Little Angel Theatre Presents

Education and Participation Resource Pack Written by Sarah Schofield

Little Angel Theatre 14 Dagmar Passage, , , N1 2DN

0207 226 1787 www.littleangeltheatre.com

Little Angel Theatre Introduction to the Pack and Other Useful Resources

This pack is designed to support your visit to the ‘No Fear Shakespeare’ books give you the show and includes information and resources about complete text of on the left-hand the process of creating this production of Macbeth, page, side-by-side with an easy-to-understand the decisions that were made in the research and translation on the right. The ‘No Fear’ series development stages, the designing and puppet also includes graphic novels. making stages and the rehearsal rooms.

The pack includes suggestions for activities related to the production that are geared towards Key Stage Three but could be adapted for older or younger pupils.

Our production is an edited version of the full length play using Shakespeare’s words and this pack contains extracts from the script. Within it we have created a resource of activities which act as ways in to the language, play and themes for you and your students. We believe the best way for young people to explore Shakespeare’s texts is physically.

This pack is designed to help you explore the plot, characters and themes in our version of Macbeth in your own school.

The suggested activities can be done in your classroom (or hall or studio space) either before you come to see the show, afterwards, or a combination of both.

Manga Shakespeare: Macbeth £7.99 available from the RSC website Illustrated by leading UK manga artists, this series feeds into the growing popularity of manga worldwide, and presents Shakespeare's classic works in a highly visual and dynamic form. This is the perfect platform for a new generation to fall in love with Shakespeare's genius. Other resources you might find useful when practically teaching Shakespeare with students can be found on the RSC website. www.rsc.org.uk/education Little Angel Theatre 1

John Wright Theatre founder Little Angel Theatre Background Information The Little Angel Theatre Little Angel Theatre Over the next 30 years, the Little Angel team Dedicated to Puppetry created and performed over 30 full-scale shows, with John and his wife Lyndie John Wright, the founder of Little Angel Theatre was designing, making, performing and directing born in South Africa in 1906. He travelled to England in as they established Little Angel as ‘The Home 1935 and worked as an assistant stage manager for the of British Puppetry.’ Little Angel shows were Ballet Rambert while studying at the Central School of taken to 23 International Festivals, Art and Design. It was during this time he saw a puppet representing Britain. John Wright died in 1991 performance by Podrecca’s Piccoli and became but the work of the theatre continued apace hooked. John made his very first puppet in 1938. with the aim of introducing puppetry to all ages. Macbeth is part of our biennial He returned to South Africa at the outbreak of the Suspense Festival celebrating puppetry for Second World War and continued to make and perform adults. www.suspensefestival.com with puppets in his home country. When the war ended he returned to England, overland, performing with his Little Angel Theatre and Shakespeare puppets along the way. Macbeth is our fourth production of a In 1961 John and his troupe found a derelict Shakespeare piece. The most recent were temperance hall in Islington and transformed it into a both collaborations with the RSC which began magical little theatre, specially designed for the with Venus and Adonis and then followed up presentation of marionette shows. It opened on with The Tempest. Both were staged in Saturday 24th November 1961 as ‘The Little Angel Stratford at the RSC and at Little Angel Marionette Theatre’. This was to be the first purpose Theatre with puppets designed and made by built puppet theatre the country had seen for many Little Angel Theatre founder member Lyndie years and the only one with a permanent long string Wright, who also designed the puppets for marionette bridge constructed backstage. The bridge Macbeth. was designed for puppeteers to stand on while they manipulate long stringed puppets who perform on the stage below leaving the audience unable to see the puppeteers. The original bridge is used to this day. The theatre has a traditional ‘proscenium arch’ and seats 100 audience members.

