TEACHERS' NOTES
WELCOME!
Welcome to ‘The Loserville Relationship Academy’!
This resource explores many of the challenges that the young cast
experience in the show and how these relate to 12-16 year olds today.
These workshops will help students with the skills they need to manage
relationships, bullying and discrimination and the general social and
moral dilemmas of teenage life.
The Pre-show workshop
This 40 minute lesson includes a pre-show taster to help students
become familiar with the characters. After drawing out their
perceptions of them, students are then asked to write a short
description of a classmate, similar to the thumbnail sketches of the cast.
They discuss the challenges involved in doing this and how hard it is to
summarise another person.
After the show, there are four PSHEE workshops that will test their
views on the characters and their approaches to life’s challenges. These are:
Loyalty Vs Ambition
Here students look into the dilemmas faced by Lucas and Holly in the show – Lucas wants to
get his book published and Holly doesn’t want the photos to risk her application to the
science programme. Students are presented with their own moral dilemma, consider how it
feels to be a victim and discover how they can demonstrate loyalty to various groups of
people.
Mates and Soulmates
This workshop looks at Lucas and Michael’s journey before Holly enters their lives. It explores
how changes in relationships can cause strong emotions and hostility. Students discuss how
they can achieve balance in their various relationships and the true value of friendship.
What’s so weird about me?
Here students discuss stereotypes using the ‘geeks and ‘jocks’ from the show and determine
the effect of celebrity culture on society and whether it influences their idea of perfect.
The Loserville Relationship Academy – Teachers’ Notes | 2
There’s also an additional ICT and communication unit to explore:
Jst tlk 2 me
This explores the evolution of communication over three decades, the impact of social media
on communication and explores the question: ‘Does more communication mean we are
better communicators?’
This pack contains:




Background information on the show
Speakers’ notes to support the workshops
Curriculum/exam specification links
Six worksheets
You will need:



A computer
An audio system
An interactive whiteboard
The Loserville Relationship Academy – Teachers’ Notes | 3
INTRODUCTION TO LOSERVILLE
The Story
It's 1971. Michael Dork may be a computer geek but he's invented something that could change the
world. He's also discovered GIRLS: a prospect (almost) as exciting as his love of binary.
Holly is THE girl: she has looks and brains and wants to be the first woman in space - well, this is 1971!
But will she want Michael?
Eddie wants a fast ride to the top and doesn't care who gets trampled along the way.
Leia just wants Eddie. Or Eddie's babies - well, she thinks she does.
Michael, and his sci-fi obsessed, social-misfit friends, Lucas, Francis and Marvin are all set to change the
course of history, fashion and dating - in no particular order, but just as soon as possible, especially the
dating bit.
Loserville is a new musical written by Elliot Davis and James Bourne (inspired by his Son of Dork album
‘Welcome to Loserville’).
The Characters
Michael Dork
Passionate and energetic whose confidence and self-belief grows through the piece. A genius
yet to be discovered. Witty without knowing it. He has accepted the way other kids treat him
as a misfit and learnt to focus on what’s important to him.
Lucas Lloyd
A globally successful writer in the making. Science fiction obsessed. Advisor, council and life-long
best friend of Michael Dork. Believes his writing will lead to success with women.
Francis Wier
Sci-fi obsessed. A future fashion guru in the making. Mum still sews cub scout badgers on his
sweater which he wears as a fashion statement. Has memorised a book of the best chat up
lines ever spoken as an aid to getting on with girls. Best friends with Marvin who together
hang with Michael and Lucas.
The Loserville Relationship Academy – Teachers’ Notes | 4
Marvin Camden
Sci-fi obsessed. Best friend of Francis. Warm hearted and loyal to his friends. Accepted that
others think he is weird. Happy with his place as a geek in the world.
Holly Manson
Brilliantly clever and very beautiful. She struggles with how people see her only as a pretty girl
without taking her academic and scientific ambitions seriously. Passionate, ambitious and
strong willed.
Eddie Arch
Son of the richest and most powerful man in town. Great looking guy with all the confidence
and arrogance that might bring. A hit with the women. A bully, picking on those who are
weaker and who he thinks are inferior. Eddie has had it easy but, not being terribly selfanalytical, would not know this or let this dent his confident outlook.
