Give and Take

Running Time: One Act | 45 Mins | Grade Range: K-5 

Touring: Currently not touring

Actors: 3 (1 male, 2 females)

In GIVE AND TAKE, relationships between friends and family members are tested when siblings Allie and Frederick debate the ownership of a discarded jacket. Do you own something after you have thrown it away? Conversely, do you own something just because you found it?These themes of ownership are used to explore the differences between family relationships and friendships. The play is an excellent vehicle for discussion & critical thinking about the ethics of ownership and the nature of friendship. Frederick and Alison are brother and sister but are quite different from one another. Alison is 12 and in Grade 7, very self-conscious about the way she looks and who her friends are, while Frederick is quite content to explore the world of his imagination, creating adventure stories for a book he wants to write. Alison is desperate to be friends with Cecily, the richest girl in her Grade 7 class; she even offers to do the lion’s share of a pending history assignment just to earn her favour. Meanwhile Frederick befriends Dafne, a girl from a lower income family who collects and recycles discarded items from other people’s garbage. When Alison throws away an “inferior” jean jacket her father has given to her for her birthday, Frederick offers it to Dafne. She re-designs the garment with funky findings and presents it to Frederick as a gift. When Cecily invites Alison to her birthday party, Alison is hard-pressed to find a special birthday gift until she discovers that Frederick is wearing the revamped jacket and demands it be returned to her. A conflict erupts over the true ownership of the jacket: is it still Alison’s, even though she threw it away? Frederick must choose between honouring his new friend’s generosity and responding to his sister’s need for validation. Who is more important, a relative or a friend? Will his relationship with his sister be jeopardized permanently? Is his friendship with Dafne strong enough to withstand this situation?

Curriculum Connections: Competition | Ethics | Money