A Collection of Sketches by Jean-Pierre Martinez
Lockdown Shorts is a series of 9 short sketches — funny, bitter, clear-sighted or absurd — that subtly explore the human condition in times of a health crisis, while broadening the perspective to more universal reflections on our times, our society, our bodies… and our future.
Lockdown Shorts is much more than a collection of comic sketches: it is a theatrical autopsy of our modern world in crisis, a theatre rooted in reality which, while making us laugh, also forces us to open our eyes. It belongs to the tradition of the theatre of the absurd, philosophical dialogue and social satire, with a contemporary, incisive and always deeply human voice.
List of sketches
Vaccine Candidate
Side Effects
Viral Conversation
Back to Life
Bad Taste
Missed connection
Mistaken Encounter
Locked down for Life
Normal Life
Download the complete collection for free (PDF)
🎵 Listen to the song inspired by this theme
Lyrics and music: Jean-Pierre Martinez
These songs may be used, without obligation, as part of a stage production, upon simple request to the author and without any additional fees.
The audio file is available upon request, subject to prior authorization from the author for the use of the play’s text.
Major Themes
Lockdown as a catalyst
Lockdown acts as a revealer of pre-existing realities: loneliness, social absurdity and the breakdown of human connection.
The body as commodity or battleground
From vaccination to Standard Exchange, the human body lies at the heart of a system that is medicalised, commercialised and sometimes sacrificed.
The loss of connection and identity
The mask (Missed connection), the telephone (Mistaken Encounter), and even déjà vu blur our recognition of others… and of ourselves.
A satire of consumer and production society
Normal Life expose the absurdity of the pre-pandemic pace of life and the false needs imposed upon us.
Political drift and health authoritarianism
Side Effects and Locked down for Life offer a dark and chilling critique of modern biopolitics and benevolent authoritarianism.
Humour as the last line of defence
Despite the seriousness of the subjects, humour is ever-present: absurd, dark, poetic or biting, it acts as a mechanism for survival.