The similarities between the people in both plays are very similar, all the people in the plays are working class citizens who have there dreams and ambitions as well as their own fair share of problems and decisions. They are very similar in that way but the age differences between the two plays is very different 'Our Day Out' is based around the youth of today and 'Bouncers' already people that have grown up and got jobs (the Bouncers themselves). “Our Day Out” is aimed for a younger audience, educating them about certain issues while the “Bouncers” is for a much older audience. The “Bouncer’s” stereotypes different kinds of people and situations similar to “Our Day Out”, but they both have very different approaches to it. Our day out is very serious while the Bouncers is comical and over exaggerates different stereotypes.
Both 'Bouncers' and 'Our Day Out' contain characters that don't come across as very bright, this backs up that the characters out of the two could have grown up in similar ways (except the teacher in 'Our Day Out') If the student in “Our Day Out” continues the way she's going she isn't going to achieve anything, much like the Bouncers always reminisce about. The student in “Our Day Out” doesn't seem to have much hope and doesn't seem to have much confidence in herself, she doesn’t want to do well in school and is very hostile to people around her. Evan when they mean good. Where as the 'Bouncers' come across as very arrogant and cocky, this much to do with the way they were cultured, another large difference. Both characters appear to be brought up from a rough background, where they did not have a good education. “The Bouncers” and “Our Day Out” characters come across as very common people, who enjoy the basic things in life, but on the other hand the things they enjoy are very different. In the “Bouncers” it is focused on what the different stereotypes would do on a weekend (getting drunk, having sex ECT). While in “Our Day Out” the girl is quite content with staying there, she will properly have never have been to the sea before (a privilege people like me take for granted).
The only similarities between the styles of the plays are the issues of realism they portray and try to make very clear. But, although they both portray realism, they do it in very different ways entirely. 'Bouncers' is a stylized piece of drama that is very over the top and gets its message through with comedy, where as 'Our Day Out' is a naturalistic piece of drama that uses solely realism to put its message across. Both plays work but the messages are taken in, in different ways. After watching or reading “The Bouncers” you would have a new look to going out on a weekend, noticing some things in the play that you do. It makes you stop and think about what you do and how people act. While “Our Day Out” get a serious message across. It makes you think about the things you take for granted and broadens your outlook on different people. It helps you not to judge a book by a cover you could say.
In Conclusion I think that the similarities and differences of the pieces are evenly weighted. They both are very different in the way they are acted and produced but the similarities themselves are to do with the actual issues conveyed but the differences are more to do with the way the pieces put them across, the both plays try to get across issues, the Bouncers uses over the top comedy and 'Our Day Out' uses seriousness and realism. Both pieces work well due to this.
By Will Oliver
