Latest / Gabi’s Speech and Drama Podcast / September Meet Up: Scripts, Sonnets & Syllabi

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September Meet Up: Scripts, Sonnets & Syllabi · Gabi’s Speech and Drama Podcast

• 0:03
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, everybody.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_01: And welcome to the September Meetup.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_01: Sorry, it's been a while since I've seen you all.
• 0:12
  I had a very busy July and August,
• 0:15
  but I'm raring to go with the new academic year.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_01: And of course,
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_01: the big news over the summer,
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_01: on the 1st of August,
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: Lambda released their updates to the additional set text list.
• 0:29
  um and we were all you know very excited to hear that we were
• 0:33
  going to have more
• 0:34
  options i think um the reason that they've done this is that
• 0:40
  they saw maybe over
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_01: the course of last year how many teachers were just using pieces from
• 0:50
  anthology volume four and how few students were using pieces
• 0:54
  from anthology volume five.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_01: That's total speculation on my part.
• 1:00
  But I know that I would say probably 80% of our students are
• 1:04
  choosing volume four
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: pieces compared to maybe 15 to 20% choosing volume five pieces.
• 1:11
  And we don't steer them in one direction,
• 1:14
  we give them the options and let them choose.
• 1:19
  And I've quite like,
• 1:21
  I've actually come to quite like some of the volume five
• 1:24
  pieces.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: I quite like Blue Tongue by Evan Placey.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's hard for grade three,
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: but I think it,
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_01: and it's long and it's wordy,
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_01: but I've had a couple of students do it quite,
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: quite well.
• 1:39
  And I think actually it is by working with students on pieces
• 1:42
  that you start to
• 1:44
  like them there's a piece in volume four that I absolutely
• 1:47
  loathe um which is card
• 1:49
  play um because I just think it doesn't make it I can't I can't
• 1:52
  work out how to
• 1:53
  make it make sense but even that piece working with a couple of
• 1:58
  students on it who
• 2:00
  have really kind of brought it to life for me you know I don't
• 2:03
  hate it as much as I
• 2:04
  used to um and and you know I think it's probably good for us
• 2:09
  as teachers isn't it
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: to um
• 2:12
  work with material that we don't that isn't straightforward i
• 2:15
  tend to go for nice
• 2:16
  nice and straightforward pieces sort of you know almost and
• 2:19
  birthday hijack and
• 2:21
  sports day and those ones that just sort of make sense very
• 2:25
  quickly and easily on
• 2:26
  the surface rather than the ones where you have to you know
• 2:30
  delve down a bit deeper
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: Anyway,
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_01: as I said,
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: speculation,
• 2:35
  but possibly this is why they realized that they needed to give
• 2:40
  us a few more
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: options if examiners and teachers alike weren't going to get really,
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_01: really bored of using the same pieces for another five years.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_01: Can you imagine 10 years of bird and private peaceful?
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't know about you, but what I was expecting was
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: like almost a little booklet or something.
• 3:03
  I think I had heard somewhere that it was gonna be connected to
• 3:08
  the GCSE syllabus
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: plays,
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_01: which makes sense because grades four and five are level two exams as,
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: and GCSEs are also level two exams.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: And so it was very exciting.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: On the 1st of August,
• 3:23
  we got the email saying that the list had been released and all
• 3:28
  we got were links
• 3:29
  to the GCSE syllabi and the information that we could use
• 3:36
  monologues and duologues
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_01: from these plays now as set texts.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_01: I mean,
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_01: I've had conversations with teachers and examiners about this,
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: and even examiners have said,
• 3:49
  I don't understand why Lambda didn't just put together a little
• 3:54
  kind of collection
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_01: of scenes that we could use.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: Too much work?
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_01: I don't, I don't know.
• 4:03
  But they basically,
• 4:06
  they said,
• 4:06
  you know,
• 4:07
  it's up to us to do it,
• 4:09
  which is fine.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_01: Because, you know, for some plays, it's pretty straightforward.
