Legal Notice Charity No. SCO21724
The Armchair War
A day-long event, led by actor/teachers that examines issues, themes and experiences of living on the Home Front during World War Two.
Through performance and drama-related activities (such as role-play and improvisation) students explore dramatic scenarios and techniques. Whilst always aiming to be fun, Armchair War focuses on a pupil’s own creative experience, sense of investigative enquiry and exploration to drive the piece forward.
Armchair War 2007 took place between January & March. Schools from 5 local authorities took part – Inverclyde, East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire, West Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire.
Actor-teachers presented a series of rehearsed short scenes inspired by real-life events for British and German civilians during World War 2. These mini-dramas included stories of heroism from the war front and their implications back home, rationing and the black-market, spies in our midst and the realities of bombings and air-raids. These scenes placed human dilemmas and emotional and intellectual conflicts at their centre. Props and costumes from the period were used to make the experience as realistic as possible.
“I enjoyed it very much because we didn’t just sit and watch you do something – we got involved” Pupil response – Glebe Primary
The pupils interact with the scenes and ask the characters questions about the decisions they make and why. Students can alter a decision that has been acted out to see what happens when a character takes another course of action. They can also step into the scene and improvise with characters to show what they might have done had they found themselves in a similar position. These scenes act as a springboard for young people to discover similarities between the human dilemmas of the period and issues we face today.
Armchair War acts as an arts-education activity for young people but also inspires teachers to appreciate the potential of drama as a learning tool. The Company’s workshops and comprehensive teaching resources give concrete ideas and practical drama-related sessions that teachers can use in the classroom with their students at later date.
“The CPD sessions really prepared the teachers for the pupil workshops and gave a good insight into the teachers pack and how to use it. Ideas given during these sessions could be used just as successfully in a different context” - Primary school teacher response 2007
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