Playwriting workshops as part of the devising process

The aim of this scheme of work is to provide an alternative way of approaching devising work for the Edexcel A2 Unit 3 based on playwriting tools. The scheme has been influenced by participation in the New Views playwriting project for 15-19 year olds at the National Theatre, run by Mark Londesborough (Secondary Education Co-ordinator) where teachers are trained to support students writing their own plays. The same approach is suitable for Edexcel GCSE Unit 3 as part of the ‘third way’ type of group performance projects, which have become increasingly more text based.

So much devised work these days in both schools and the professional theatre are adaptations, rather than truly original works. Plays can provide not only the stimuli, but the model on which to base devised work. So, perhaps, rather than explore a theme or genre from an abstract set of pictures, music and poems, the time has come to turn to plays as the primary catalyst for devised work.

Number of lessons: 6