Pondlife

THE STORY

Moving school is never easy. When class bully Sharon takes an instant dislike to Martin it feels like he has an especially tough ride ahead of him. That is until he befriends Simon McGurk and his fortunes seem to change. The fickle world of playground politics soon puts pressure on their friendship, however, and Martin finds himself making a choice that will impact them both for the rest of their school days.

A passionate one-man show that vividly illustrates the high stakes of classroom power play, Pondlife movingly explores the lasting legacy of childhood friendships.

THE PLAY

• Created by award-winning theatre makers Andy Manley, Gill Robertson and Robert Alan Evans
• One skilful performer will take on a variety of roles from class bully to macho teacher
• The children will sit on carpeted ‘islands’ within the performance area while the performer moves around and behind them
• It has travelled the UK, America, Australia and New Zealand

LEARNING THEMES AND CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE LINKS

Participation in arts education projects such as this helps schools to deliver the Curriculum for Excellence by encouraging, supporting and developing cross-curricular learning. The arts in general and drama in particular can encourage children and young people to express their own ideas, beliefs and values through creative work and can help them to develop their capacities as confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors Pondlife will help pupils engage with all four capacities with particular emphasis on:

Confident individuals The play will encourage pupils to think about the decisions the character has made and encourage them to think about: – Relating to others – Self-awareness – Taking informed decisions

Responsible citizens By witnessing a character who makes decisions that adversely affect his life, pupils will be asked to: – See the importance of respect for others – Understand the value of informed choices and decisions – Develop informed, ethical views of complex issues