Leia Dawkins
Girlfriend to Eddie. Cheerleader and all round society girl. Has worked out her priorities in life
as getting married, having kids and being a good wife (in contrast to Holly’s ambitions.) Is
forced to reassess everything during the play exposing a Leia that even she did not know
existed.
The Loserville Relationship Academy – Teachers’ Notes | 5
SPEAKERS' NOTES
'The Pre-show'
Slide
1.
Speakers’ Notes
For a taster of Loserville the Musical, click on the
video in the screen.
Now you’ve had a taster of the show, this slide
allows you and your class to find out more about
the lead characters.
Interactive slide: Using the on-screen arrow, work
through the 7 character descriptions located at the
bottom of the screen. Read each description
together, as a class and click on the character which
you feel matches that description. If you are right,
you’ll hear a riff sound and the character’s name
will appear above the image. If you’re wrong, a
cross will appear. Work through each description
until each character is identified. Here are the
correct character descriptions:
2.
-
Michael Dork (Yellow shirt)- Passionate and
energetic whose confidence and self-belief grows
through the piece. A genius yet to be discovered.
Witty without knowing it. He has accepted the way
other kids treat him as a misfit
and learnt to focus on what’s important to him.
-
Lucas Lloyd (Green trousers)- A globally successful
writer in the making. Science fiction obsessed.
Advisor, council and life-long best friend of Michael
Dork. Believes his writing will lead to success with
women.
-
Francis Wier (Purple and black striped t-shirt)- Sci-fi
obsessed. A future fashion guru in the making. Mum
still sews cub scout badges on his sweater which he
The Loserville Relationship Academy – Teachers’ Notes | 6
wears as a fashion statement. Has memorised a
book of the best chat up lines ever spoken as an aid
to getting on with girls. Best friends with Marvin who
together hang with Michael and Lucas.
-
Marvin Camden (Blue shoes)- Sci-fi obsessed. Best
friend of Francis. Warm hearted and loyal to his
friends. Accepted that others think he is weird.
Happy with his place as a geek in the world.
-
Holly Manson (Blue cardigan)- Brilliantly clever and
very beautiful. She struggles with how people see her
only as a pretty girl without taking her academic and
scientific ambitions seriously. Passionate, ambitious
and strong willed.
-
Eddie Arch (red shoes)- Son of the richest and most
powerful man in town. Great looking guy with all the
confidence and arrogance that might bring. A hit
with the women. A bully, picking on those who are
weaker and who he thinks are inferior. Eddie has had
it easy but, not being terribly self-analytical, would
not know this or let this dent his confident outlook.
-
Leia Dawkins - Girlfriend to Eddie. Cheerleader and
all round society girl. Has worked out her priorities in
life as getting married, having kids and being a good
wife (in contrast to Holly’s ambitions.) Is forced to
reassess everything during the play exposing a Leia
that even she did not know existed.
Discussion: Which character appeals to you the
most after reading the synopses?
Using the screen and Worksheet 1, ask students;
which character is the most likely to…?
3.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
…be bullied for being smart?
…be the bully?
…be the most desirable male and female?
…be the least smart?
…be your best mate? Why?
…be the most successful? Why?
Ask the class to write a similar, short description of
someone they know in the classroom. Can their
classmates guess who they’ve written about?
Encourage them to think about:
1. How would you identify them?
2. What is their character like?
3. How do they perceive themselves?
The Loserville Relationship Academy – Teachers’ Notes | 7
Select a number of students to read their
descriptions out – how hard was it for them to
decide what to say about their person? What
important information did they leave out?
Why did they choose not to include this? Do they
feel they could write a clearer, more truthful
description if they had interviewed them first?
Did they have to make judgments of them to do this
exercise?
4.
During the show, ask students to consider the
questions on the screen carefully. This will help set
the scene for the other workshops available on
www.loservilleacademy.com.
These are also found on Worksheet 2.
Students must pick their favourite character before
answering questions 3 and 6.
The Loserville Relationship Academy – Teachers’ Notes | 8
'Loyalty Vs. Ambition'
Slide
1.
Speakers’ Notes
Play the video to remind the class of Lucas and Holly’s
dilemmas in the show.
