Faction: how to combine fact and fiction to make drama GCSE David Porter GCSE

Introduction David Porter is former Head of Performing Arts at Kirkley High School, In a part-factual, perhaps historical story, facts are supplemented with a certain Lowestoft, teacher and one-time amount of fiction. Who said what, what occurred behind the facts? The mixture is children’s theatre performer. Freelance called ‘faction’ and is necessary to make drama work. The case of , the writer, blogger, editor he is a senior last woman in to be hanged, offers a retelling of events to shed light on assessor for A level Performance Studies, IGSCE Drama moderator and GCSE the people and their actions and explore dramatic possibilities. Drama examiner. Learning objectives By the end of this scheme, learners will have: ff Explored turning historical situations into performance ff Considered how the addition of fiction makes fact workable on stage ff Developed collaborative and solo characterisation skills. Scheme in summary After an introduction to faction, the case of Ruth Ellis is explored with a view to considering both some of the issues raised and to developing a piece of credible, character-driven performance, suitable for GCSE devising work. Going beyond documentary or docu-drama, faction offers insight into people. Lesson 1: Developing faction Introduction to taking given facts and adding fiction to make them into performance drama. Drama vocabulary used: Cross-cutting, narrator(s) in role, Lesson 2: Ruth Ellis (1) characterisation, hot seating, mime, Using known facts about Ruth Ellis to build four scenes from her life. physical theatre, still image, docu-drama, but others may be useful. Checklist at Lesson 3: Ruth Ellis (2) BBC Bitesize: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ Rehearsing four scenes towards a shared performance. schools/gcsebitesize/drama/responding/ checklistrev4.shtml Lesson 4: Ruth Ellis (3) Performance of the Ruth Ellis scenes with faction and self, peer, teacher assessment. Issues: Lesson 5: Other ideas for faction ; criminal justice; Suggestions for other people, moments, disasters from history to which to apply betrayal; love; social/cultural/historical contexts. faction.

Lesson 1: Developing faction Resources for teachers/students: ff Ipswich Film Theatre, discussion of Learning objectives fiction/faction, drama/documentary: By the end of this introductory lesson students will have: http://www.iftt.co.uk/fiction-or- ff Explored approaches to using fiction to present fact in performance faction-drama-or-documentary/ f What is a docu-drama? Discussion of ff Developed collaborative devising skills and techniques f differences between documentary f f Improved characterisation and performance work. and docu-drama, useful background: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a- Warm-up (10 mins) docudrama.htm a) In pairs. Create a still image showing a relationship (friends, enemies, adult ff Top documentary films: and child). Teacher demonstrates on each pair how to read a still image. http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/ b) Repeat with one gesture changed to create a different meaning/interpretation. ff IMDB - documentary listings: c) Link first and second image with a fragment of dialogue making sense of http://www.imdb.com/genre/ transition. documentary d) In groups of 4/5. Make six rapid scenes in chronological order telling the following story in few words and still images: going into , drinking, arguing, causing a scene, thrown out, going home. e) Repeat, with order changed to make it more dramatic (cross-cutting).

