1 Our Country's Good

by Timberlake Wertenbaker

Published by Methuen

Drama

ISBN: 9781474274449

Cast: 10+

Themes and issues: Power and status, authority, suffering, love and hope, gender equality, prejudice and discrimination, rehabilitation.

Performance matters: The play allows for multi-roling and various acting challenges for young people to develop. The structure of the play allows for short and longer scenes that are appropriate for paired work along with larger groups. As it's based on factual events, it allows for explorative workshops designed to aid students’ knowledge and understanding.

Why it's great: Based on real events, the play follows a ‘play within a play’ structure and is arguably the most beautiful example of the ultimate power theatre has in transforming lives. It shows how people can change, show compassion and fall in love within the spectacle of a theatrical masterpiece.

Watch out for: The play contains mature content that is not suitable for younger audiences. It's predominantly studied at A-Level and above and should be treated with the respect it deserves. A thorough examination of the themes and issues the play presents is necessary to reap the true benefits of its impact.

2 Disney's The Lion King Jr.

by Tim Rice, Elton John, Roger Allers, Irene Mecchi and others

Rights available from MTI Shows (North America)

Cast: 15 + ensemble

Themes and issues: Courage and sacrifice, love and selflessness, perseverance and duty…the story is a timeless classic that continues to bring joy to audiences of all ages.

Performance matters: Given the scale of the production, it's worthwhile asking for help when staging the show. Probably the best decision I made when directing it was to hire a choreographer and puppeteer. Involving other departments would be hugely beneficial.

Why it's great: Aside from the storyline, the musical allows for multiple acting and design opportunities. Students can play ensemble parts, lionesses or hyenas, for example; be puppeteers as animals within the African Savannah; or design make-up/set. We used a movable ladder designed as Pride Rock on one side, and when moved to the other side, the ladder represented Scar's Cave. Simplistic, cheap and yet hugely effective. However, the greatest appeal of this show is the fact that young people thoroughly enjoy the experience and learn so much.

Watch out for: It's important to plan effectively. All theatre directors need to be masters of organisation, but with this musical in particular there needs to be detailed care and attention and respect given to the scale of the task. A whole-school or community approach would be advisable to making this hugely entertaining musical a success!

3 Dealer's Choice

by Patrick Marber

Published by Samuel French

ISBN: 9780413774279

Cast: 6 male

Themes and issues: Gambling and addiction.

Performance matters: The play is set in three acts, with the first two acts providing opportunities for paired work, so in terms of providing duologue opportunities for performance/examination work, it's an excellent resource to have. The lines of dialogue are crisp and contain the use of pause and silence to create tension. It's also a very good script for helping young people develop comic timing for effect.

Why it's great: Despite being classified as a comedy, Dealer's Choice is a remarkable play that offers so much more to young people than just laughs. Indeed, content is humorous but the subtext is one of a chilling reality of the consequences of gambling and the impact it can have on people. Its appeal to today's youth lies in part in the play's modern context.

Watch out for: The play is naturalistic and so cannot be played by females. It also contains explicit language, especially in Act 3 (the poker game). Despite some examination specifications listing it as an approved performance text at GCSE and above, ideally it should be taught as extracts only aside from a whole-play approach. As a result, a thorough read-through by the teacher/director should be conducted before any form of instruction takes place.

4 Disney's Mulan Jr.

by Matthew Wilder, David Zippel, Stephen Schwartz, Jeanine Tesori and Alexa Junge

Rights available from MTI

Shows (Europe)

Cast: 26 + ensemble

Themes and issues: Often labelled the ‘Cinderella of the East,’ this show teaches audiences how gender should not act as a barrier to opportunity. It promotes the value of gender equality as well as courage, sacrifice, duty and determination within an evolving society.

Performance matters: The musical is based upon the fundamentals of Chinese Opera conventions, so there is little need for an elaborate set. The audience should be given opportunities to use their imagination as well as given visuals, such as red light, to symbolise Chinese culture or Chinese symbols depicting character traits from the Ancestors.

Why it's great: Aside from the lead role of Mulan, it's possible to choose the gender of the cast to fit performance needs. The musical contains a number of ‘big numbers’, and there are directorial opportunities for audiences to use their imaginations, for example, for the avalanche we used a combination of white sheets and cotton wool balls gliding over the heads of the audience; and for Mushu's fire, we used red and yellow ribbons.

Watch out for: Parts of the music can be challenging, with the opening number having four overlapping sections. Performers should be given plenty of rehearsal time to develop specific choreography, such as Tai Chi movements for the soldiers.

5 Metamorphosis

by Steven Berkoff adapted from Franz Kafka

Published by Samuel French

ISBN: 9780906399842

Cast: 5

Themes and issues: The main theme within Metamorphosis is the survival of the human race and the priority of materialistic goods amid family loss and conflict. It contains issues of suffering and isolation within the confines of a hugely abstract and non-naturalistic style.

Performance matters: The abstract and ‘make strange’ style promotes the development of students’ acting skills in a diverse manner. The script contains short and concise lines of dialogue juxtaposed with physical action which promotes individual and group interpretation of the content. It has the potential for a wide range of performance interpretations, which should be celebrated.

Why it's great: Students enjoy the play because it's a step away from purely naturalistic acting. It promotes physicality and personification on a much more extreme level to engage an audience. The minimalistic set allows focus purely on the use of an actor's body as an instrument.

Watch out for: Students might not share your passion and enthusiasm for the play! I recommend completing a foundation workshop into the Steven Berkoff technique first to help build the confidence in your young people's performance before they begin tackling the script.