• 4:13
  I'm looking at,
• 4:14
  for example,
• 4:15
  a really obvious one,
• 4:18
  DNA,
• 4:19
  which is on one of the lists.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: And there are some,
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: that there are all of the,
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_01: the Leah monologues that I think,
• 4:27
  I think there are five of them that happen sort of cyclically
• 4:31
  through the play.
• 4:32
  and you can literally lift them straight out of the play and
• 4:36
  perform them as a monologue.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: But my big question,
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_01: and I don't have the answer to this yet,
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_01: but I hopefully will in a week or so,
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: is can we stitch together monologues,
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_01: edit together monologues,
• 4:54
  miss outlines from other characters to create a monologue or a
• 4:58
  duologue in the same
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_01: way that we can for medal exams?
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: I think that the answer will be yes,
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: but I don't want to risk that unless I actually have it clearly.
• 5:14
  So I've got a friend who's a team leader who's going to get her
• 5:20
  training next week
• 5:21
  and she's going to ask that question for me and I will let you
• 5:24
  all know what the
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_01: outcome is.
• 5:28
  i i think that i think it has to be yes i think the answer has
• 5:31
  to be yes but then
• 5:32
  but then um i also remember saying in august last year of
• 5:37
  course peace means scene
• 5:41
  of course it does nothing else would make sense peace can't
• 5:44
  mean play how can you
• 5:46
  talk about the the role of the character in the context of the
• 5:49
  scene that doesn't
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: make any sense and lo and behold you all know what happened
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_01: So that is my pricey of the news and the additional set text list.
• 6:05
  Does anybody else have any thoughts,
• 6:08
  feelings,
• 6:09
  concerns,
• 6:11
  things to raise about that?
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: Find Me is in one of them.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: I've got the play Find Me.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: There's very little in there.
• 6:25
  sort of monologues,
• 6:26
  apart from the one that was in level one in one of the old
• 6:29
  Lambda books.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: Now, can we use that?
• 6:33
  I'd like to use that scene for my level two,
• 6:37
  but...
• 6:37
  I don't know if you can read that.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_01: It might not be possible, but it's that bit, isn't it?
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_01: I love to swim.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_01: I'm happy swimming that scene.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: Now,
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not sure,
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: because if you look at the original play,
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: there are five different verities...
• 6:53
  doing that piece it's verity one verity two verity three verity
• 6:56
  four and verity
• 6:57
  five but this this will only be for level two where you don't
• 7:01
  have to have the play
• 7:03
  i know but i mean it's exactly that kind of pitfall that we
• 7:08
  could potentially fall
• 7:09
  into because the way it's written is that that section should
• 7:14
  be performed by five
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: different actors and
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_01: To be honest with you,
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: I just thought,
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: could the piece,
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: would the piece be okay to use for level two?
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_01: Considering it's been in level one before.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: To go down that route.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_01: But I think if it was just that, it would be fine.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: Because remember,
• 7:34
  there are going to be teachers who weren't teaching back then
• 7:38
  who wouldn't even
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: know that it used to be in one of the old anthologies.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: If it was just that, I would say it would be fine.
• 7:44
  I think the issue is that actually it's meant to be played by
• 7:47
  five different characters.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: And what's interesting is I did this for Bronze as a duologue.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: We cut it up, me and my scene part.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: Two verities.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_02: You're both verity.
• 8:02
  We were both Verity doing that scene,
• 8:05
  I Love to Swim,
• 8:06
  and we turned it into a duologue.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_01: And the woman who taught us is now quite a senior Lambda examiner.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't know if, you know, could it be a duologue as well?
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_01: If it can be a monologue, it can be a duologue, right?
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_01: There are a couple of other bits in Find Me that I think could...
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_01: The only thing I'm not sure is if they're quite long enough.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_01: I need to time it.
