1. Devising & verbatim theatre
A Level Scheme

2. For Discussion
What do you consider are the implications/ moral considerations of using real stories and people’s actual words in performance work?

3. Consider
Do you think using real stories and actual people’s quotes within the work is going to make the piece more ‘real’ or more ‘truthful’?

4. Plenary discussion Lesson 2
Did the pieces have more impact because they were connected to something ‘real’?
Did the stimulus article provide an easy route to devise work from?
How else could the quote be used to the way you used it?
What else would you develop if the piece had to last for double the length?
What about if the work had to form a full theatre piece of 40 minutes+ - what would you do to develop the work and what might the extended piece look like?

5. Lesson 3 starter discussion
What came out of the work? What was unexpectedly effective/ engaging?
Why do rumours spread and get exaggerated?
How can rumours spread out of control?
What can the consequences be?

6. Protest / riot devised sequence
What came out of the work? What was unexpectedly effective/ engaging?
What are the defining features of a protest?
What is the difference between a protest and a riot?
Why do protests occur?
Why do riots within protests sometimes occur?

7. Reflect
Imagine if you had to put a piece together on someone in this school/institution who you know has faced something difficult in their life.
What would be the considerations you would face in using that person as an inspiration?
Do they have to agree for you to use their life as the centre of a piece of performance work?
If they do agree, does it mean they have a say in the final outcome?
What if they don’t like the outcome, but you are very proud of it and others who have seen it think it is highly effective, would you change it?
If you use their real words, can you edit them in any way?

8. Verbatim theatre – some background on the form/ technique
Verbatim theatre is a form of documentary theatre that employs material from the real lives of the people interviewed which give it its dramatic shape.
It is theatre that claims a degree of authority and truth, akin to that represented by the news. Highly popular today as a way of developing material for theatrical performance, it is not a new phenomenon however.
The first emergence of verbatim in any form was of the ‘Living Newspapers’ – first performed in Britain in 1935, with performances intended to communicate the ‘truth behind the headlines’.
By the early 1960s, this had developed into regional Documentary Theatre and Documentary Musicals.
The purpose of verbatim theatre is to provide a platform for the silent or marginalised in society and to provide an audience who are prepared to listen. There’s more to explore on verbatim theatre – from articles and books, to theatre companies and work you could go and see right now. Explore and see what else you can discover…

9. Consider and discuss your thoughts on these quotes on verbatim theatre.
"a form of theatre in which audiences perceive that they are getting at some kind of hidden 'truth'”
‘Maybe pure verbatim theatre is less creative, but it lets people speak for themselves.’
‘One of the strengths of verbatim is the sort of rich text you just couldn’t make up’
‘At a time when there is enormous public scepticism not only about politics but about the media, verbatim theatre can offer a source of (relatively) uncontaminated truth’

10. Starter Extension
Match the headlines to the papers –which headlines belong with which papers?
Look at the words in the headlines - what associations do these words have?
Can you think of other words the headline writers could have used and why they have chosen the words they did?
Which of the headlines is the most emotive?
Which is the most neutral/balanced?

11. For discussion Did continuing media coverage fuel the riots?
According to research, some who joined the uprising heard about the riots via pictures on television news – more than Twitter, texts, Facebook etc. Some rioters also said the dramatic nature of the TV coverage tempted them to get involved with the unrest/riots.
Do you think the media, in covering major stories, sensationalise them?
What about using video images – is this modern trend useful or does it create problems and fuel problems?

12. Discussion linked to research and own opinion
What types of sentences serve as deterrents for criminals?
Were the ones handed out that you have researched fair?