About the Play:

Us And Them is a one-act drama by David Campton. Two groups of wanderers enter, looking for a place to settle. They agree to share a space and mark the line between their territories, but as time passes, suspicion grows. The line becomes a fence, the fence then becomes a wall, built higher and higher. Can they live together or will the mistrust grow to the point of conflict? This relevant, contemporary play is an exploration of how history often repeats itself. Us And Them can be – and often is – performed as a stand-alone one-act (popular choice for high schools), but has been performed together with Cagebirds to create a full evening of entertainment.

Us And Them is a simple story with a far deeper meaning and message. Two groups of wanderers, one from the East and one from the West, looking for a place in which to settle, arrive simultaneously at a fertile spot. Friendly at first with each other, they agree to share adjoining land and mark the line between their territories, then build a small dividing wall. The wall, built for the most innocent of reasons, is built higher and then still higher until neither side knows what the other is doing. Gradually, suspicion and mistrust grow to the point where the groups must inevitably explode in conflict as each side wonders what is going on behind the wall. Based on a reflection of society and how communities are built and destroyed. Us And Them is a powerful, thought-provoking play in a refreshing and humourous light.

Us And Them is a popular production with schools because it was written to be performed by almost any number of players, of any age, and of any gender. 

Cast: variable from 6 upward, any gender

About the Playwright:

David Campton (1924-2006) was a prolific British dramatist who wrote plays for the stage, radio, and cinema for thirty-five years. One of the most prolific playwrights of the late 20th century, he is a rarity in that he best known for his one-act plays. His vast output of over 120 scripts has long been regular features of drama festivals worldwide; indeed some of his titles are still regularly performed in schools today.