Caliban puppet from our 2011 production of The Tempest in collaboration with The Royal Venus and Adonis puppets by Lyndie Shakespeare Wright from the 2004 RSC and Little Company Angel collaboration

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Little Angel Theatre The Story of Macbeth

Synopsis Themes

The play opens as three witches plan a meeting with Ambition the Scottish nobleman Macbeth, who at that moment is Perhaps the most obvious theme in Macbeth is fighting in a great battle. When the battle is over, ambition and we see this with both Macbeth and Macbeth and his friend Banquo come across the Lady Macbeth. They are tempted by the idea that witches who offer them three predictions: that Macbeth Macbeth will become king - Macbeth is not sure will become Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland, what to do but his wife is ruthless in getting what and that Banquo's descendants will become kings. she wants - she views her husband as a coward and appears ready to do anything. Banquo laughs at the prophecies but Macbeth is excited, especially as soon after their meeting with the The Supernatural witches Macbeth is made Thane of Cawdor by King The idea that there are mysterious forces Duncan, in return for his bravery in the battle. He writes controlling what is happening. The very first to his wife, Lady Macbeth, who is as excited as he is. A characters we meet are the three witches, and messenger tells Lady Macbeth that King Duncan is on their prophecies are what drives the story forward. his way to their castle and she invokes evil spirits to In Shakespeare's time belief in witchcraft was very help her slay him. Macbeth is talked into killing Duncan strong and many so-called witches were burnt at by his wife and stabs him to death. No one is quite sure the stake. Audiences would have taken these who committed this murder and no one feels safe, but ideas seriously and felt that Macbeth was Macbeth is crowned king. somehow possessed.

Now that Macbeth is king he knows the second Reality and Appearance prediction from the witches has come true, but he starts The contrast between what is real and the to fear the third prediction (that Banquo's descendants appearance of something is also used by will also be kings). Macbeth therefore decides to kill Shakespeare. The classic dagger scene, when Banquo and his son, but the plan goes wrong - Banquo Macbeth is not sure if he can trust his eyes, is only is killed but his son escapes. Macbeth then thinks he is one of many references to this theme. For going mad because he sees Banquo's ghost and instance, he sees Banquo's ghost at the banquet receives more predictions from the witches. He starts to and Lady Macbeth imagines blood on her hands. become ruthless and kills the family of Macduff, an important lord. Macbeth still thinks he is safe but one by Loyalty and Guilt one the witches' prophecies come true. Lady Macbeth Loyalty and guilt are also strong themes in cannot stop thinking about Duncan, becomes deranged Macbeth . Duncan clearly values loyalty - he has and dies. A large army marches on Macbeth's castle the first Thane of Cawdor executed and rewards and Macbeth is killed by Macduff. Macbeth by making him the new Thane. Shakespeare cleverly uses loyalty as a dramatic The Witches device as well - Duncan is in the middle of talking introduce the play about 'absolute trust' when Macbeth walks in - we and control the know he's already thought about killing Duncan, mysterious forces of but for the moment he talks about 'the loyalty I the world. They owe' and his 'duties' to Duncan. Macbeth also predict the future and shows his guilt - he is unsure before the murder seem to put Macbeth and regrets it immediately after. Lady Macbeth is under their spell. the opposite - she seems to show no guilt at the time and even talks about how 'a little water' cleans away the blood. Little Angel Theatre 3

Little Angel Theatre Macbeth with Puppets – Director’s Interview The first decision faced by Peter Glanville, the script They explored the many different types of editor and director, when we decided to put on a puppets that could be used for the characters and production of a Shakespeare play was which play and considered how the puppets would hold the why? This was followed by how to justify turning it into Shakespearian language. We also needed to a production with puppets and which characters would consider how the puppets would retain energy in be represented with puppets? scenes with long sections of dialogue. Having explored this issue it became apparent that

