Today was the most productive and exciting LAB session yet – although I know I say that every time!
We kick started the session with our very own talent show! Tanya was interested in seeing what skills people had to feed into the final play. Jess was brave enough to start. She played Allegro by Taffanell on her flute and then wowed us with Badinerie by Bach on the Steel Drums. We clearly have some very talented people in the group. Yaz, Aisha, Chloe and Maryam all sang for us. Naomi and Mollie sang and played their instruments – Naomi the guitar and Mollie the piano. Leyla, Grace and Eliza all played the piano. Raz gave us a fantastic, self-choreographed piece of dance, and Eliza and Jess also danced for us – Eliza did a tap routine and Jess a ballet piece. And last, but by no means least, Shanice performed a poem that she had written herself. It really was an inspiring and talent-fuelled morning.
We kick started the session with our very own talent show! Tanya was interested in seeing what skills people had to feed into the final play. Jess was brave enough to start. She played Allegro by Taffanell on her flute and then wowed us with Badinerie by Bach on the Steel Drums. We clearly have some very talented people in the group. Yaz, Aisha, Chloe and Maryam all sang for us. Naomi and Mollie sang and played their instruments – Naomi the guitar and Mollie the piano. Leyla, Grace and Eliza all played the piano. Raz gave us a fantastic, self-choreographed piece of dance, and Eliza and Jess also danced for us – Eliza did a tap routine and Jess a ballet piece. And last, but by no means least, Shanice performed a poem that she had written herself. It really was an inspiring and talent-fuelled morning.
Next, we jumped straight into the homework task that had been set last session. Participants were asked to bring in an Ad – either from the perspective of a young person looking for work, or from an employer looking for a young person to work for them. We shared some of these and discussed any clues that were given about the characters by reading between the lines. Participants then worked in pairs to create a scene that showed the darker side of the ad in contrast to the ‘dressed-up’ side of it. It was really interesting to see how a simple ad generated deep and rounded character portrayals.
Next we looked at a specific except from Parlour Song, with the surtitle Each Year the Birds Come Back. This section of the script gives a sentimental account, by Ned, of an encounter on his honeymoon. He and his wife found a £50 note on the floor. They decided to split the amount and buy each other a gift. Ned wandered for miles before stumbling upon a birdbath – for exactly £25. It was perfect. And the birdbath is a symbol of the strength of their relationship. However, the birdbath has recently disappeared, symbolising the shifting nature of the relationship between Ned and his wife. Participants were asked to use this as a starting point for finding their own sentimental object – why is it so important to them and what, if anything, does it symbolise. They then wrote their own monologues to illustrate their shifting relationship with their object. Initially, it meant a great deal to them, but something happens / changes that alters that relationship. Again, the results of the exercise were fantastic.
We finished by discussing an article that I had seen in the Metro about the fact that life is meaningless for one in ten teens: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Life_meaningless_for_one_in_10_teens&in_article_id=458125&in_page_id=34&in_a_source=
I am amazed at how the issue of how we, as human beings – and specifically the participants as young human beings – deal with life’s challenges and ups and downs. Parlour Song is great as a starting point to look at the meaning of life / how you deal with things – as Ned is clearly going through some kind of mid life crisis and having to deal with this. As ever, the discussion was lively and informative. Keep up the good work guys!
Homework – write an ad selling an object that you once loved. Imagine the story behind it. Choose your words carefully – can the reader see the cracks between the words? If you have that object, please bring it with you to the next LAB session.
