chipotle street theater

The following is an outline of a street theater piece performed at the march on Chipotle headquarters in Denver, April 2, 2008. Click here for more street theater ideas.

Characters (6-7 people in total) :

• Chipotle founder and CEO Steve Ells
• Farmworker
• Consumer
• "Penny"
• Other consumers

Script:

- Steve Ells makes a sales pitch for his burritos that are 'food with integrity:' good for your health, for the environment, and for animals.
- A farmworker who's standing in the fields behind a giant burrito is trying to interject but is ignored.
- A (health conscious) consumer enters, saying that the burritos sound great. He buys a burrito and begins consuming it, commenting on how great the various ingredients are and asking Ells about them.
- Ells provides his various responses about the meat coming from family farmers, the cheese being horomone-free and from free-range animals etc. The farmworker continues to try to get the consumer's attention.
- The consumer then asks about the tomatoes and Ells responds that they come from a 'secret' location and to not worry too much about that.
- The farmworker declares that 'that's enough' and finally gets the attention of the consumer who begins asking more questions.
- The worker steps out from behind the burrito (rotating the burrito from the side that reads "Chipotle" to the side that reads "Exploitation" and begins talking about the problems he faces and his struggle for justice, ending with "and all we want is decent working conditions and a penny more per pound . . ."
- "Penny" character stands up from laying on the ground and says, "did someone say a penny?" and begins this song:

" Did someone say a Penny?
Just one tiny little cent!
How could a copper penny
most righteously be spent?
you find me lying on the ground
a lonely little penny
or inside the sofa you have found
a tiny little penny
invest me wisely, I would say
as a proud little penny
no Chipotle burrito for me, no way
says THIS tiny little penny
Just one penny more a pound, that's all!
just one itsy bitsy cent
for these workers to stand TALL
I'd say that's a cent well spent!
Buy tomatoes with integrity
Just one penny more a pound
I sing it with simplicity
customers, stand your ground!
let's make slavery past history
one penny at a time
together let's eat with integrity
join the penny picket line!"

- The Penny links arms with the worker at the end of the song.
- Ells declares that it's 'my penny' and grabs it. Tug of war ensues, with the consumer joining in on the worker's side, trying to wrench the penny from Ells.
- Finally, other consumers enter the fray on the side of the worker and audience membrs are encouraged to join in, resulting in the penny being pulled away from Ells.