Reading Stolen

Learning intention

This activity aims to help you prepare your theatrical knowledge of the play's characters and setting based on the beginning notes from Harrison in the script.

Materials

• A logbook or something to draw set design with and on.

• If attempting the extension task, a ruler to measure scale.

Instructions

Before working with a play script, it is also important to read any notes provided by the playwright on production elements and how they might work in the script. You might wish to complete one or both parts of the following activity to help prepare your knowledge of Stolen.

• Read 'Characters' at the beginning of the script.

  • • Review p 34 of Teaching First Nations Content and Concepts in the Drama Classroom on Ilbijerri Theatre Company's education webpage, and discuss what is appropriate and not appropriate when learning about and performing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander characters in the school classroom. Note: your teacher may wish to review this with the whole class.

    • Discuss what details we are given and how they might be important for theatre makers wanting to learn about the experiences of the characters based on the real experiences of children in The Stolen Generations.

    • Discuss the acting skills (vocal and physical) the 5 actors would need in order to play all of the different parts outlined here.

• Read 'Setting' at the beginning of the script.

  • • In small groups of 2 or 3, or individually, draw your interpretation of the set of Stolen with all of its features and props.

    • Make sure your set design is functional with appropriate entrances and exits for the actors, as well as enough room to stage scenes.

    • As you read the rest of the play, you may wish to put aside a later lesson to revisit your design and make adjustments or changes to your staging of the play in terms of production elements. Note: discuss with your teacher in which lesson you might have some time to do this.

Extension: draw your design to scale. You may wish to base your design on a performance space you have visited or that you use in your school.

Learning intention

In the next couple of lessons, you will read sections of the play Stolen by Jane Harrison. The goal is to not only understand the words on the page, but to experiment with staging, apply culturally safe practices, and use acting choices and elements of drama to create a deep understanding of the script and the experiences of the characters.

Instructions

It is important to treat people's lived experiences with respect. For guidance on how to do this with Jane Harrison's Stolen, you might want to review p 34 of Teaching First Nations Content and Concepts in the Drama Classroom on Ilbijerri Theatre Company's education webpage, and discuss what is appropriate and not appropriate when learning about and performing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander characters in the school classroom. Note: your teacher may wish to review this with the whole class.

You will work more closely with particular scenes once you have read the play. For now, use the following suggestions to negotiate with your teacher how you can approach your first reading.

• Read and discuss the play as a class in a circle.

  • • Form a circle with your copies of the play.

    • Take turns moving into the circle and improvising physical choices as you read the characters' lines. 

    • Pause and discuss these choices if there are complex moments or moments that require consent between actors.

    • To build confidence – start by just using your voice and reading the parts in the circle before you move into the centre.

• Read for homework.

  • • You may not have time to read every part as a class. If so, your class or teacher might decide which scenes to read for homework.

    • When reading a script by yourself, still try to read the lines out loud and even act them out in front of the mirror. Practising these acting decisions as a form of emotional understanding can help us consider how actors tell these important stories to audiences.

• Considering preliminary design for a scene.

  • • Set – sketch out or block how set change and elements would look in a space.

    • Costume and props – use placeholder costume and props and make acting decisions with them in your reading.

    • Sound – consider sound manipulation and staging for the play (including voiceover).

    • Lighting – experiment with lighting. Hint: you don't need a lighting rig to try this; consider how torches, light switches and curtains might be used to effect.

    • Space – play with space and audience layout. For example, how might theatre in the round staging change the decisions and meaning of the play?

• Read a sequence of scenes in small groups, then report back.

  • • Read a scene or sequence of scenes in a smaller group.

    • Reconvene as a class and discuss the scene within the wider context of the play.

    • You may wish to focus your discussion on the Australian Drama and Theatre (Core Study) rubric, particularly the 'various ways in which artistic, cultural, social, political and personal issues and concerns are reflected in different contexts' (NESA, 2023).

• Read, reflect and write about a scene.

  • • After reading a scene, take the time to write down your learning as experiential evidence. This knowledge will be useful to you when completing longer responses and drama essays on the play (for example, in written examinations).

    • Describe the key moment of performance using a quotation from the script or your own words. (1 to 2 sentences)

    • Explain what was the same, and what was different, about the way you read and performed the scene. In your explanation, incorporate the elements of drama and production to explore different aspects of your performance. (3 to 4 sentences)

    • Reflect on the audience (or your own) reaction to your performance of the scene. Did you engage the audience? Did you communicate the important message of the characters' experiences in the moment? Why or why not? (1 to 2 sentences)

    • You may wish to focus your reflective writing on the Australian Drama and Theatre (Core Study) rubric, particularly the 'various ways in which artistic, cultural, social, political and personal issues and concerns are reflected in different contexts' (NESA, 2023). You could do this by incorporating some of the contextual knowledge you have learned about the characters' experiences in Stolen.

Archival performance of Stolen

After you have developed your drama reading skills with the above strategies, your teacher might organise the opportunity for you to access the Riverside's National Theatre of Parramatta production of Stolen from 2016. There is a digital ticket price involved and information is available on the National Theatre of Parramatta's website.

Production stills from Stolen

Alternatively, you might access the 8 production stills on the Malthouse Theatre website from the 1998 Ilbijerri and Playbox Theatre Company co-production of Stolen. You could try matching each production photo to a scene from Harrison's script. 

Please note that the provided reading/viewing material links are a suggestion only and implies no endorsement, by the New South Wales Department of Education, of any author, publisher, or book title. School principals and teachers are best placed to assess the suitability of resources that would complement the curriculum and reflect the needs and interests of their students.​​ More information is available for considering text choices for your school in The texts used in classrooms.