Pigeons Schools Tour 2013
Workshop Ideas
We hope you and your students enjoyed seeing the Royal Court production of
Pigeons. This workshop pack sets out the structure of the post-show workshop
that we used in the schools we visited. The aim of the workshop is to allow an indepth exploration of the difficult issues raised by Pigeons. In case not all of your
students were able to attend the workshop or your school saw Pigeons livestreamed, we thought it might be helpful to have some practical exercises to try with
your students as follow-up to seeing the show.
Photograph: Tristram Kenton
Physical Warm Up:
Go, Stop, Clap, Hop
Ask the group to start walking around the room. When the leader calls out GO, the
group walks. When s/he says STOP, everyone stops. When s/he says CLAP,
everyone claps once and when s/he calls out HOP, each person does one small hop.
Repeat, varying the order and speed of the commands, until the group has
established a good rhythm. Then explain that the commands will now mean doing
one of the other instructions. So: GO means STOP, STOP means GO, CLAP means
HOP and HOP means CLAP. Ask them to start walking again and call out the 4
different commands, again varying the order and the speed. Allow students to
continue until they can do the opposite instructions easily.
Photograph: Tristram Kenton
Views of the Play:
Sliding Scale
This exercise is intended to give students a chance to discover their personal feelings
and viewpoints regarding the issues in the play. Explain that you will be reading out a
number of statements. The sentences are either about the play or lines taken
directly from the text. Ask them to imagine there is a long line numbered 1 to 10
running the length of the room. The number 10, which is at one end of the room,
signifies you strongly disagree with the statement. The number 1, which is at the
opposite end of room, means you strongly agree. The number 5, which is in the
middle, means you’re either unsure or neutral. When you read out each statement,
ask the students to stand at a point along the 1-10 scale according to how they feel
personally about the statement. Then, select a few students to say why they have
placed themselves where they have and why they might agree or disagree with the
sentence.
1. The play makes me feel uncomfortable.
2. Ashley and Amir (the two main boys in Pigeons) love each other.
3. Leah is a sket. (Ashley’s line from the play)
4. White boys are consigned to the scrap-heap. (Carl’s line from the play)
5. There will always be people like Carl and groups like the English Defence
League.
6. The play contains too much homophobic language.
7. Have you been outside lately? There’s no such thing as respect. There’s no
such thing as peace. (Amir’s line from the play)
Photograph: Tristram Kenton
Movement Exercise:
The Tribe
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Ask students to walk around the space.
Then ask them to add a sound.
And then a peculiar way of moving.
Begin to move towards others who have a similar sound or way of moving,
creating two or more groups or tribes.
Begin to move and make sounds as a tribe, combining all the group’s
elements.
Each tribe then creates the rituals of their tribe that depict: birth, a school
day, a party, death.
Link the 4 rituals together create one movement sequence.
Show each tribe’s movement sequence to the whole group.
Photograph: Tristram Kenton
Improvisation:
A Betrayal
Ask the students to organize themselves into groups of 4 or 5 and create a short
improvisation, set in a school, which begins with a stylized depiction of an attack.
Then, similar to the structure of the play, use flashback to show the story of the
betrayal which led up to that moment. Try to limit their planning time to 5 minutes
and then ask the groups to show their improvisations to the whole class.
Text As A Starting Point:
Why you scared now?
Ask the students to form new groups of 4 or 5. Using the line below from the first
scene of Pigeons, their task is to create a short performance in response to the line,
either involving the line itself or inspired by it.
What you hiding for? Scared? Weren't scared the other night. You were being well mouthy.
There was loads of us then. Why you scared now?
Show the pieces to the whole group and discuss any discoveries they made while
devising the performance or reactions they may have had as an audience while
watching the other groups.
Photograph: Tristram Kenton
Contact Us:
Royal Court Education
We’re more than happy to speak to you in more detail about any of these exercises.
Please contact the Royal Court Education Associate, Lynne Gagliano, either by email: lynnegagliano@royalcourttheatre or phone 020 7565 5174.
Pigeons Schools Tour workshop material devised by Pigeons Assistant Director
Rania Jumaily and Royal Court Education Associate Lynne Gagliano, November 2013.