1 Remote

by Stef Smith

National Theatre

Connections 2015

Published by Methuen Drama

Cast: 1 of any gender, 2 males, 4 females, ensemble

Themes and issues: A modern play which focuses on a group of seven teenagers and their struggle to find their way in the world. From the outset, Antler (a girl), climbs a tree not wanting to be found. Thereafter discussions of drink, drugs and poverty ensue. The play raises thematic issues that allow for important conversations as well as mature character performances.

Performance matters: The author's note at the start of the play gives an indication of the amount of scope there is for performance. The minimum number of actors required is nine. There are speaking and non-speaking roles with as many gang members as the director sees fit. It is one continuous scene with some lines denoted with a ‘–’ that can be spoken by any one character or groups of characters, so there is an opportunity to allocate lines in order to create a strong choral gang performance.

Why it's great: I have found that teenagers love the grittiness of the text as well as the freedom in imagining a remote world which they have created. They have enjoyed playing with status and ‘chunking’, as well as working with images for a hard-hitting performance.

Watch out for: Antler climbing the tree can be a challenge, but there are many different creative approaches that your group could take in order to depict the scene to match your chosen remote landscape. Smith has written a text that welcomes interpretation, so many stylistic or physical theatre approaches can be adopted.

2. The Siege

by Adrian Mitchell

Published by Oberon Books

Cast: Large, flexible cast

Themes and issues: The play takes place in a fictitious town called Arden and follows the lives of the people who live there while the town is under attack. There are dark thematic issues such as death, fighting, racism, attempts for freedom and striving for peace all within the two acts.

Performance matters: The locations within the town of Arden are really interesting to depict with the potential for props, lighting and sound effects to demonstrate air raid shelters, the front line and within the Swados family home.

Why it's great: The Siege was commissioned for school performances by the National Playwright Commissioning Group, with Mitchell collaborating with schools across the UK. Through workshopping the text with schools, Mitchell has created a script that comes alive with the voice of young people, so teenagers empathise with the characters and are drawn to using the text.

Watch out for: This is a play with music so there is also a vocal score available. The play maintains the bold and direct storyline while songs are used to move the action forward.

3. The Import ance of Being Earnest

by Oscar Wilde

Published by Samuel French.

Cast: 4 females and 5 males (some doubling is possible)

Themes and issues: A witty farcical text about love, marriage and society. The idea that someone should marry for love – and not because of a name, family history or social status – is demonstrated cleverly through Wilde's satirical comedy. The writing ensures the audience want the characters to come to their senses.

Performance matters: In order to produce a fully-rounded performance, I focus on the historical context, underpinning this with voice, body language and how costume would impact upon movement.

Why it's great: Wilde has written a satire that pokes fun at the society of his time. In my experience, the beauty of the text means that the young actors enjoy being funny and draw confidence from the audience laughing along with the playfulness of the text.

Watch out for: The play is set in three acts and so where to break for an interval (or whether to break at all) is an interesting debate as one half will be much longer than the other. The interval is often placed after the first act with the move in location to Woolton but this does not necessarily need to be the case. It is also fun to decide how you show the handbag – with the satirical nature of the play, the bag can create a laugh itself.

4. The Two Noble Kinsmen

by William Shakespeare

Arden Shakespeare

Published by Bloomsbury

Cast: At least 17

Themes and issues: A lesser known Jacobean tragicomedy that touches upon many themes. The play in the most part is what you would expect from a Shakespearean play in this genre: killings, avenging deaths, war, jealousy, love rivalry, and being driven mad by love. All are great springboards for discussions, interesting direction and performances.

Performance matters: Shakespeare has written strong characters in here. It is particularly interesting to look at the portrayal of the Jailer's Daughter. The Globe's recent portrayal really demonstrated how the role can be touching, poignant and funny all at the same time. Plus, with the right casting the role can be liberating, as well as highlighting the performer's skill.

Why it's great: There are some strong, funny and altogether engaging monologues within the text that are a real challenge for any performer to get their teeth stuck into. It is a great play because all characters have an important role to play within the story.

Watch out for: Not only does the role of the Jailer's Daughter require a skilled actor to create her impassioned portrayal, but the final fight scene needs to be looked at with careful consideration as it needs to be choreographed to evoke a sense of realism and tension for the audience but in a safe manner.

5. Blue Remem bered Hills

by Dennis Potter

Published by Samuel French

Cast: 2 females, 5 males

Themes and issues: The themes of bullying, humiliation and death run throughout the play. It was important to me when staging it that the bullying and savagery of acts such as killing the bird were handled in a believable way. But, in order for our actors to play the roles believably they also needed to have an understanding of the social context while looking like uncomprehending children.

Performance matters: We created scenes from Blue Remembered Hills for an examination with a group of teenagers who loved being able to play 7-year-old children. In particularly they enjoyed doing the characterisation and injecting energy into their performances. We also looked at voice; not only a childlike voice but also a West Country accent.

Why it's great: The play allows older actors the freedom of play, the idea that they can be silly and use movements that depict a 7-year-old while dealing with deeper more serious themes.

Watch out for: The play is emotionally wrought – a pivotal moment being the climactic fire in Scene 27. Staging this moment can be challenging, but powerful. It can really highlight the negative impact of characters' behaviour upon the life of another.