The Retail Song Cycle

The Retail Song Cycle is a project that combines documentary techniques and musical theatre storytelling by using verbatim customer interactions and actual events to describe a life-changing year in big retail in the internet age.
12 actors play 72 characters in this inside look at privilege, retail practices, and the effects it has on the human soul.

An idealistic young man from a small town, with a strong work ethic, and a belief that people are generally good, starts a new job. We follow Mac's journey as he navigates the reality of being a naïve, eager new employee coming to terms with the opposing forces of "actual reality" and "retail reality" at the hands of his favorite unnamed Fortune 500 retail store, in an unnamed city.

Mac’s first day happens to coincide with the role out of a new Sales Model, the governing ideologies used to interact with customers, which his supervisor: Perry, and the managers: Lynn, Bridgett, Terry, Jackie and Joe are all excited to share with the team. His teammates: Miranda, Cheryl, Mitchell and Eric show him the ins and outs of the Hardlines department, and educate him on the truths of retail.

After a management meeting where it is revealed that a scheduled corporate visit could now happen at any time, the frazzled and unprepared team attempts to compensate and pushes Mac, to the forefront. He manages to succeed and continues to impress his coworkers and managers. One day however, a customer
who has an unsolvable problem and entitlement issues, illustrates to Mac just how terrible people can be and this sets off a chain reaction.

The Retail Song Cycle tells a true story: every event in the plot actually happened, every character is based on a real person, and every customer interaction is recreated authentically and verbatim. Test your capacity for humanity.

Please Note:

All parts except Mac, will play many different customers throughout the show.
Comedic Skills are absolutely necessary.
Since this is a staged reading, parts as written will change during the course of the process.
Named characters may be played as non-binary/gender nonconforming.