Matthew Nichols says there is much to recommend in this resource pack.
For shame. I had – of course – heard of Malorie Blackman; one of our best and most admired children's authors. Her work has also made its way to our stages. There are two adaptations of her landmark book, Noughts and Crosses, as well as a BBC adaptation. But I hadn't, until recently, heard of Pig Heart Boy. Great news, then, that this 1997 book has now been adapted by no less than Winsome Pinnock. Having made a real splash, opening to great reviews at the Unicorn Theatre, the production is now touring the country, and this nifty educational resource pack is a real asset to anyone who might be thinking of seeing the production, as well as those who might just want some more insight into the world of the play itself.
The production, directed by Tristan Finn-Aiduenu, is aimed squarely at ‘young adults’ and drama teachers everywhere will really benefit from this offering. Ideally suited to primary school and (early) secondary school-aged students, the production evidently relies on a blizzard of kinetic movement and choreography choices, as well as dynamic sound design to bring the world of the book to vivid life on stage.
This education resource, produced by Blackpool Grand Theatre, gives a range of practical activities to enable students and teachers to peek behind the curtain and get to the heart of the play. Divided helpfully into subsections, there's lots on offer. To help dig deeper into the story, students are able to write the blurb for the production, devise character maps and consider different plot pointers. Probably aimed at slightly older students, there are tactful and thoughtful debate-themed tasks which look at the ethics surrounding medical research. There are also some really lovely practical activities, looking at building trust and resilience, which would be great for active engagement.
It's great that a play which is so squarely aimed at the schools' market has created an accompanying resource pack of such sensitivity and high quality. From a pedagogical perspective, there are some fantastic tasks here which will help to set up students as they begin to learn how to analyse and evaluate live theatre. The resource is less focused on the nuts and bolts of the production itself and seems to cleverly tap into the ways in which teachers will want to unpick and unpack this play with their students. There is much to recommend here, and this should be snapped up by drama teachers everywhere.