Skills & Knowledge: Devising, narration, physical theatre, storytelling

Location: Outdoors (around school site, on school field).

Context: Suburban school

Pupils will devise a performance based on real stories and imagined futures that address the climate crisis. They will explore environmental themes using Verbatim Theatre and Physical Theatre, culminating in a performance aimed at raising awareness.

Title: "My Connection to the Land"

Task:
Homework Task: My Connection to the Land

Bring in an image that shows your personal connection to the land or nature. This could be:

• A photo of a place you love or grew up in

• A natural scene that brings you peace or pride

• Somewhere that connects to your culture, identity, or memories

Be ready to explain:

• What the image shows

• Why you chose it

• How it connects to you or your identity

• How you feel this image might be used in a drama performance about the climate

Purpose:
We will use these images as inspiration to create characters and scenes that reflect personal and emotional connections to the environment. Your image will help shape your voice in our performance.

How do we bring Image to Stage? – Creating Our Own Land Stories

LO:

• Use personal images as drama stimuli or have examples if needed

• Explore how physicality and voice can communicate memory and place

• Begin devising a short group performance

Task

• In small groups, students share the image they brought for homework- collaborative pedagogy- working together to start building the piece.

• Each student briefly explains:

  • What the image is

  • Why this place matters

  • A memory or feeling it evokes

Freeze Frame Solo Moment

• Each student creates a new freeze frame based on their image

• Encourage them to use gesture, facial expression, and levels

• Group Devising Begins

• Groups of 3–4 combine their images into a collective story

• Create a short sceneincluding:

  • Three freeze frames

  • One or more voiceovers (pupils narrate their lines)

  • Emotional development (e.g. calm, conflict, resolution)

Support Questions

• How can we show a journey through these places?

• What links our images together?

• How can sound or stillness enhance the meaning?

  Peer Sharing & Feedback

• Groups show their freeze frame sequence with Narration

• Audience offers 2 stars and a wish (what worked well, what to develop next) WWW & EBI

LO:

• Use interview quotes to create and perform a piece of Verbatim Theatre exploring climate change or crisis.

Starter

• In groups, share the interview quotes collected for homework (family member or friend’s view on climate change or land crisis). -dialogical pedagogy- learning about climate change through the opinions of family and friends through building the script.

Main Task Rehearsal

• Include:

  • Exact words from your interviews

  • Movement or still images

  • A clear message or emotional tone

• Groups rehearse and refine their piece

Final Performance

• Groups perform their final Verbatim pieces to the class

• Encourage focus, listening, and respectful attention reinforcing respect and expectations in performance spaces

LO:

• Understand Verbatim Theatre

• Explore how drama can raise awareness about climate change

• Use real voices and physical theatre to create a short climate-themed scene

Activities:

What Is Verbatim Theatre?

• Define it together: “Verbatim Theatre is a form of documentary theatre that uses the exact words spoken by real people.”

• Show a short video clip form the website "acting on climate change"

  Questions

  • Why use real voices in drama?

  • How does it feel different from fiction?

Task 1 Voice Snippets – Real Stories

• Provide students with short verbatim quotes about climate change (can include Greta Thunberg, farmers, schoolchildren)- liberationist pedagogy- focusing on activism and awareness by using verbatim.

• In pairs, practice saying the quote aloud with emotion and clarity

• Add a still image or movement to accompany the line
  Example: One student says “We’ve lost our land to flooding…” while another performs slow, collapsing movement

Task 2 Group Devising – Climate Scene

• In small groups, select 3–4 quotes that link together thematically

• Develop a short Verbatim performance (1–2 mins) that includes:

  • A sequence of quotes

  • Simple physical theatre or stylised movement

  • A clear message (e.g., warning, empathy, call to action)

Optional Structure:

1. Opening freeze with overlapping quotes

2. Movement sequence showing climate impact (e.g., flood, fire, displacement)

3. Final image with unified line or choral speaking

Share & Reflect

• Share a few group performances

• Discuss:

  • How did using real words change the way you performed?

  • What emotions came through in the scene?

  • What do we want the audience to feel or do?

LO:

• Understand how land can shape identity and memory

• Explore others' stories of land through images and text

• Reflect on your own connection to a place

• Starter: Class discussion using the "Land Stories" example image as a whole class

• Small group reading/discussion of different examples- social constructivist pedagogy to develop understanding through interaction and hearing different opinions

• What places are important to us? Why?

• Short reflection task: “This land is valuable to me because…” share back each group in discussion

After this we look at putting on stage.

• Each student creates a freeze frame that represents their sentence

• In small groups (4-5 people), share freeze frames and choose one to develop

• Add a narrated line (their sentence) to bring the freeze frame to life

• Rehearse saying the line while the freeze frame is held

Performance

• Students share their narrated freeze frames with the class

• Encourage stillness, clarity of narration, and emotional tone

Plenary (5 mins):

• Reflect:

  • “What did we learn about each other?”

  • “How can land hold memories and stories?”

• Throughout the week, bring in as many pieces of recycling as possible- these are worth house points and whoever brings in the most will get a prize. You will use your recycling in Art to create pieces of set and costume to accompany your piece of drama, making to the artwork more environmentally friendly- these can reused

• In PE, you will create a piece of dance to put into your drama piece, make sure you rehearse at home so you remember for next lesson.

• Now that you have created the physical elements of your performance, you need to think about the vocal.

• Throughout the week, at home, interview as many family members, neighbours, friends as possible about their thoughts on climate change. this will form the script for your piece which you will create in your groups in lesson 4.