Each
play script offered here has been produced with teenaged performers
after very considerable workshopping
Each
of the play scripts presented here has been produced by either a
school or community theatre group and performed by students aged
between fourteen and eighteen years of age.
Each
production involved extensive workshopping, skills development,
research and linking with other subject areas such as History,
Literature, Sociology, Media, Dance, Music, Religious Education and Philosophy.
Each
production incorporated participation from teachers and/or
professionals from across curriculum areas and from parents.
Each
production drew on a wide cross-section of the public for audiences.
CAUTION:
While
the subject matter for each production was well within the ambit of
interest and suitability for the participant age range, these works
should only be directed and facilitated by experienced Drama teachers
or Directors trained and experienced in working with young people.
Ideally,
participants should spend time workshopping their own emotional,
intellectual and physical responses to the subject matter of the play.
Where
appropriate, culturally specific references should be adapted to
meet the needs and experiences of the group presenting the works.
Some
works contain issues of violence, children in war, Internet dangers,
drugs, spirituality, the supernatural, betrayal of trust and related issues.
RATIONALE
These
plays are for students and teachers wishing to explore dramatic
possibilities within meaningful and challenging social and cultural
contexts. This involves much more than simply putting on productions
to involve willing participants in a social experience.
I
know that such work is difficult to find when considering the age
and experience of the participants. Each of these plays offer
challenges to the more talented and skilled performers while leaving
scope for the less skilled though highly motivated students.
Most,
though not all, roles are for characters within the age range of the
students. These plays have a direct language that goes to the heart
of contemporary experience while still having an expressionist
quality giving access to the imagination.
They
have been performed for audiences and proved successful. Yet they
still offer room for exploration of issues with teacher/director and
student actors.