focusing on delivering dialogue with puppets The decision was made that all the characters in doesn’t really work. So the team began working Macbeth (the chosen play) would be represented by with the idea of recording the text and playing it puppets, and that instead of making puppets of people as an external voice, a device that frees up the the characters would be represented by a variety of puppets and allows for a more visual narrative. species of birds. The second R&D week focused on the major Peter talks about the decisions he made and the scenes and where parts could be edited. Time process he followed to visualise this and make it a was spent exploring the strong visual moments reality. within the piece. From this the idea of reimagining the witches as bird-like figures arose and the Why choose Macbeth? more the text was explored with this in mind, the more the bird imagery resonated throughout the When thinking about which Shakespeare to choose we play. This concept developed into all the had to consider why and how we would use puppets. characters being portrayed by birds. It was Macbeth is full of powerful and resonant images that decided that taking a strong idea, such as the stand out from the text. The iconic scenes lend birds, and fully exploring it’s potential would be a themselves to exploring the fantastical nature of the good way to move forward with a text such as text. Puppets often give you the freedom to explore Macbeth. images and themes that human actors cannot.

What is “research and development” and how is this important to the development of the piece?

All the productions that are developed at Little Angel Theatre have a week of research and development (or R&D). This is the chance for the director, designers and performers to play around with initial ideas. All members of the creative team will come into the R&D having discussed how the music will work, or what style the puppets will be. The puppet designer will bring mock up puppets for the performers to play around with during the week.

What happened in the R&D for Macbeth?

The puppeteers using some mock up puppets The first stage of R&D saw the company working and playing around with ideas for how the set through the play text and exploring the relationships might work in one of the R&D sessions for and themes with it. Macbeth. Little Angel Theatre

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Little Angel Theatre Character Study The puppets are all birds, but they carry physical Lady Macbeth, dressed in pure white, fuels her human features such as hands and feet to allow for a husband’s ambition and determination to reach the more diverse range of gestures. Students could think top of the social hierarchy order by encouraging about why each type of bird might have been chosen to him to fight and kill for dominance in the ‘flock’. represent certain characters in more detail, or discuss Her position as queen makes her second in the other animals that might share characteristics and overall pecking order but the top of the female represent each main character to help them have a chain. deeper understanding of the personalities and traits that motivate them. In Indonesia the chicken has great significance during the Hindu cremation ceremony when Macbeth and Lady Macbeth someone dies. A chicken is considered a channel for evil spirits which may be present during the Macbeth is represented ceremony. A chicken is tethered by the leg and by a cockerel with a bird kept present at the ceremony for its duration to like face but a very ensure that any evil spirits present during the human shape body. His ceremony go into the chicken and not the family cloak could also members present. Lady Macbeth calls on the represent wings and the spirits to give her the will to undertake the task of design of his comb and murder: costume have an amour like quality. Cockerels Lady Macbeth from Act I scene V ‘rule the roost’ and in a The raven himself is hoarse flock of chickens there That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan will be one dominant Under my battlements. Come, you spirits cockerel. That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Individual chickens in a flock will dominate others, Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood; establishing a "pecking order", with dominant Stop up the access and passage to remorse, individuals having priority for food access and nesting That no compunctious visitings of nature locations. Removing hens or cocks from a flock causes Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between a temporary disruption to this social order until a new The effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts, And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers, pecking order is established. This mirrors Macbeth and Wherever in your sightless substances Lady Macbeth’s ambition and ruthlessness to remove You wait on nature's mischief! Come, thick night, all competition and become ‘cock of the roost’. And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, The vicious Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, images of a To cry 'Hold, hold!' cock fight mirror the Chickens and Cockerels will fight to the death if bloody one to necessary to hold or increase their place in the one conflicts pecking order, as represented in the final scene that would where Macbeth and Macduff shed all their human have taken characteristics and revert both physically and place on the mentally into their bird types as they battle to the battlefields of death. Scotland. Visit the Macbeth page of our website or YouTube to watch a film with Lyndie Wright (puppet designer) talking about the puppet designs from this production. Little Angel Theatre 5

Little Angel Theatre Character Study The Three Witches King Duncan and his Sons

The witches were the starting point for the bird motif as Peter (Director) and Lyndie (Puppet Designer) had One of the swan puppets begun with the idea of representing the witches with under puppets of crows or ravens (birds that both have links construction in with the occult, death and superstition). From this the our workshop. idea that the other characters could be represented by The royal birds develop ed. The bodies of the witches are flowing family are and simple allowing the puppeteers to incorporate their represented by a mature own hands if necessary for intricate gestures or to give swan for King them a more spectral floating appearance. Duncan and two cygnets representing his son’s Malcolm and Ross.