www.teaching-drama.co.uk Teaching Drama · Summer term 1 · 2014/15 1 Scheme of work|GCSE Discussion/questions and new learning (15 mins) Documentary film Super Size Me (2004) We just experimented with changing an order of known events to make it http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390521/ more dramatic. We took six fixed and given facts and made them into a mini- is an example of a documentary film performance, but we needed to add made-up bits to make a performance. When which focusses on an issue (the fast you take fact and add fiction, that is faction. food industry) with a personal narrator Most drama that uses historical fact has to employ some fiction to make involvement. This is not faction, it is it work. personalised documentary. The cross-cutting was to make the basic story more dramatic for an audience. So, for example, in a case, you could start with the murder or the Related genres aftermath and then cross-cut back or forward in time. Documentaries may be biographical, Even if you are using a docudrama style to tell of an event, you’ll need some cultural, social, historical, nature/wildlife invented material to present it. http://documentaries.documentaryfilms. net/ or they may be ‘What if?’ style, Development (25 mins) incorporating some facts and imagining In groups of 4/5, choose sustainable characters. Create four very short scenes them in a different way. What if World where the following are the facts; make them into a credible performance in the War II had had a different outcome? order you think most dramatic: What if a certain person had never been born or had had an older brother? Facts: 1. Best friends happily share everything (food, money, social life). 2. There are limits to the sharing (one has more than the others). Individuals 3. There is a falling out and a tragic outcome. Each learner is unique. Racial, cultural, 4. Regrets and wishing it had never happened. regional, generational, physical ability, sexual orientation and gender-based Fiction: differences are rich drama material. What did they say and do? What characterisations will they have? Will hot seating Teachers will be aware of sensitivities, help develop their characters? Do you need a narrator in role to tell the story? collaborative needs and how individuals Will mime, still images and cross-cutting help to make the facts work better need encouraging and stretching. dramatically? Share and show all groups. Alternate teacher/learner’s and students’ comments after each. One playwright Arthur Miller in his note on the historical Plenary and discussion (10 mins) accuracy of The Crucible said: ‘This play What have we learned about adding fiction to facts? Did cross-cutting make it is not history in the sense in which the word is used by the academic historian. more dramatic and how? How developed were the characters? Did the use of Dramatic purposes have sometimes dramatic techniques help and how? required many characters to be fused into one ...’.

Homework/follow up: Research the life of Ruth Ellis (1926– 1955).

