Lesson video

Hello, and thank you for joining me for this lesson.

My name is Mrs. Butterworth and I will be guiding you through your learning.

Now, in this lesson, we will be watching Act Two Scene One of "Small Island".

So you will need to make sure you have access to the National Theater's recording of this production before you begin the lesson.

At the start of the lesson, we'll be watching a video of Helen Edmundson, the writer of the adaptation, talking about this act and this scene, which should be really interesting to look at before we watch the performance.

So lots to do, let's get started.

In this lesson, you will use Helen Edmundson's comments to explore the contrast between Act One and Act Two.

Let's look at some keywords that you may spot in the slides, but also listen out for them in the Helen Edmundson video.

These words are fluidity, expansive and confined.

Now, fluidity, if we're thinking about theater, refers to the idea of a smooth and seamless flow of movement, scenes or ideas during a performance.

So "Small Island", the production of it could be described as having this fluidity, because it kind of moves from one scene to the next.

Expansive is to be large, wide or covering a lot of space.

And confined is all about being kept in a small or limited space.

Now, the outline of our lesson looks like this.

We're going to begin by watching Helen Edmundson talk about the contrast of Act Two compared to Act One and then we're going to watch Act Two Scene One of the production.

So let's begin.

So in this first video, we are going to watch Helen Edmundson talk about the differences between Act One and Act Two.

I would then like you to answer the following question.

List three differences between Act One and Act Two.

Now, there will be plenty of time to complete that task after the video, so just keep it in the back of your mind as you watch the video.

The most important thing is, is that you are listening to what Helen Edmundson has to say, because it really is insightful.

Okay.

so gather what you need.

You may wish to take some notes whilst you're watching the video.

Most important thing is to be listening.

I'm going to press play on the video now.

<v ->I wanted there to be a really strong contrast</v> between Acts One and Two.

Act One is expansive.

It's quite playful, it's full of possibilities.

It's full of people's dreams and ambitions.

The direct address gives it a sort of a overtly kind of story-like quality.

And then Act Two, I wanted it to feel as though we'd come down to Earth with a bump, that we were in a much more real world, that we were in the middle of somewhere where things were disappointing, where there was a huge amount of compromise involved, where all the possibilities seem to be closed down.

In performance, obviously it's.

We closed it down in that in the first half, there was this sort of sense of fluidity and just the odd little bit of furniture to suggest a certain space or a certain, you know, that we were wherever we were, in Jamaica in a yard outside the house or whether we were in Queenie's sitting room, there'd just be one or two bits of furniture.

In the second half, we had much more structured, solid iterations of rooms and spaces of Queenie's house, of the front, of the bedroom, et cetera, because we wanted to get that sense of this being a much more grounded, realistic as it were, sort of approach.

So yeah, I come back, I cut out the direct address until right at the very end when all of them just say a few lines to the audience and there's that kind of acknowledgement at the fact that this has also been part of the story, but there's a more straightforward kind of, realistic structure to the scenes in the second half and yeah, there isn't that sort of luxury of the direct address.

<v ->Great, so now we have watched the video</v> and we have listened very carefully, it is now over to you to list those three differences between Act One and Act Two.

Pause the video to give yourself time to do this.

Great, so shall we look at some answers and decent feedback.

So here I have some of our Oak pupils answered and listing those three ways that Act One and Act two contrast.

So Andeep from Helen Edmundson's video has noticed that Act One is more playful and full of dreams, but Act Two feels more serious and realistic.

Sam says that Act One uses direct address to tell the story, but in Act Two this is mostly removed to make it feel more grounded.

Okay, so that's something to look out for whilst we're watching the production.

And Sofia says, "The staging in Act One is open and fluid, but Act Two has more fixed rooms, like Queenie's house to show a more closed-in world." So all of these pupils have really picked up on some key ideas from that Helen Edmundson video.

And now I want you to reflect on your own answers and I'd like you to discuss or if you're working on your own, you can jot some ideas down or think quietly, but you'll need to discuss, can you add anything to those answer? So pause the video to give yourself time to do that.

Off you go.

Okay, so this is quite a tricky question, but we will go through it together.

So the question is, which answer best explains what Edmundson means when she says there is no longer the luxury of direct address in Act Two? So which answer best explains what Edmundson means when she says there is no longer the luxury of direct address in Act Two? So think back to some of the things she was talking about in that video.

So you might pick A, the play begins to use song and music instead, reflecting the celebratory atmosphere.

You may pick B, the play's setting becomes more complex, making direct address confusing for the audience.

Or C, the characters no longer have time or opportunity to speak directly to the audience, reflecting the more serious and real situation.

Okay, it's over to you to select what you think is the right answer.

Pause the video now to do that.

And a very well done to everyone that answered C.

What Edmundson means when she says there is no longer the luxury of direct address links to this idea that the characters no longer have the time or opportunity to speak directly and this reflects the more serious and real situation.

Okay, so for task A, I would like you please to complete the following comparison grid to show the differences between Act One and Act Two.

So think about your own knowledge of the play, but also think about everything that we've just listened to in that Helen Edmundson video.