The link between swans and royalty manifests itself in two ways. The swans are the most regal of water birds, their long graceful neck and serene presence as they glide through the water give the impression of a royal cavalcade. Swans are often used to represent royalty in stories, mythology and art . Their link as a royal bird is also connected to the fact that the English monarchy traditionally re tains the right to ownership of all unmarked mute The puppets that developed for the witches ended up swans in open water. The practice of ‘swan upping’ being the least like any real breed of bird, with their began in the 12th century, as swans were a expressive faces and teeth they most closely represent common food source for royalty, who wanted to some kind of vulture, but are more ghoul like than bird stake their claim on the birds. The tradition of like. By casting three female puppeteers Peter made catching and tagging the birds in the name of the the deliberate decision to highlight the theme of the monarchy continues today along the River Thames, power of the female characters. The costumes and however the data is used for conservation purposes make up worn by the puppeteers mirror the and swans are no longer eaten by anyone, representation of the witches. As the puppeteers including royalty. ‘manipulate ’ the other characters we can see the power the witches hold over Macbeth and Banquo as they play Swans are fiercely loyal and protective birds. They out the predictions. Macbeth literally becomes their mate for life and will become extremely aggressive whenever they or their family are under threat. puppet as he is controlled and overpowered by the They are physically strong and powerful birds. King promise of the prophesies, not forgetting the influence Duncan admires and rewards loyalty in others and of his power hungry wife. harshly punishes ‘traitors’. Ironically the person who he has recently rewarded for their great loyalty is the one who ends his life. Little Angel Theatre 6

Little Angel Theatre Exploring the text using drama and puppetry Peter made the decision to have a recorded Look at key extracts of text from the play discussing soundtrack of the text rather than the puppeteers the meaning and record them being delivered. speaking the words live. This enabled the two Another option would be to listen to pre-recorded elements to be focused on as almost separate extracts (www.booksshouldbefree.com offer a free entities, and then brought together to complement audio version of Macbeth for download). Examples of each other. The puppeteers are able to focus on suitable extracts are on the following pages. the subtleties of the movement rather than remembering lines, and the artists who delivered Ask pupils to animate the words using puppetry as the text could focus on the nuances and rhythms of they are spoken on the recording. The following the speech which the puppeteers could then tune in pages offer ideas of how to create extremely simple to in their manipulation. The characters in our puppets with very little or no materials and how this production are voiced by experienced will help them understand the text they are working with more deeply Shakespearian actors. The voice artists came to the theatre to watch a rehearsal and meet and familiarise themselves with the puppets their voices Using frozen images to begin to understand the would bring to life before recording the soundtrack. feelings behind the text The music was also developed gradually as the piece developed and once James, the composer,  Ask students to walk around . Explain was able to see each scene and hear the delivery that you will call out a number which represents of the artists. the size of the group. Once they are in a group of the correct size made up of the people nearest to them call out a theme for a frozen image.

1. Group size 5 – Two friends receive surprising and shocking news 2. Group size 2 – A couple reunited after a long time apart 3. Group size 2- Two ex-friends meeting for the first time after a big fall out

 Now ask the class to recreate their images in the same groups and hand out a line of text (given below) to each. The groups will need time to discuss which character will be speaking the line,

Helen McCrory familiarises herself with the Lady what alterations need to be made and how the text Macbeth puppet. Donald Sumpter (King Duncan), will be incorporated. Helen McCrory (Lady Macbeth) and Nathaniel Parker (Macbeth) outside Little Angel Theatre. Friends receiving news: Good sir, why do you start; and seem to fear things that do sound so fair? Peter wanted to bring Shakespeare’s words to life using puppets as a tool to do this, allowing the Couple: My dearest love audience to listen to the carefully recorded voices almost as poetry along with the visual Ex friends: Of all men else I have avoided thee: manifestations in the form of the puppets. But get thee back; my soul is too much charged With blood of thine already.