www.teaching-drama.co.uk Teaching Drama · Summer term 1 · 2014/15 2 Scheme of work|GCSE Lesson 2: Ruth Ellis 1 Resources for teachers/students: ff BBC News, ‘On this Day’, news Learning objectives summary of 1955: http://news.bbc. By the end of this lesson students will have: co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/ ff Explored approaches to using fiction to present fact in performance july/13/newsid_2745000/2745023. stm ff Considered issues within a historical, factual event f Ruth Ellis, discussion about capital f f f Developed collaborative devising skills and techniques punishment with useful summary of ff Improved characterisation and performance work. her case: http://www. capitalpunishmentuk.org/ruth.html Warm-up (10 mins) ff BBC News: Villain or Victim? a) In pairs. A appears to be a close, reliable friend of B and all is well. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/ b) Same pairs. A turns out to be not such a good friend to B. What happens? uk/542186.stm c) Same pairs. A turns out to be a completely devious, lying person who cares ff Pathé News 1955, raising questions nothing about B. Now what happens? about capital punishment: d) After each, selected pairs are invited to share. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=uXQvKLGYTho Discussion/questions and new learning (15 mins) ff Obituary of , prolific hangman who campaigned Recap: Last lesson we introduced faction, as mix of fact and fiction to tell a against the death penalty in his later historical story or event. We used cross-cutting and other devices to make the years: story dramatic. We considered docu-drama and documentary, too. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ What do you know/what have you found out about Ruth Ellis? obituaries/law-obituaries/5768567/ Facts of her life and death. Albert-Pierrepoint.html Facts: According to Murder UK: http://murderuk.com/female_ruth_ellis.html Ruth Ellis was born in , , but was brought up in . She worked as a The bio-pic: Dance With a Stranger (1985), film about waitress and had been a singer. Ruth Ellis, using fact and fiction (faction). When she was seventeen she fell in love with an American airman, who was (N.B. this film is rated 15.) subsequently killed in battle in 1944. She later gave birth to his son. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088987/ In 1950 she married a dentist, George Ellis, and had another child, this time a daughter, Georgina. She was divorced not long afterwards on the grounds of mental cruelty. Needing to look after two small children, she started to dye her hair blonde and became a club- Historical contexts: manageress and prostitute. While working in clubs she met racing driver, David Teachers might want to keep discussion Blakely in 1953. about the morality or otherwise of In 1953 she had an abortion. Blakely offered to marry her; she refused, but she could capital punishment for later, as the not get rid of him. historical contexts of the 1950s are crucial in developing this particular She started an affair with Desmond Cussen, a friend of Blakely, and for almost a year, case and theme. However, some mature managed to keep them both satisfied even though they each knew about the other. groups may want to make their piece a Blakely was not happy with the arrangement and started to get jealous. He started to message for/against the death penalty. beat Ruth on a regular basis, giving her a black eye and a broken ankle at various times. Blakely started seeing other women and came home one night with love bites on his back. Ruth threw him out. He was back again the next day and offering marriage again. The differences: Wednesday 6 April 1955. Blakely carried on seeing other women, and on this day told Each learner is unique and racial, Ruth that he had to go and visit a mechanic. Ruth was suspicious and followed him to cultural, regional, generational, physical- a flat in . There was no response to her knocking at the door but she heard a ability, sexual-orientation and gender- woman’s laughter from inside the flat. The next day she returned to the flat in Hampstead based differences are rich sources of drama material. The Ruth Ellis case and kept watch. Blakely emerged with his arm around a pretty, young girl. raises issues some learners may find Sunday 10 April 1955 (Easter Sunday). Ruth returned to Hampstead, getting boyfriend disturbing. Teachers will know the Cussen to drive her, and arrived near the Magdala public house about 9.30pm. As she suitability of it for their learners. arrived Blakely came out of the pub with a friend. Ruth reached Blakely just as he got to the driver’s door of their car. He saw her and started to run in front of the car. Ruth took a .38 calibre gun out of her handbag and fired at Blakely, who was crouching in front of the car trying to hide. Ruth ran over to him and emptied the gun into his crouching body. Drinkers came out of the pub, one being an off duty policeman. She was taken to Hampstead police station where she made a detailed confession. Monday 20 June 1955. Ruth’s trial began at the Old Bailey’s Court Number One. She pleaded not guilty. The jury took fifteen minutes to find Ruth Ellis guilty; she was sentenced to death. Wednesday 13th July 1955 at 9am prisoner 9656, Ruth Ellis was taken to the gallows in Holloway Prison. She drank a glass of brandy and was led to the trap by executioner Albert Pierrepoint. She was the last woman to be hanged in England. 8 February 2002. An appeal was lodged with the Court of Appeal. It was claimed that Ruth had suffered post-miscarriage depression, that her defence team were negligent and that she was persuaded to commit the crime by Desmond Cussen. The appeal asked that the murder conviction be changed to that of manslaughter due to diminished responsibility, and that the prosecution and Judges at the time had misinterpreted the law. www.teaching-drama.co.uk Teaching Drama · Summer term 1 · 2014/15 3 Scheme of work|GCSE The appeal was heard on 16 September 2003 and was rejected. The court stated that as diminished responsibility had not been introduced as a defence to manslaughter until the 1957 Homicide Act, this element was not available to the Judge at the time; also that provocation would need to be proved, but only if, she had been under stress immediately prior to the shooting, not at a much earlier time. Development (25 mins) In groups of 4/5.Choose four potential scenes in these known facts and prepare a performance by adding fiction to make the facts work dramatically (faction). There will be another lesson for preparation before a performance. If a group wishes to use the work as a message for or against capital punishment that is acceptable, but is not mandatory. The aim is to explore what fiction needs to be added to known facts for dramatic gain. Cross-cutting and other devices will be essential. What is your order of events? Do you need narrator(s) in role or not, physical theatre, mime, still images? Will you need other characters (family, workers, police, media)? Will their parts be pure fiction? Is there a point of view in this, Ruth, Blakely, Cussen, the judge, the hangman, her family? Plenary and discussion (10 mins) Homework/follow up: What progress has been made on building the scenes? How are the characters What three things does your group need to do next lesson to develop and shaping up? How much fiction has been added to the facts? Is it more fact than improve the work? Do we need more faction? What are your targets for next lesson as you continue on this? Do we research on the 1950s? need to know more about the mid-1950s?

