RESULTS

Jean works in a garage and consoles herself with drink and perfunctory sex. Jean's insistent neighbour Dawn and Dawn's Irish labourer husband, Mick, and Mick's spineless friend, Len, all join her in a funny, drunken, sad celebration of their mutual affection and bleak lives.

Management Teaching use: This text offers a metaphor for an organisation, which has become stale, and where the atmosphere is in a rut. The people in the organisation continue in a routine with the same conversations taking place and with no change either thought of or desired. When comparing the bland and pointless situation in which the protagonists of this play find themselves to a company or institution where there is no spark of innovation, students should ask themselves what would be their course of action. Would they introduce new people or would they try to energise the existing members of staff. It is equally pertinent to ask whether this play is about people who are comfortable with themselves. Would they be frightened of change and how does this compare to a well-established and non-adventurous organisation?

Three screenplays by Mike Leigh. Naked presents a bleak picture of urban society, Life is Sweet is a gentle comedy in which the pain of everyday life is borne with a wry smile, and High Hopes is a comedy of class-ridden life in contemporary Britain.