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Little Angel Theatre Text Examples

From MACBETH Extract 1: By William Shakespeare – Edited by Peter Glanville Begin by reading through the extract line MACBETH by line. What does each line mean? So foul and fair a day I have not seen. What tone of voice and emotion would BANQUO you associate with each line? What are these So wither'd and so wild in their attire, The witches deliver the first prophecy. That look not like the inhabitants o' the earth, And yet are on't? Live you? or are you aught Group size: 5 That man may question? You seem to understand me, Characters: Macbeth, Banquo, Three MACBETH Witches. Speak, if you can: what are you? First Witch Macbeth and Banquo are returning All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis! home after a victory in battle so their Second Witch spirits are high, yet the weather is All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! stormy and the atmosphere dark. Third Witch Despite the belief in the supernatural, All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter! which was common in these times, BANQUO Macbeth and Banquo would have been Good sir, why do you start; and seem to fear surprised to come across the three Things that do sound so fair? I' the name of truth, unearthly creatures. Are ye fantastical, or that indeed Which outwardly ye show? My noble partner Banquo is surprised by Macbeth’s You greet with present grace and great prediction physical response to the predictions. Of noble having and of royal hope, Macbeth seems frozen and mute. That he seems rapt withal: to me you speak not. If you can look into the seeds of time, Which key themes does this extract And say which grain will grow and which will not, highlight? Which words, phrases or Speak then to me, who neither beg nor fear actions illustrate this? Your favours nor your hate.  Ambition? First Witch  The supernatural? Hail!  Reality and appearance? Second Witch  Loyalty and guilt? Hail! Third Witch Hail! First Witch Lesser than Macbeth, and greater. Second Witch Not so happy, yet much happier. Third Witch Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none: So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo!

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Little Angel Theatre Text Examples From MACBETH Extract 2: By William Shakespeare – Edited by Peter Glanville Begin by reading through the extract line by line. What does each line mean? What tone of voice MACBETH and emotion would you associate with each line? My dearest love, Duncan comes here to-night. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth plan to murder Duncan LADY MACBETH And when goes hence? Group size: 2 Characters: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. MACBETH To-morrow, as he purposes. Macbeth has returned home. He has sent a letter ahead to his wife to tell her about the prophesies LADY MACBETH and already she is making plans to speed up O, never Macbeth’s rise to take the crown, and suggests Shall sun that morrow see! that they murder the king. Your face, my thane, is as a book where men May read strange matters. To beguile the time, Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye, Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under't. He that's coming Must be provided for: and you shall put This night's great business into my dispatch; Which shall to all our nights and days to come Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom.

MACBETH We will speak further.

LADY MACBETH Only look up clear; Which key themes does this extract highlight? To alter favour ever is to fear: Which words, phrases or actions illustrate this? Leave all the rest to me.  Ambition?   The supernatural? 

 Reality and appearance?

  Loyalty and guilt?

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Little Angel Theatre Text Examples From MACBETH Extract 3: By William Shakespeare – Edited by Peter Glanville Begin by reading through the extract line by line. What does each line mean? What tone of voice and MACDUFF emotion would you associate with each line? Turn, hell-hound, turn! Macbeth and Macduff meet in the final battle MACBETH Of all men else I have avoided thee: Group size: 2 But get thee back; my soul is too much charged Characters: Macbeth and Macduff. With blood of thine already. I bear a charmed life, which must not yield, Macbeth knows that an army has come to overthrow To one of woman born. him as King, lead by Duncan’s sons and Macduff. He has also been told by the witches that he cannot be MACDUFF killed by any man ‘woman born’, so he is confident that Despair thy charm; he is safe – Until he hears that Macduff was born by And let the angel whom thou still hast served caesarian section and from his mother’s womb Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother's womb ‘untimely ripp’d.’ Untimely ripp'd.

MACBETH Accursed be that tongue that tells me so, For it hath cow'd my better part of man! I'll not fight with thee.

