Live Action

Claire Kingsley, like any Drama teacher, loves going to the theatre, and she wants to instil in her GCSE and A Level students an appreciation of watching texts live on stage.

Opportunities to do that can be greatly enhanced by touring companies, particularly for schools and teachers who struggle to access high quality theatre in larger towns and cities due to their location.

‘Experiencing a text come alive from page to stage is a crucial factor in engaging and inspiring students,’ says Kingsley, a Drama teacher based in West Yorkshire. ‘It's extraordinary to see their awe-struck expressions as they witness what was merely words on paper become real, palpable emotions.’

One company offering that is Blackeyed Theatre, who are currently touring Jane Eyre across the country through to next summer.

Educational theatre

‘The production is a great example of ensemble work,’ says producer and director Adrian McDougall. ‘We do a lot with not a lot and I think it's great for young people to see that you don't need a huge cast, technical wizardry and a West End set to take your audience on an epic journey. Just brilliant actors telling a great story with honesty and passion.’

Of course, one of the main challenges any Drama teacher faces when taking students to see live theatre is getting the most out of the material for their learners. So what can they do to help students extract as much as possible from a production of the likes of Jane Eyre both pre- and post-experience? Making use of any accompanying education pack is a good start, says McDougall.

‘It depends what students are focusing on. If it's around performance style or theatrical techniques for example, explore those sections of the accompanying education pack that focus on the choices made by the artistic team, such as music, set design, costume, adaptation and direction.’

‘Writing a critique of the production is always a valuable exercise’ says MacDougall, ‘though it can be a challenge to remember the details of a performance! So it might be beneficial to get students to focus on different elements in the show. For Drama and Theatre Studies students, rehearsing and performing extracts from the play is of particular value. Rather than recreating what they saw, though, why not ask them to put their own spin on the material, give the characters different intentions or contemporise the scenes. You could also ask them to improvise additional scenes and see how that informs the characters,’ he adds.

Accessibility

Given that both school budgets and students' own financial circumstances can make live theatre diflcult to access, teachers become heavily reliant on touring companies such as Blackeyed Theatre.

‘Touring theatre is crucial in making it accessible for all,’ says Kingsley, ‘Giving students the ability to see a range of quality work that is close to home, vast in genre and style and won't bankrupt schools and parents can be the difference between a motivated, inspired student and a reluctant one.’

McDougall agrees: ‘When I had my first big theatre experiences, they were life changing. They inspired me to learn, to read, to perform, to produce, to direct. But more broadly, they posed questions, they challenged my preconceptions and provoked debate. My belief is that live performance can do that for all students.’

When it comes to live theatre, is there anything teachers can do to make sure students have the best experience possible? ‘Seeing plays in context is everything when it comes to creating a passion for the subject,’ says Kingsley, ‘I took one cohort to watch Filter's excellent touring production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and it was the first time the majority had witnessed a live theatrical production. While this was unfortunately a little too late for a lot of them, one extremely reluctant Year 11 boy sought me out at the interval, declaring “Miss! It's so different in 3D. I love it.”’

© SAVANNAH PHOTOGRAPHIC 
Experiencing a text live on stage is a crucial factor in engaging and inspiring students

To find out more about the Blackeyed Theatre production of Jane Eye and to book tickets, head to: www.blackeyedtheatre.co.uk

There are many other excellent touring productions that you can take your students to across the country, including:

An Inspector Calls, www.aninspectorcalls.com

DNA, www.quirkybirdtheatre.com

Blood Brothers, www.bloodbrothersmusical.com

The Woman in Black, www.thewomaninblack.com