Read the following short briefs and choose a play that best suits what you want your pupils to learn, or a specific topic you want to explore.

Play In a Day – Primary – Theatre of Debate

Very recently Play in a Week has been the focus point for many school transition and Summer School projects. Working with a number of pupils from each feeder primary school, Play in a Week is a fantastic opportunity for children to come together to meet each other, share ideas and then work together to create their very own play. The final play often takes place in the secondary school where the children will start their new schooling life together. When we arrived at Tudor Hall we were really excited because we just wanted to get on the stage and perform. We were looking forward to showing our parents what we had done at the end of the day. When we opened our envelope, we found we had the Gunpowder Plot, and we were also given lots of information about the plot itself which was very useful. Each group was working with a professional actor, which for me was a dream come true. Our professional actor, Matt, taught us how to focus on our play, and we also enjoyed learning how to do a stage punch and a stage slap! When it was time to perform our play we were really nervous but excited at the same time. We thought it went very well and we were extremely proud of ourselves. It was so fun to learn in a different way by spending the whole day in a real theatre practising for our play. Thank you for inviting us – it was amazing! Director’s Notes which include learning outcomes, links to the curriculum, more in-depth information about the theme of your chosen play, along with hints and tips on how stage the play for a workshop performance. Yes, we like to give the opportunity for the group to share their work with the whole school community and parents are very welcome too!No, our plays are written in an ensemble style and are designed to be performed without a reliance on props and costumes. The children can be dressed in normal school clothes and trainers for the day's work. Our KS1 Play in a Day® projects are accompanied by music and props, which are provided by Konflux on the day. The performance lasts around 5-10 minutes at the end of the school day. We will be finished by the end of school. Casting: 8 key lead roles representing modern day teenagers and those in the future with approx 5 or 6 supporting roles that can be adapted. All students can be involved in the performance through sound scaping and physical theatre.

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Focus: Agro Biodiversity – The variety of different types of agricultural produce found on earth and what this means for human health. In the context of this play this refers to different types of food.Theatre of Debate was commissioned by the Wellcome Trust Crunch project to create five play in day scripts and resources for secondary schools. The future of food is one of the biggest challenges on our plate. Food and drink are fundamental to our lives, connecting everything from our health to the world around us. It’s time for us to take a fresh look at our relationship with food and be inspired to create the recipe for a happier, healthier future.

The Official Bert Weedon Website - Play in a Day - the video

Some schools book Play in a Day® to support work in the classroom, whilst other schools book it for its pastoral benefits and to build on Speaking and Listening strategies. If you do want a specific theme for the day to tie in with the children's work, please advise our office well in advance of our visit. What can be done to make sure everyone has a balanced and healthy diet of nutrients to promote a healthy body?

verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ Play in a Week is a popular choice for groups and schools who have a theme week, or a special celebration, as the play can be on any topic you choose. Choose this script if you have ‘strong’ actors that can carry the play and a group of creative students who would benefit from working as an ensemble to present a piece of theatre. The play explores undernutrition and over-nutrition and contains a lot of information to spark discussion and split opinion.

Play In a Day – Secondary – Theatre of Debate Play In a Day – Secondary – Theatre of Debate

Setting and Style: The playwright has suggested the simplest way to stage this would be to use a bare performance space with bright/quirky costumes and props which the cast don/use as required. The cast could sit in a row of chairs getting up to perform their parts and physically/stylistically make the settings/scenery as described. The acting style is meant to be over the top, caricatured and good fun. If, however, you are less concerned with the subject matter of the play, we suggest you leave it to our Director to choose on the day once they have had an opportunity to meet the group. Throughout the week the group create the drama; develop characters, discuss and devise scenes to build their play for a performance on the final afternoon. This process is designed to develop writing, drama and improvisation skills and teamwork. Yes, Play in a Day® is very popular in secondary schools! Our Anti-Bullying, transition and Internet Safety titles are most popular along with our Shakespeare and History workshops that are often booked to aid GCSE revision.The way in which Play in a Day is designed allows for everyone’s voice to be heard. All pupils will be involved in their own way and will be encouraged to share their talents and work as a group to support each other. Casting: 8 larger speaking roles, 1 female lead who is telling her story. Several other supporting roles with speaking parts and enough parts for up to 30 students as part of an ensemble that plays school students, people at the summer fayre etc. What a fantastic day- it completely exceeded my expectations. I honestly didn’t think it would be possible to get all of that done in just one day! The children absolutely LOVED it! The play content enhanced what we have already been learning and introduced new ideas, all done in a completely child-friendly way. Chris formed excellent relationships with the children, even in such a short space of time. He was energetic and enthusiastic and made the day really fun. Parents, staff and other children commented on how brilliant the finished product was. Casting: 2 male key speaking roles with 2 female supporting roles make up the main bulk of the play. There are flexible roles for the rest of the class that can be made as little of as much of as you see fit. The playwright has suggested between 8-20 roles where the lines can be divided up in any way that works for your interpretation.