MACDUFF Then yield thee, coward, And live to be the show and gaze o' the time: We'll have thee, as our rarer monsters are, Painted on a pole, and underwrit, 'Here may you see the tyrant.'

MACBETH I will not yield,

To kiss the ground before young Malcolm's feet, And to be baited with the rabble's curse. Which key themes does this extract highlight? Though Birnam wood be come to Dunsinane, Which words, phrases or actions illustrate this? And thou opposed, being of no woman born,  Ambition? Yet I will try the last. Before my body  I throw my warlike shield. Lay on, Macduff, And damn'd be him that first cries, 'Hold,  The supernatural? enough!'   Reality and appearance? 

 Loyalty and guilt? Little Angel Theatre

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Little Angel Theatre Making and Using Puppets Once you have a recording of the text extract What kind of puppet? Ask the students to use puppets to represent the characters and create images to go with As an introduction to puppetry, ‘table top’ puppets the extract they have been working on. are a good way in. The puppets are performed on a ‘playboard’ (or table!) and can be manipulated by How to make the puppets one puppeteer (holding the back of the head and one arm) or with an extra puppeteer to help work the Plastic bag puppet feet. Using something as simple as a supermarket plastic bag you can create a puppet. Pull the bag through your hand to make it long and thin. Fold one end over to make a ‘head’. Keep the head in a pinch hold, or secure it with tape or a rubber band. You can sculpt the ‘head’ to make it look more hood like. As you become more confident with the idea of creating a character you can play with the shape a bit more to create limbs. By widening the body and using another puppeteer to hold the ‘feet’ you can make your puppet walk, and bring in hand gestures.

Newspaper and masking tape puppet

Using more than one puppeteer allows for more detailed movement.

By scrunching, folding and rolling sheets of newspaper you can make very quick puppets. Use masking tape Don’t worry about adding facial features or costume. to secure and join. You The students will need to rely on the subtlety of their could use sticks or rods to puppets’ body language to support the meaning of help with manipulation, or the text. This means they have to really think hard as pictured above, the about each phrase, movement, posture and gesture puppeteers can hold the to reflect the emotion behind the words as they are puppet directly on the body. being delivered. Refer back to the frozen images This kind of puppet can be they created with their own bodies and work more made to different scales. on this if the students are struggling with the puppets, then come back to the puppets. Little Angel Theatre 11

Little Angel Theatre An Introduction to Puppetry Performance Before asking the pupils to interpret Hold up your finger in front of your nose with the Shakespeare’s words using puppetry there puppet bag staring into your eyes, move your finger are a few exercises you can practice to get and have the puppet follow this movement with its them used to animating objects and working gaze, bring your finger back to the tip of your nose to with puppets. check if the puppet has followed this movement.

Plastic Bag Exploration Exercise Practice in pairs with one person being the seeing puppet bag, and the other being the finger that the For this exercise you need a large open space puppet is focusing on. and a plastic bag for each participant. Plastic Let this finger beckon the puppet and lead it about the bags should have handles and be about thigh room. high from the floor. Focus also relies on the puppeteer being focused  Look at bag and explore as if you have on their puppet. This not only helps the puppeteer never seen a plastic bag before in your concentrate on the movements their puppet is life. Play with the bag and experiment making, but also helps the audience focus on the with how it moves and how it can puppet rather than the puppeteer. We follow the transform. gaze of the puppeteer onto the puppet.  Groups of 2 or 3 - Find 3 different ways to move a bag from 1 point to another no In pairs with a puppet each have one lead the other on rules. a journey of discovery around the space, be completely focused on the puppet. Switch over so that  Watch examples of each others work both puppets have a chance to lead.