• 8:34
  There's a Mark monologue near the peak of the play and there's
• 8:38
  a Verity monologue,
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: which is just one Verity.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_01: And there's Jean as well.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_01: And there's a Jean as well.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: I just need to time it because the writing's quite small.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: I think it might just get... It's got to be two minutes.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: I've timed the Jean one.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_01: And...
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_01: Got to pad it out with lots of pausing.
• 8:57
  And you can get it to the three minutes if your student's
• 9:00
  amazing at pausing and
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: dramatic moments and all that type of...
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_01: Two minutes,
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: right?
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_01: Isn't it two to four minutes?
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: I thought two minutes was only the early piece.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_01: Have I got that completely wrong?
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: No, but we're talking about grade four and five.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, of course we are.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_01: Of course we are.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, two to four.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 9:21
  um so yeah so listen uh i'm sure uh you i i've put on the
• 9:27
  substack page uh a
• 9:29
  downloadable list of all of the plays so that you don't have to
• 9:33
  now trawl through
• 9:33
  all of the various syllabi so i hope that's useful and the
• 9:38
  first thing i did was
• 9:39
  just printed that out and highlighted all the ones that i've
• 9:41
  i've already got on my
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: bookshelf and then you know
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_01: went through them.
• 9:48
  I had this,
• 9:49
  which I've never actually used before,
• 9:50
  but that's got some good.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: I think we have to be a bit careful.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: You know,
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: you have to say at the top of the page exactly which syllabus,
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: which GCSE syllabus it's come from.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_01: But again,
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_01: if you just use that downloadable thing that I prepared,
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: I've told you what to write at the top.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_01: And it does also say that examiners may take the copies away with them.
• 10:18
  to refer to because I think if the examiner has any doubts
• 10:22
  about whether the piece
• 10:24
  has been extracted correctly they may want to take the piece
• 10:31
  with them to then
• 10:32
  compare it to the play to decide whether or not to make a
• 10:35
  referral I just think
• 10:37
  they're going to get a lot of referrals I think by not putting
• 10:41
  in that time and
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: effort themselves to come up with a list of
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_01: additional set monologues and duologues,
• 10:49
  I think they're actually possibly going to create more work for
• 10:52
  themselves.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: I agree.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: I agree entirely that they're going to do that.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: Sorry, I cut myself off.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: Here I am.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: Hello.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: Hello.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: Hi, Claire.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_01: Hello.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I agree entirely.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I think I totally agree that they should have just made a list.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: How tricky can it be?
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_01: Make a list.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, they could just email it out in a PDF.
• 11:10
  They don't have to make a book of it,
• 11:12
  but just make a list and make it clear.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: Because I cut pieces together all the time.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: So,
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_01: and that,
• 11:19
  it just makes me nervous about cutting a piece together for
• 11:22
  grade four and grade
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_01: five.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_01: And then they go into the exam and it's disallowed.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_01: I mean,
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_01: I just couldn't,
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_01: you couldn't think of anything worse than that really,
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: can you?
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_01: There's nothing worse than it being your fault if something goes wrong.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I'm sure we all sweat about that.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: I mean,
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: to be honest,
• 11:39
  that's the whole point of all of the teacher training and this
• 11:44
  sort of work that I
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_01: do is...
• 11:48
  reassuring teachers and giving the teachers the confidence that
• 11:51
  they need to
• 11:53
  prepare students for exams and for those students to achieve
• 11:57
  their potential and
• 12:00
  not to fail an exam or get assessment and grading criteria not
• 12:04
  met because of
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: something you've done.
• 12:06
  If a student rocks up at a public center for a public speaking
• 12:11
  exam and leaves
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_01: their visual aids on the tube and fails the exam,
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_01: that's not on you.
• 12:17
  But if you forget to tell the student that they need visual
• 12:20
  aids,
• 12:22
  then that's on you.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_01: And it's very easy to do.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_01: And the syllabus is not entirely clear.
