Course Preparation Work

We will study the play Lungs (Duncan Macmillan, 2008).

Here’s a basic plot summary:

A young couple considers parenthood. They want to have a child for the right reasons. But, in a time of global anxiety, erratic weather and political unrest, what exactly are the right reasons?

‘I could fly to New York and back every day for seven years and still not leave a carbon footprint as big as if I have a child. Ten thousand tonnes of CO2. That’s the weight of the Eiffel Tower. I’d be giving birth to the Eiffel Tower.’

TASK 1:

Watch the short film below, in which the actors, Claire Foy and Matt Smith, director Matthew Warchus and writer, Duncan MacMillan are interviewed. Make some notes on the following:-

• What do you learn about the play’s meaning?

• What instructions does Macmillan give about how his play should/should not be staged?

• How did the play make its journey from the written page to a star studded production in London’s Old Vic Theatre?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYp9KwSoFwo

TASK 2:

We will use the style of Frantic Assembly dance theatre to explore Lungs in a practical way. To help prepare for this, we’d like you to find a few minutes’ long clip of Frantic Assembly performance. Watch it and consider Frantic’s use of style. How would you describe it? What is the effect of the piece on you, the viewer? What meaning does it communicate to you? Make some notes to submit to your teacher and be prepared to discuss in class and add the link to the clip so that you can show it also. You will find examples on YouTube and/or on Frantic Assembly’s website: (https://franticassembly.co.uk/). Try and find an example of the company Frantic Assembly in action, rather than other actors/companies performing their style.

TASK 3:

At A Level in Drama, you will watch a wide variety of theatre, both live and digital and draw influence from what you’ve seen to inspire both your practical and written work. To prepare you for this, we’d like you to watch a production on The National Theatre digital website, make notes on it and record these as a review and supported by any visual images from the production which you can annotate. Productions which we’d recommend include Small Island, The Deep Blue Sea and A Streetcar Named Desire, but you can choose any that you like the look of on the site. Please watch something which you haven’t seen before.

Once you arrive at college in September, you will be given login details for your college email address. Please then look for an email with our login details for The National Theatre digital website for you to complete Task 3.

Please make sure to include the following in your live theatre response:

• Images from the production

• Factual information: director, theatre company, actors’ names

• Notes on memorable moments in the production, with details of the acting (examples of physical, vocal and spatial skills) and the uses of design elements (set, costume, light, sound).

We very much look forward to receiving your work.