Do they choose loyalty or ambition?
Ask students: What are your ambitions? How far
would you go to achieve them? Present the class with
this scenario:
Activity: Your dilemma - Imagine you meet someone
at a party, who can offer you the job/house/holiday of
your dreams but with one catch - you’d have to betray
someone important to you to achieve it.
2.
In a group of 4, ask them to think of a possible
scenario that relates to the dilemma above and to
share their ideas with the class.
Discussion: How do you hurt the victim? Would you
have more satisfaction if your dream
job/house/holiday was achieved in more moral
circumstances? Why, why not?
Ask students; What was Holly’s dilemma in the story?
and discuss the following:
Discussion:
3.
 Can you think about a time when you were the
victim like Michael?
 How did it feel?
 Does having a guaranteed positive outcome mean
that it’s ok to deceive someone in the short term?
Activity: Think of three examples of Loyalty Vs.
Ambition that have been present in the media over
the last 6 months. Who were the deceivers and the
victims?
The Loserville Relationship Academy – Teachers’ Notes | 9
Play the video to hear Michael and Holly singing
‘You’re not alone’.
Encourage the students to think about how they
demonstrate their loyalty to their;
4.




Best friend
Girlfriend/boyfriend
Parent/guardian
Employer?
Ask; Do we always show loyalty in the same way?
Homework/extension work (English cross-curricular
activity): Using the internet, list 5 famous betrayals or
demonstrations of loyalty from various fictional texts.
The Loserville Relationship Academy – Teachers’ Notes | 10
'Mates and Soulmates'
Slide
1.
Speakers’ Notes
Watch the video to hear the actors that play
Lucas, Michael, Marvin and Francis discussing
their onstage friendships.
Look at the cartoon strip with your class and
recap on what happens in each scene. Interactive
slide: Click on each scene to reveal the story:
1) It’s clear that when Holly first arrives in school
that Lucas wants to date her.
2) It was only when Michael wins truth or dare
that he gets the opportunity to ask her out first.
3) When Michael asks Lucas how he feels about
it, Lucas reassures him of his support and
continuing friendship.
2.
4) Holly and Michael’s relationship starts to
blossom after a date in the planetarium.
5) Lucas starts to feel pushed out and rejected as
Michael and Holly spend more time together
leaving him lonely and angry about the situation.
6) This becomes the driving force that leads to his
deceit, and ambition overtakes his loyalty towards
Michael.
Activity: What would have prevented Lucas from
jeopardising his friendship with Michael? Was it
Michael’s fault for falling in love, Holly’s for being
so dedicated to helping Michael achieve his
ambition or Lucas’s fault for not understanding his
friend’s feelings? Do they all have a role to play
and are there other factors involved?
The Loserville Relationship Academy – Teachers’ Notes | 11
Ask students to rewrite the scenes between the
three characters to create a more positive
outcome by filling in the blank speech bubbles on
Worksheet 3.
Discussion: Should they have all changed their
behaviours? Why/why not? How?
3.
Whiteboard activity: Using the cartoon strip and
class discussion, ask that students think about
how they can achieve a balance and
understanding between their various
relationships.
To summarise, discuss the importance of
friendships and the need to sustain them.
4.
Activity: Think about a good friend and write
down three ways in which they’ve supported you
over the last year. Can you think of how you’ve
supported them?
The Loserville Relationship Academy – Teachers’ Notes | 12
‘What’s so weird about me?’
Slide
1.
Speakers’ notes
Play the video to see the cast performing ‘What’s so
weird about me?’
Discussion: Michael, Lucas, Marvin and Francis are not
ashamed to be geeks…why should they?
2.
Ask students to compare the two images of the geeks
and the jocks. Ask; what stereotypes are present here?
Why do those of similar interests form groups?
Think about you and your friends, do you fit into any of
these stereotypes? If not, does that make you weird!?
Talk about the transition of Samantha throughout the
show and how she felt she had to conform in order to
be popular.
Is being perfect just about how you look? Who do you
think is perfect and why?
3.
Set students the task of writing a short biography about
their perfect person (real or imaginary). Describe their
personality and looks, their life experience and why
they are perfect (see Worksheet 4).
