Ideas
Heroism
Use these questions to help you discuss the topic and develop ideas for an improvisation.
Someone acts as a hero/heroine.
• What did he/she do that was heroic?
• Do we see the deed in the drama?
• How will the deed be presented? For example, freeze frame(s) with onlooker’s
commentary, brief improvisation, flashback or television report, etc?
• How can the drama show different people’s attitudes to the deed?
• Will the media be involved?
• Will there be interviews?
• Will the attention affect the hero/heroine in any way?
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• Will the attention affect the family of the hero/heroine or anyone else involved in
the deed, eg those rescued?
• Is there an event in the hero/heroine’s past that could discredit them?
• Who has this secret information?
• Will the information be leaked in any way?
• How will this affect people’s attitude to him/her?
• Can the drama include any other points about heroes/heroines? For example, the
difference between super heroes and ordinary heroes. What different types of
heroes/heroines are there? How do we celebrate heroism?
• Consider the values held by heroes/heroines in films/television. Do we imitate them?
Are there things we shouldn’t copy?
• Are pop stars/footballers/athletes/models, etc, heroes/heroines?
• How do they affect our lives?
• Are they good for us? Why?
• Can they cause problems? How? Can we cause problems? How?
• What are the advantages of having a public life? What are the disadvantages?
In certain aspects of this topic, it could be easy to stereotype.
• How will you avoid this?
• How can the role-on-the wall technique help here?
Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy
© Pearson Publishing Tel 01223 350555
1
Ideas
Loneliness
Use these questions to help you discuss the topic and develop ideas for an improvisation.
• How can you show loneliness through abstract form and movement?
• Can you show loneliness without speaking?
• Think carefully about the use of space. Areas on the stage can be representative.
Consider an old person who lives by him/herself.
• Create their present situation through freeze frames and brief improvisations.
Perhaps the improvisations could come to life from the freeze frames.
• Who does this person come into contact with?
• Recreate some of these brief scenes. Try to show people’s attitudes to the
old person.
• Try hot seating the old person to gain further information about him/her.
• How can you show the audience that this person is lonely?
• Can the drama show that there are many people who are lonely?
• Can a young person be lonely? Can you think of situations when this
might happen?
• Are there different types of loneliness?
• Can a person be lonely when there are people around?
Consider the lonely hearts club.
• Who attends?
• What do the attendees have in common?
• Will their visit lead to any sort of success?
If you attempt any drama on this subject be careful not to stereotype.
• How can you avoid stereotyping?
• How can you make the characters appeal to the audience?
• Think about trying the following character development exercises: role-on-the-wall,
hot seating, scenes outside the drama, offstage life, switching roles. Ask your teacher
to help.
• If someone is homeless, are they lonely? Can they find friendship?
• What sort of person would be homeless?
• A topic in this area would need a lot of research and a lot of character
development exercises.
Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy
© Pearson Publishing Tel 01223 350555
2
Ideas
Power
Use these questions to help you discuss the topic and develop ideas for an improvisation.
Consider physical and mental power.
• Can you show examples of both?
• How can you symbolise power?
• What structures are there at work that indicate power?
• Are there power structures at school?
• Who are the most powerful people in the country?
• What sort of power does the media have?
• How can the media disrupt or change people’s lives?
• Do people believe everything they read in the press?
• Who is in charge of the reporters – the newsreader or the editor?
• Who makes the decisions as to what is on the news or in the newspapers?
• Who has power over you? Consider parents/carer, teachers, examiners,
boyfriend/girlfriend.
• How are you influenced by your peer group?
• Who do you think has the most power over you?
• Can you create a piece of abstract drama that shows different people with power
over you? Perhaps use levels that represent how much power they have.
• What happens when power is challenged?
• How do people behave after they have lost power?
• Why do people want power?
• Can you create a drama that shows someone trying to attain power? What happens
on the way? Do people’s attitudes to them change?
• What are the person’s feelings as they gain more and more power? How can you
show these feelings through drama?
Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy
© Pearson Publishing Tel 01223 350555
3
Ideas
Wealth
Use these questions to help you discuss the topic and develop ideas for an improvisation.
Imagine winning a lot of money.
• How would you win it?
• Could you show the win in a brief improvisation? At the point when you win,
change the action to slow motion, and perhaps finish with a freeze frame.
• How would you spend the money? How could you show this for example, using
freeze frames or interviews?
• Would your attitude to people change?
• Would people’s attitudes to you change? What drama form might you use to
show something on people’s attitudes? Could you show something through
abstract form?
• What would happen if you lost all the money?
• How could you show how you felt, eg soliloquy or interview?
• Would hot seating help you develop the character’s thoughts?
• What sort of background does the character come from?
• Create a role-on-the wall.
• What can money not buy? For example, friendship, ability at sport?
• What happens if you try to buy these sort of things?
• What are the different ways of gambling?
• Can you create a sequence that shows six or seven ways?
• What are the highs of gambling?
• What are the lows of gambling?
• What sort of person gambles?
• What are the moral aspects of gambling?
• Who earns a living from gambling? What are their opinions?
• Are there any ways in which we are encouraged to gamble?
• What are the effects on the family of a gambler? Can you create a brief
improvisation to show one?
• Do we always gamble for money?
• Are there other ways in which we take a chance?
Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy
© Pearson Publishing Tel 01223 350555
4
Ideas
The visitor
Use these questions to help you discuss the topic and develop ideas for an improvisation.
• Who is the visitor?
• Where does the visitor come from?
• Who has the visitor come to see?
• How do they enter?
• Is the visitor unexpected?
• Who is present when the visitor arrives?
• Who is affected by the visit?
• Can you show consequences of the visit?
• Are flashbacks appropriate?
• Will the visitor come again?
Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy
© Pearson Publishing Tel 01223 350555
5