Corporate Zebras: A Play with Music

By Kevin Loftus

While on a safari in Africa, the story's main character realizes that zebras have become invisible to their main adversary, the lion, through the benefit of an evolutionary process that has produced their striped-skin pattern which for the lions is indiscernible from the surrounding tall grasses and bushes.

Understanding how this advantage has kept the zebras off the endangered species list, he designs a Corporate Zebra Strategy that allows him and his fellow workers to stay just below the radar and out of sight of their main adversaries, the corporate bloodletters, usually referred to as re-engineers, six sigma gurus, quality assurance analysts and consultants.

Presenting a look at the inner workings of an international corporation in the midst of a down-sizing, the play addresses an issue immediately relevant to our times in a funny and light-hearted way by poking fun at the underlying character and ethics (or lack thereof) of the corporate bloodletters.

As outrageous caricatures of greed and corruption, the bloodletters afford the audience a good belly laugh even though the theater goers may collectively squirm in their seats as they recognize more than just a tad of themselves in some of the characters.

Timely and germane to todays audiences, Corporate Zebras connects with and entertains a significant number of people while allowing them to reflect on the world around them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 21, 2010
• ISBN: 9781469101217

Kevin Loftus

Kevin Loftus is a graduate of Waynesburg College, and has spent thirty five years in the financial services and the non-profit fields. Kevin has served on numerous boards such as The Schwartz Center for the Arts and Main Street Dover, and is currently employed as the Director of Development and Communications for a Health Center. Kevin has also written a short story titled, The True Value of Suffering and a novel titled Depth of Deception. An avid swimmer, jogger, and golfer, Kevin lives with his wife, daughter, and two step-sons in Wyoming, Delaware.

Book preview

Corporate Zebras

A play with music

Kevin Loftus

Copyright © 2010 by Kevin Loftus.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Book & Lyrics by Kevin Loftus

Music by Chuck Holdeman

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

74748

Contents

Act I

Act I

Act I

Act I

Act I

Act I

Act I

Act II

Act II

Act II

Act II

Act II

Act II

Act II

CHARACTERS

(16 in total using doubles)

SETTING

A Wildlife Safari in Africa and after that several small back offices, a conference room, a video conference room, a lobby, a gym, a production floor and the Corporate Headquarters of Gelada International a Financial Services Company located in New York City.

TIME

Summer, the present and then several months later over the course of several weeks.

SYNOPSIS OF SCENES

Act I

Act II

Act I

Scene 1

Narrator V.O.

(Drop down props hanging from above creates the visual background.)

The safari group has been out in the field for several days and has now come to rest just off an open field. They can sense something is about to happen. Off in the distance, the peaks of the mountain tops are visible through clouds just below and around them. A slightly overcast sky shades the jungle below. Even so, the temperature hovers around a hundred and six degrees with no sign of letting up any time soon. The wind or even just a hint of a breeze would be a welcome relief for the animals who try to find comfort in the tall trees and shrubs just off the large grassy field in front of them. Two hundred yards into the field with the tall grasses swaying slightly around them, a pride of lion’s moves together as one as a whisper of breeze finally flows through. It is mid-afternoon on a steamy day halfway through August and they are hungry. They approach slowly as their extraordinary sense of smell has picked up the scent of the zebras. It’s a while before the zebras see the lions,