Multicultural GCSE Plays

Paul King

30134Paper-based / ePackJun 03
ISBN: Paper-based 978 1 85749 821 9; ePack 978 1 84070 465 5

• Ideal for devised and improvised play elements
• Suitable for comparison work
• Photocopiable masks included

Exciting resources

All GCSE exam specifications require a multicultural element and finding relevant material can be time-consuming and difficult. The plays in this pack have been written to address the multicultural components of current GCSE specifications. The plays dramatise existing stories from a variety of cultures, including Hindu, African, Turkish, Japanese, etc.

Introduction to mask work

Many of the plays are accompanied by a series of photocopiable masks that can be used in performance. These could be copied onto card, coloured, decorated and possibly laminated and then fixed on the student’s head with a piece of elastic.

Meet AQA requirements

The pack also shows how the plays can be used to address the AQA comparison essay, acting, devised play and improvised play components.

Flexible casting

Each play:

• offers opportunities for stylised productions
• lasts approximately 20 minutes
• is written for casts of four to six actors and parts can often be played by either sex
• comes with a licence to photocopy, allowing each performer to have their own copy which can be annotated and kept.

Plays include:

• The Ramayana – A stylised dramatisation of the Indian epic myth.
• The Thousand and One Nights – A group of storytellers dramatise the beginning of the Arabian Nights.
• The Legends of Dr Faustus – A stylised play about the legend of the mythical astrologer who sold his soul to the devil.
• The Ghost Dancers – A drama documentary that tells the story of the persecution of the Native Indians.
• Oedipus – A stylised version of the Greek myth.
• The Price of Freedom – The true story of an African who is sold into slavery and eventually buys his freedom.
• The Stonecutter – A dramatisation of a Japanese folk tale in which a stonecutter learns to be happy with what he has.
• Tales of the Turkish Trickster, Nasreddin Hodja – A series of humourous stories.

Note that this product is also available as part of KS3/GCSE Drama Network Resources.

Contents

Introduction

Play Details

Historical, Cultural and Stylistic Aspects of GCSE Specifications

Production Notes

Plays

• The Ramayana
• The Thousand and One Nights
• The Legends of Doctor Faustus
• The Ghost Dancers
• Oedipus
• The Price of Freedom
• The Stonecutter
• Tales of the Turkish Trickster, Nasreddin Hodja