Why is everyone’s idea of perfect different? Is that good
or bad? Why?
The next slide helps you explore with your class what
influences our ideas of ‘normal’ in our society.
The Loserville Relationship Academy – Teachers’ Notes | 13
Recap with students why Eddie thinks he can be
famous. Why does he want to become famous?
Discussion: Ask the class; How has celebrity culture and
the ambition to be famous influenced how we feel about
ourselves?
4.
Think about:
 Do you need to be talented to be famous?
 What is a healthy body image?
 Can you really be ‘cursed with brains and looks’
aren’t they the luckiest of all people?
Does celebrity culture affect how we treat others?
Discuss how feeling comfortable about who you are,
isn’t about gaining credibility from others but being
yourself. It’s also about knowing what’s important.
5.
Using Worksheet 5, describe what and who is
important in your life and what gives you self- esteem.
The Loserville Relationship Academy – Teachers’ Notes | 14
‘Jst tlk 2 me’
Slide
1.
Speakers’ notes
Play the video to hear the cast discussing the possible
impact that social media and modern communication
would have had on their friendships and hear them
singing ‘Living in the Future Now’.
Now you’re ready to move onto Slide 2.
How has communication changed since the 1970’s
(students can use the internet if needed)?
Using Worksheet 6, look at each object from the 70’s and
think of their equivalent(s) today.
2.
Do we have better forms of communication now?
Why/why not?
Activity: How have these new forms of communication
helped our personal and professional relationships?
Does the introduction of more ways of communication
mean we are better communicators?
Debate: What impact has social media had on our
relationships? Think about:
3.
@ immediacy of social media messages and how
that influences day to day life/arrangements
@ Impact on daily routines and plans and the
pressure to be constantly in touch
@ Financial implications
@ Effect on your family life
@ Cyber bullying and trolling
How would our lives be different without it? What if you
didn’t have social media or mobile phones, how would
you cope? Is exclusion more public?
4.
Activity: Using your discussion as inspiration, invent a
new website or app that will overcome many of the
The Loserville Relationship Academy – Teachers’ Notes | 15
problems associated with social media.
Think about:
@ How it will encourage more personal interaction
@ How it may reduce online bullying
@ it could reduce exclusion among those that aren’t
technology-savvy (i.e. is it easy to use?)
How it will improve relationships with both family and
friends.
The Loserville Relationship Academy – Teachers’ Notes | 16
CURRICULUM LINKS (Key Stage 3 and 4)
PSHEE
1.1 Personal identities
a. Understanding that identity is affected by a range of factors, including a positive sense of self.
b. Recognising that the way in which personal qualities, attitudes, skills and achievements are
evaluated affects confidence and self-esteem.
c. Understanding that self-esteem can change with personal circumstances, such as those
associated with family and friendships, achievement and employment.
1.4 Relationships
a. Understanding that relationships affect everything we do in our lives and that relationship
skills have to be learnt and practised.
b. Understanding that people have multiple roles and responsibilities in society and that making
positive relationships and contributing to groups, teams and communities is important.
c. Understanding that relationships can cause strong feelings and emotions.
1.5 Diversity
a. Appreciating that, in our communities, there are similarities as well as differences between
people of different race, religion, culture, ability or disability, gender, age or sexual orientation.
b. Understanding that all forms of prejudice and discrimination must be challenged at every level
in our lives.
CITIZENSHIP
1.2 Rights and responsibilities
a. Exploring different kinds of rights and obligations and how these affect both individuals and
communities.
b. Understanding that individuals, organisations and governments have responsibilities to
ensure that rights are balanced, supported and protected.
c. Investigating ways in which rights can compete and conflict, and understanding.
The Loserville Relationship Academy – Teachers’ Notes | 17
Booking a show…
"a bright bouncy book-show"
- The Guardian
"Rocking, rollicking, poster-bright, high-energy fun"
- The Observer
"A brilliant company of vibrant young talent"
- The Stage
To increase the impact of the issues discussed in this resource and for a greater understanding and
appreciation of the characters, you may wish to arrange for your class or form to see Loserville the
Musical.
To book school tickets, please visit: www.loservillethemusical.com
The Loserville Relationship Academy – Teachers’ Notes | 18