So you should include words and phrases from the videos, keywords and even some images.

Okay, so you know what to do by now.

You'll need to pause the video to get that task completed and we'll feedback in a moment.

Off you go.

Okay, great, so let's have a little look at Andeep's completed grid and you can start thinking about your own.

So for Act One, Andeep has put, he's quoted Edmundson here and put that Act One is expansive and quite playful, full of people's dreams and ambitions.

And the keywords that he have picked out are fluidity and direct address and I love this image here where he thinks about this idea of dreams and possibility.

So the idea that Act One is full of possibility and hope, and that image is fantastic, isn't it? In Act Two, he has again used a quotation, so Act Two he's identified is much more grounded and a realistic space.

And the keywords that he has picked out are realism, tension, compromise and no direct address.

And again, we've got another great image from Andeep, which represents that one setting and confinement.

So I want you to look at your own grids and think about your own ideas and discuss, what could Andeep add? Is there anything that you could add to your own grids? So discuss and also take this as an opportunity to develop your grids even further.

Pause the video to get that done now, please.

Okay, so we are in the second half of the lesson, and this all about watching Act Two Scene One.

So like I said at the start, make sure you do have access to the National Theater's filming of the production to do this.

So you will watch Act Two Scene One, so from the beginning of Act Two to Gilbert's exit where he says, "You are lucky." As you watch, I want you to think about some of the specific things that Helen Edmundson mentioned.

So look for the minimal and closed down set, the absence of direct address and how this affects the feeling of realism and tension, how it really emphasizes that contrast and how Act Two contrasts to Act One's fluid, playful and hopeful atmosphere, showing instead disappointment and compromise.

So as you enjoy watching Act Two Scene One, really think about those ideas as well.

So in a moment, you'll need to pause me and you'll need to go over to watching "Small Island".

So make sure you are ready and when you are, press play and enjoy watching.

Off you go.

So you have now watched Act Two Scene One and I'm sure you will have noticed the stark difference to Act One in terms of mood, atmosphere and all of those things that Helen Edmundson was talking about.

But I'm now going to ask you a question about that.

So which of the following best captures the emotional tension in the scene where Hortense arrives in England? Okay, I'll repeat the question again.

Which of the following best captures the emotional tension in the scene where Hortense arrives in England? So you'll need to pick A, B, C or D and you'll need to pause the video to give yourself time to do that.

Off you go.

Well done to everyone that noticed that the answer was in fact C.

The scene shows a clash between Hortense's hopes and the harsh reality Gilbert has faced.

Though she really does come crashing down to reality, doesn't she? So for task B, what I would like you to do, is I would like you to choose a key moment from the scene.

So think about what stood out to you whilst you were watching.

So an example could be when Hortense sees the room or even when Gilbert spills the chamber pot.

So once you have picked your key moment, I would like you to write a thought bubble or a caption for each character in the moment.

So what are they really thinking but not saying? So I think is what's happening a lot in this scene.

There is a lot of going on internally, as well as the dialogue that they are saying.

So once you have chosen that key moment, write that thought bubble or caption that shows what they are really thinking but not saying.

And then I'd like you to explain please, what do these hidden thoughts show about their fears, hopes or misunderstandings? Okay, so gather what you need to complete this task and when you are ready, you know what to do, pause the video and get going.

Okay, lots of different moments chosen there.

It's interesting, isn't it, that so many different things stand out to different people, which is great.

So let's just look at what Jun chose.

So Jun chose the moment where Gilbert spills the chamber pot while showing Hortense the room.

So that's the moment that Jun has chosen.

And the thought bubbles and captions that Jun has chosen is for Gilbert, "I hope she doesn't think less of me, this is all I can offer her," and Hortense, "How can he live like this? Is this all we're worth here?" And I think they're excellent thought bubbles or captions from Jun there, because although Gilbert is appearing to be confident and unashamed, I think inside, there is some shame there.

He's really hoping that it isn't awful for Hortense and likewise, I think Hortense is very frightened and I think she's uncertain about her future.

And Jun goes on to explain this that these thoughts reveal the tension between Gilbert's pride and Hortense's growing fear.

Gilbert struggles to maintain dignity despite hardship, while Hortense confronts the hard reality that challenges her expectations and identity.

So I think that's a really good answer from Jun.

So what I would like you to do now is to spend a few moments to see if you can identify one thing you found interesting or different in Jun's ideas and also explain why.

Pause the video to do that final task.

Off you go.

And that signals the end of the lesson and the watching of Act Two Scene One.

So let's just go through some key bullet points.

We know that Edmundson wanted a strong contrast between Act One and Act Two, and I think we can all agree we really see that.

Act One is expansive, playful and full of dreams with direct address.

Act Two brings characters back to Earth into a more disappointing and compromised reality.

Act One has a fluidity of movement, while Act Two is much more structured and has those realistic spaces.

And direct address is removed in Act Two until the very end to reflect a more grounded, serious tone.

So I really hope you enjoyed hearing from Helen Edmundson and delving into Act Two by watching scene one and I look forward to doing more of this with you soon.

Until then, goodbye.