Sitting in the National Theatre's Gorvy Rehearsal Room full of GCSE students clapping and laughing, it is hard not to be moved by the new short play from New Views co-winner Luke Fields.
New Views is a year-long in-school playwriting programme for students aged 14-19. Each school is paired with a professional playwright who supports students to write their own original 30-minute plays. The programme includes teacher CPD, tickets to one of our productions and entry into a competition where selected plays are performed at the National Theatre.
Luke Fields, aged 17 from Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School in Belfast, won the competition alongside 19-year-old Emyr Strudwick from Merthyr College in South Wales. House on Fire, Fields' text, follows recently elected Head Boy and Girl, Stephen and Caitlin, as they are called to the headteacher's office. Following their contentious rise to power, the school has broken into a riot in this comedy which also comments on the politics of today.
With 500 plays submitted for the New Views competition, from 90 schools across the UK, it must have been incredibly hard to choose the winner. That being said, Luke's play did the scheme justice, with its witty dialogue, quick one-liners and fleshed out characters.
House on Fire, presented by professional actors who have been rehearsed and directed by Emily Burns, was a pacey micro-play with relatable quips for students and teachers alike. Despite dealing with a fairly simple problem, the characters displayed depth and history, which are hard elements to convey in a 30-minute production.
Once this is published in the annual NT New Views play amalgamation, I would highly recommend giving your GCSE students House on Fire to have a stab at. When a text is written by one young person and is read by another, the references are brilliantly transferable, and I believe that is what you will see here.
The text displays humour, but also strong, witty and intricate characters that are so much fun to unpack in the classroom.