changing a story to fit a new form, like turning a novel into a play.

working together with one or more people to achieve a shared goal

a strong hope or goal to achieve something

when a character speaks directly to the audience

British English CC

Why was it important to adapt Small Island for the stage?

How was this adaptation of Small Island developed, and what was your role?

What was your role once the play had entered rehearsals and then production?

Helen Edmundson on adapting 'Small Island' for the stage

English

Exploring 'Small Island' and the Windrush context

'Small Island': from page to stage

'Small Island': reading the start of Act 1 Scene 1

'Small Island': exploring the theme of power through Little Hortense

'Small Island': tracking the events of Act 1 Scene 1

'Small Island': the significance of the hurricane

Watching and discussing 'Small Island' Act 1 Scene 1 with director Rufus Norris

'Small Island': reading Act 1 Scene 2

Watching and discussing 'Small Island' Act 1 Scene 2 with director Rufus Norris

'Small Island': reading the beginning of Act 1 Scene 3

'Small Island': reading the end of Act 1 Scene 3

Watching 'Small Island' Act 1 Scene 3 with Rufus Norris and Helen Edmundson

'Small Island': reading Act 1, Scenes 4-6

'Small Island': reading Act 1, Scenes 7 and 8

Watching and discussing 'Small Island' Act 1 Scenes 4-8 with Rufus Norris

'Small Island': exploring Act 1 through the context of Windrush

Exploring and evaluating the importance of Act 1

'Small Island': reading Act 2, Scene 1

Watching and discussing 'Small Island' Act 2 Scene 1 with Helen Edmundson

'Small Island': reading Act 2, Scenes 2 to 4

'Small Island': reading Act 2, Scenes 5 to 6

Watching and discussing 'Small Island' Act 2 Scenes 2 to 6 with Rufus Norris

'Small Island': reading Act 2, Scenes 7 and 8

'Small Island': reading Act 2, Scenes 9 to 11

Watching 'Small Island' Act 2 Scenes 7-11 with Rufus Norris and Helen Edmundson

Rufus Norris on directing and adapting 'Small Island'

Tracking characters and tension in 'Small Island'

Helen Edmundson on the context, characters and themes of 'Small Island'

Understanding questions and writing thesis statements on ‘Small Island’

'Small Island': creating topic sentences and using quotes in essays

Essay writing: using context in responses to ‘Small Island’

Introductions and conclusions in a 'Small Island' essay

Planning and writing a 'Small Island' essay

Refining and improving an essay on 'Small Island'

In 'Small Island', pupils explore the ways in which transferring Levy's novel onto the stage enables both the playwright and the director to powerfully evoke its ideas about race, identity and belonging. In 'Leave Taking', pupils build on their learning about the Windrush Generation to explore the cultural and generational conflicts, that can arise as a result of migration. 

In 'The Tempest', pupils examine the roles of Caliban and Ariel and how they are treated as outsiders, questioning who has a rightful claim to the island. In 'Small Island', pupils look at the play in the context of the Windrush generation and through the lens of key themes, including identity and belonging.  

In this unit, pupils explore the playtext adaptation of Andrea Levy's novel 'Small Island'. They first explore the transition from novel to stage, before reading the playtext in full and exploring key scenes in detail. They then plan and write an essay on the theme of 'hope' in the text.

'Small Island'

Put the stages of adaptation and production in the correct order.

plays must always stay exactly like the novel

adaptations create more creative challenges

What does Helen Edmundson say is a main difference between writing a play and adapting a novel?

because he didn’t want to be in the play

to keep focus on the key themes and characters

Why did Helen Edmundson reduce the role of Bernard in the stage version of 'Small Island'?

to show the characters becoming more isolated

to reflect a shift toward confronting reality and consequence

to make the play feel more like the original novel

Which of these best explains why Helen Edmundson stops using direct address in Act 2 of 'Small Island'?

She steps back but remains available to support.

She stops attending rehearsals completely.

What does Edmundson say about her role as a writer after the play 'Small Island' opened?

Is the statement true or false? In the play 'Small Island', Helen Edmundson kept all of Michael’s scenes exactly the same as in the novel.

What word, beginning with 'a', describes when a story is turned from a novel into a play?

Who wrote the original 'Small Island' novel?

Is the statement true or false? The original 'Small Island' novel has more than one narrator.

It removes emotional distance and makes the stories more personal.

It allows actors to switch characters more easily.

It helps the audience understand the technical aspects of the set.

How does Helen Edmundson’s use of direct address in 'Small Island' help the audience engage with the characters’ stories?

only the physical size of Jamaica and Britain

a metaphor for a narrow and closed-off mindset

What does Helen Edmundson suggest the title 'Small Island' represents?

To make the story easier to follow and more focused.

According to Edmundson, why might a playwright reduce the number of characters or narrators in a stage adaptation?

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Helen Edmundson on adapting 'Small Island' for the stage

Lesson outcome

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.