• 12:31
  I did some training recently with someone who was completely
• 12:34
  new to Lambda,
• 12:36
  and it took them a little while to figure out that with public
• 12:38
  speaking exams...
• 12:40
  the student actually has to write the speech themselves that
• 12:43
  it's not like like
• 12:44
  like acting where you find you know they they can do a speech
• 12:48
  by you know a
• 12:49
  politician or a speech that's been published somewhere and
• 12:53
  perform it like almost i
• 12:55
  guess like a an acting exam because it and then i was kind of
• 12:59
  looking through the
• 13:00
  syllabus and thinking well surely it says somewhere here this
• 13:03
  must be original work
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_01: And actually, you know, it doesn't say that.
• 13:08
  It just says a student must prepare a speech and prepare could
• 13:11
  be interpreted.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_01: So I suddenly thought,
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_01: God,
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_01: what if a student turned up with a political speech,
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_01: from Barack Obama or something?
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_01: Would that, would they, would they fail?
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't say in the syllabus, but we all know, don't we?
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we do.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: I never thought about that.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_01: I never thought.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_01: I never thought about it until it sort of came up in this training.
• 13:39
  And I thought,
• 13:39
  no,
• 13:39
  gosh,
• 13:40
  that really is actually quite a sensible question to ask.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_01: If you're new to Lambda and you haven't been doing it,
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_01: but those are the sort of pitfalls that new teachers can fall into.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 13:54
  And it's always been this question mark in my head why there is
• 14:02
  not some sort of
• 14:04
  training that speech and drama teachers have to do before you
• 14:09
  can submit learners
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_01: for Lambda exams.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_01: Because I'm sure they have that with other disciplines, don't they?
• 14:17
  I'm sure they do with ballet,
• 14:18
  that you have to be a member of some sort of association.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: Does anyone know?
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_01: I think you do with ballet.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_01: I think to teach RAD ballet,
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_02: which is the main board,
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_02: I think you have to have an RAD teaching qualification.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 14:33
  And there's part of me that thinks it's good that Lambda don't
• 14:36
  do that because it
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_01: means that maybe,
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_01: you don't have to jump through all those hoops and of course,
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 14:43
  you don't have to spend money on that training because it would
• 14:48
  inevitably cost
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_01: money.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_01: But then I also think...
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: that it is difficult for...
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_01: And that's one of the things I tell people,
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: I get emails all the time from people saying,
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_01: what qualifications do I need to be a Lambda teacher?
• 15:04
  Do you provide,
• 15:05
  can you train me so that I can legitimately call myself a
• 15:10
  Lambda teacher?
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_01: And I say, well, look, my only qualification was my bronze medal.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_01: That's the highest, that's as far as I went.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_01: And then I changed schools and there was no more Lambda after that.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_01: So...
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_01: No is the short answer.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_01: There are no qualifications required.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: But Lambda used to do,
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_01: I mean,
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_01: I've been teaching Lambda for donkey's years and they used,
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_01: and I did Lambda as a child,
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_01: but they used to do these really great,
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: and they always advertised it terribly,
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_01: but they used to do these lovely week,
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: like a week or two in the summer where every day there'd be,
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_01: I mean,
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_01: you had to pay if it wasn't free,
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_01: but it wasn't stupid money.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_01: And every day there'd be something.
• 15:46
  So in the morning there might be divides,
• 15:47
  in the afternoon there might be.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_01: And I used to book off the whole, I just did the whole week.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I did the same, Claire.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_01: And it was lovely.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_01: And not only... Because Lambda can be very lonely.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you know, I am the Lambda teacher at my school.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: I'm loving this, Gabby.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_01: I'm loving being part of this because I've never had this before.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's lovely.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: And it's always just been me just trying to work it out.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_01: And so,
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 16:13
  but the week in Lambda was great because you'd meet all these
• 16:16
  other Lambda teachers
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_01: and you'd have these great conversations at lunch and share...
