A one-act play about the cat, the boss and the cat lady from HR.
The fur flies when the boss’ pet gets a promotion.
Alister decides to promote his cat Jasper to the firm’s Cat Operating Officer. As CEO and majority partner, it’s his decision. The rest of the partners are opposed. They enlist Julie, head of HR, to present their case against appointing Jasper. Julie arranges a meeting with Alister to dissuade him from making the appointment. To her surprise, Jasper is at the meeting with Alister. Strangely charmed by Jasper, Julie disavows any opposition and leaves the meeting committed to supporting her new boss, Jasper, the Cat Operating Officer.
Keywords: Office politics, cross-species culture wars, romance in the office, cat ladies.
Genre: Comedy, Absurdist
Acts: 1
Run time: 40 minutes
Suitable for students 12+
Cast size: 3 actors
Male roles: 1
Female roles: 2
Casting notes: Note on playing Jasper: As a cat and a newly appointed executive at a public relations firm, Jasper often fails to appreciate the norms of routine office life (for example, no biting or scratching colleagues, no killing birds). Devoted to Alister, Jasper constantly seeks his attention and approval. She is indifferent to most other humans, taking notice of them only to the extent that they interact with Alister. To please Alister, she attempts some moderation of her feline instincts but she is prone to impulsive and reckless decisions that make perfect sense from the perspective of a cat.
Although some stage actions have been suggested, the actor playing Jasper and the director are encouraged to consider her extroverted feline personality and devotion to Alister and work out a corresponding stage presence. Costuming can be as simple as a tail, cat ears, fur mittens and stick-on whiskers. Jasper uses body language (posture and gesture), facial expressions (staring and gazing at nothing) and movement to convey feelings and thoughts in response to the spoken dialogue of Alister and Julie.
Visit the playwright's website, www.rickbutts.ca