Lesson 3: Ruth Ellis 2 Resources for teachers/students: ff BBC Bitesize; useful reminder of Learning objectives devising to a stimulus based on facts By the end of this lesson students will have: in a news story: ff Explored approaches to using fiction to present fact in performance http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ gcsebitesize/drama/responding/ ff Considered issues within a historical, factual event devisingrev1.shtml f Rehearsed collaborative devising skills and techniques f ff Arts on the Move, devising and ff Improved characterisation and performance work. writing performance material: http:// www.artsonthemove.co.uk/ Warm-up (5 mins) resources/writing.php a) Each group spends two minutes refreshing their minds on what they did last ff BBC Bitesize, useful tips for learners lesson and planning for this one. They should stay standing for this, to keep it on rehearsing and performing: http:// snappy. www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/ b) Selected learners are hot-seated in character by rest of class. drama/performing/tipsrev1.shtml c) One from each group summarises the four scenes to rest of class.

Discussion/questions and new learning (10 mins) Making drama from history: Recap on the purpose of the devised work: to use faction on four scenes from While it is possible to set the Ruth the known facts of Ruth Ellis’s life and death, deploying cross-cutting to improve Ellis story in any time or place, if it is dramatic impact. important to set it in the right historical context, BBC Radio 4 series on Making Also useful will be still images, physical theatre, narrator(s) in or out of role, History is useful: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ mime. programmes/b006qxrc Teachers need to be certain that each group has enough previous and new material to continue devising and rehearsing. Development (40 mins) In groups continue to devise, develop and rehearse four cross-cut scenes from any part of the facts about Ruth Ellis to prepare for sharing next lesson. A good spot-check for teachers as they go round each group is to hot seat an occasional character, suggest ‘what ifs’, and ensure that all characters (core and minor) are doing enough to be assessable if this were a GCSE exam. Homework/follow up: Plenary and discussion (5 mins) Think of the weakest moment in the Make a quick check on progress so far from each group. Are further devising work that needs more rehearsal and why. Think of one small change changes being made and how will they be incorporated? which would improve the piece as Are any last minute alterations necessary, and why? performance. Is each character being given sufficient exposure?

www.teaching-drama.co.uk Teaching Drama · Summer term 1 · 2014/15 4 Scheme of work|GCSE Lesson 4: Ruth Ellis 3 Resources for teachers/students: ff TES Connect for issue-based drama Learning objectives and staging styles: By the end of this lesson students will have: https://www.tes.co.uk/teaching- ff Explored approaches to using fiction to present fact in performance resource/Issue-based- drama-6117952 ff Considered issues within a historical, factual event f How to prepare for a stage f f f Performed collaborative devising skills and techniques performance; simple but useful ff Improved characterisation and performance work. reminder and discussion point as rehearsals end: Warm-up (18 mins) http://www.wikihow.com/Prepare- Give a set time for each group to finalise preparations for performing their four For-a-Stage-Performance Ruth Ellis scenes. Some kind of countdown is always helpful. Agree group running order and any music, effects, props to be used. Books: Discussion/questions and new learning (2 mins) Useful list for teachers of books about Reminder of aims of these lessons: to develop some faction. Check the use of portraying historical drama: https:// dramatic devices and techniques. www.questia.com/library/literature/ Prime audience to be ready to note work of others as it’s presented. drama/historical-drama Share and show all groups in turn, four scenes cross-cut as requested. If there is time, ideally each group should have benefit of teacher, peer and some short self-assessment. The performance of others Constructive peer, self and teacher Plenary and discussion (10 mins) assessment, both formal and informal, is This is a wrap-up of the rest of the reviews and comments. Was the checklist of invaluable in this work. For a reminder requirements met and how effectively? Did every learner contribute sufficiently? of the kinds of areas to look for and comment on, BBC Bitesize has ‘evaluating Were the drama techniques used helpful? a performance’: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ What has been learned about issues such as capital punishment, betrayal, schools/gcsebitesize/drama/responding/ ‘unsuitable’ love and the historical/cultural and social contexts? livetheatrerev2.shtml

