggie
7 Do you agree (A) or disagree (D) with these ideas from
the five plays? Explain why.
1. You must never walk past someone lying in the street.
2. It is important for everyone to have a dream.
3. People must learn to slow down and enjoy life more.
4. It is wrong to make a lot of money from buying and selling things.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Martyn Ford has worked in English Language Teaching since
1980. He has been a teacher, teacher trainer and materials writer, and has taught
in England, Italy and Switzerland. He is also a successful cartoon illustrator,
and has illustrated several English language books as well as humorous books
about Britain. With Peter Legon he has written and illustrated The How To Be
British Collection.
He is particularly interested in the use of drama in language learning, and the
plays in this book developed out of scripts which he wrote especially for the
classroom. He would like to dedicate Five Short Plays to all the brave
students who tried them out!
He lives and works in Brighton, on the south-east coast of England.
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