 Discuss interesting outcomes or how Puppet Performing Tips improvements could be made

Focus  The puppeteer should focus on the puppet at all times. Focus involves thinking about where the  Keep the puppet alive! Like an actor puppets puppet is ‘looking’ and being aware of that all should react to whatever is going on and stay in the time. You can continue to use a plastic character throughout a scene. Don’t let the bag. Fold one corner over to create a head. puppet ‘droop!’ Hold the puppet by the back of the neck.  Slow down! Puppetry is often more effective if Exercises movements are slow and careful – this also helps to highlight moments of panic when Find the exact point when the bag puppet is things do need to speed up. staring you in the eyes - hold the moment, feel  Body language is important. As your puppets yourself being watched. face cannot move think about body positions

that show different emotions. Try it yourself first. How could you show you are happy or sad without using your facial expression? How would you do it? – Now try and recreate that with your puppet. Little Angel Theatre

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Little Angel Theatre Additional Activities After seeing our version of the play: There is a wealth of bird imagery in Macbeth, some of which was used in our production and  Write a review of the production. more that can be found in the full length play including some examples below:  What is your view about the use of Immediately after Lady Macbeth reads her birds to represent the characters? husband's letter about the witches' prophecies, a  Focus on one character and talk about messenger comes with the news that King Duncan how the representation of their is coming to spend the night at her castle. After the character as a bird is expressed and messenger has left, the first thing Lady Macbeth what this adds/takes away from your says is, "The raven himself is hoarse / That croaks understanding? the fatal entrance of Duncan / Under my battlements" (1.5.38-40). The raven is a bird of ill  If you were the director are there any omen, and Lady Macbeth means that the raven is parts of the production you would hoarse from saying again and again that King change or re-design? Explain why? Duncan must die.  Which element of the production was most effective? Why? As Macduff is going in to say good morning to King Duncan, Lennox tells Macbeth about the rough Puppet Design night. Chimneys were blown down, lamentings and screams were heard in the air, and "the obscure Design puppets for some of the characters bird / Clamour'd the livelong night" (2.3.60-61). The that didn’t feature in our production. How owl is the "obscure bird," because it flies in the would you represent them as a bird? Why? night and can't be seen. Perhaps that owl was the same one that Lady Macbeth heard when Macbeth  Porter - The drunken doorman of was killing King Duncan. Just after Lennox finishes Macbeth’s castle this speech, Macduff comes rushing in with the news that King Duncan has been murdered.  An English doctor  Gentlewoman attending on Lady Macbeth In her shock at learning that her husband has fled from Scotland, Lady Macduff accuses her husband of running away because he is afraid. She thinks he should have stayed to protect his family, and she says, "He loves us not; / He wants the natural touch: for the poor wren, / The most diminutive of birds, will fight, / Her young ones in her nest, against the owl" (4.2.8-11).

Look for other examples from the text that use bird imagery and think about why Shakespeare has chosen to use it? What do the various birds symbolise and how does this help the audience understand the meaning he is trying to convey?

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Little Angel Theatre Resources and Web Links

Useful Resources www.littleangeltheatre.com More information about the history of the theatre and future puppet shows and workshops, including our school menu

Workshop – Introduction to puppetry performance in secondary schools/youth settings A practical workshop delivered over one day or three 2 hour sessions. Participants explore puppetry as a performance technique, learning new skills including how to create simple puppets and use object animation effectively within performance. Suitable for age 11– adult. Cost: £300 + VAT for one day/£440 + VAT for three 2 hour sessions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SDTOIQPP1U You tube link to film ‘Macbeth – Behind the scenes with Lyndie Wright’ also look for ‘Macbeth – behind the scenes with Peter Glanville’.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC9G_CZVAL8 Link to the BBC’s Shakespeare’s Animated tales Macbeth part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZQOyiHDptU Link to the BBC’s Shakespeare’s Animated tales Macbeth part 2

www.suspensefestival.com Suspense London Puppetry Festival celebrating puppetry for adults

www.rsc.org.uk/education Education resources linked to the plays of Shakespeare including Macbeth

www.facebook.com Make friends with Little Angel Theatre to keep up to date with the latest news

Little Angel Theatre Puppetry Scheme of Work Including detailed lesson plans and templates for delivering puppetry in the primary classroom with links to literacy £7

Contact:

[email protected]

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