Fiction through performance? By now learners will have views on how effective fiction is in creating fact-based drama. There is a discussion through the History of Drama itself for teachers on http://www.buzzle.com/articles/history- of-drama.html

Homework/follow up: Write or storyboard your favourite and your least favourite scene in the work of others, like a review.

www.teaching-drama.co.uk Teaching Drama · Summer term 1 · 2014/15 5 Scheme of work|GCSE Lesson 5: Other ideas for faction Resources for teachers/students: ff Sensitive issues in drama; Pakistani Learning objectives drama, as an alternative viewpoint: By the end of this lesson students will have: http://www.dramasonline.com/ ff Explored approaches to using fiction to present fact in performance sensitive-issues-in-dramas/ f Dealing with sensitive issues, My ff Developed collaborative devising skills and techniques f Drama Resource: http:// f f Improved characterisation and performance work. mydramaresource.blogspot.co.uk/p/ dealing-with-sensitive-issues.html Warm-up (10 mins) ff Tangible Points, Saudi drama: a) In pairs. A is the grandparent of B explaining how different his/her life was at http://www.albawaba.com/​ the same age entertainment/%E2%80%98​ ​ b) Same pairs. Repeat but swap roles. tangible-points%E2%80%99-saudi- c) In pairs. A is an immigrant explaining to B, a native, how different life was drama-tackling-sensitive-social- where he/she came from. issues d) In pairs. A is from the past with a warning for B on how he/she is living now. ff Drama from other cultures Pan Africanism, Myth and History in Discussion/questions and new learning (15 mins) African and Caribbean Drama: http://www.drama.net/dramalist/ For this final lesson after focusing on Ruth Ellis, we are going to do the same historical/ techniques, but with less depth on some history of students’ choosing. They will ff Academic pdf for teachers: take a few facts, easily discovered or already known, and add the fiction to make www.jpanafrican.com/…s/ one scene from that life or event work dramatically. vol5no8/5.8PanAfricanism.pdf. Development (30 mins) In groups of 4/5, research, examine and decide: Themes and issues: A historical person, such as Florence Nightingale, Edith Cavell, Oskar Schindler, Wherever the source material (fact) is Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, drawn from, opportunities to explore a Alexander Graham Bell, Elvis Presley; range of issues, historical/social/cultural OR a living person of achievement, such as Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Sir Tim contexts, reactions/responses will be Berners-Lee, Barack Obama; varied and allow for wide and different characters, settings and application of OR a major event, such as wars and conflicts, an earthquake/tsunami/volcano/ devised drama techniques (faction). landslide, famine/disease, drought, fire, accident; OR criminals, such as school shooting perpetrators, Harold Shipman, Al Capone, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, Myra Hindley, Robin Hood; Political theatre: OR sporting occasions, such as Olympics, Paralympics, local victories; Many centres use political theatre at OR famous writers, film directors, actors, dancers, singers, artists, celebrities, GCSE to encourage learners to explore mediums, scientists, explorers, astronauts, psychologists drama that touches on human, personal, In short, anyone or anything with a story to be told that happened in the past, emotional, governmental and economic even if it was only yesterday. situations and often convey a message. Limit to two or three scenes from chosen life/event, cross-cut as appropriate. This kind of approach to historical fact lends itself to such study. Share and show all groups. Alternate teacher, self and learner comments after each. Plenary and discussion (5 mins) Individuals: Looking at this lesson and the previous one, ask students to summarise their Each learner is unique. Racial, cultural, regional, generational, physical-ability, understanding of faction. How does it help bring the past alive? Could history be sexual-orientation and gender-based portrayed without at least some fiction? differences are rich drama material. Teachers will be aware of sensitivities, collaborative needs and how individuals need encouraging and stretching.

Homework/follow up: Write or storyboard your most successful scene and show why it worked.

www.teaching-drama.co.uk Teaching Drama · Summer term 1 · 2014/15 6