• 16:22
  monologues and ideas and questions and then you could speak to
• 16:25
  the speaker and ask
• 16:26
  them yeah just a brilliant week and then they don't they don't
• 16:30
  do them anymore and
• 16:31
  it's such a shame they do do some they do do some training but
• 16:35
  it's very expensive
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: it's something like 750 quid
• 16:40
  which is just prohibitive for me anyway,
• 16:45
  and I'm sure for lots of other people as well.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_01: And then they're a week long.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_01: It's a week long.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_01: I know you get a little qualification at the end of it.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: Not little qualification.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_01: That sounds kind of... I don't think you do.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_01: I think you get a bit of training, but...
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: But those weeks,
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_01: those sort of like half a day or a day,
• 17:01
  but it was also the meeting of other teachers that was such a
• 17:06
  positive thing.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_01: They usually do it particularly at a change of syllabus as well, I think.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think they do a few online things now.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_01: There was a free introduction to Teaching Lambda,
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: which was like two hours on Zoom,
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: which I think you can actually get from the website.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's still up on the website, but it's not quite the same, is it?
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_01: No, no.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_01: I think COVID knocked things on the head there.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: I went to one, I think it was 2018.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_01: I went to one in London.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_01: I remember going to public speaking one and then there was,
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_01: you were right,
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_01: Claire,
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_01: it was all sorts of things you could dip in and out of.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_01: You could pick and choose what you wanted to go and pay for.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_01: And it was really, really good.
• 17:45
  I remember when New Syllabus came out,
• 17:47
  they used to go different parts of the country.
• 17:50
  would have like um a day where you could at a hotel or
• 17:53
  somewhere you know the
• 17:54
  conference in a hotel and you would go and chat about the new
• 17:57
  syllabus with an
• 17:58
  examiner um or representative from lambda and put your
• 18:01
  questions forward and
• 18:02
  everything it's like a whole day and you got your tea and your
• 18:04
  coffee and a bit of
• 18:04
  lunch and you know it was to introduce the new syllabus well
• 18:07
  that hasn't happened
• 18:08
  for years i that's got to be about 15 years since they've done
• 18:12
  any of those where
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_01: you actually got to meet other people face to face
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_01: They're not short of money, are they?
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_01: They're not short of money.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I've always talked about that.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_01: We had to pay for it.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: It wasn't like it was free.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_01: It wasn't free.
• 18:24
  And the big extension at Lambda hasn't come from the 20
• 18:27
  students that do the acting
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_01: course a year,
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_01: is it?
• 18:30
  You know,
• 18:30
  it's come,
• 18:31
  the money that there is,
• 18:32
  it's come from Lambda exams.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not bitter and twisted.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_01: I've been teaching it for 23 years.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: But, you know, we all kind of pour into that and believe in that.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I think they need to...
• 18:43
  I think Lambda needs to give us a little bit more,
• 18:45
  particularly at the change of syllabus.
• 18:47
  I think it would be lovely to have a little bit more training
• 18:50
  from their end.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_01: Actually,
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_01: that's interesting,
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_01: Claire,
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_01: because in my other role as an admin on the Let's Go Facebook group,
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_01: I do get to have face-to-face meetings with...
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_01: you know, people at the top of Lambda exams.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: And I'll,
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 19:08
  I can definitely say that at the next meeting that there is a
• 19:15
  desire to have those
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_01: get,
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 19:20
  sort of partly for like social reasons and just meeting with
• 19:25
  other people in the
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_01: community and partly to,
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_01: actually be in a room with,
• 19:33
  examiners um and the syllabus content creators the syllabus
• 19:38
  creators um and that
• 19:41
  you know keeping the the cost low but enough for them to cover
• 19:45
  their expenses um
• 19:48
  would be ideal and it would attract more people yeah i think
• 19:53
  that's making money
• 19:54
  lambda just want to make money i mean to the fact they haven't
• 19:56
  even they've just
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_01: basically sent that out you know
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_01: We would have all probably bought the book,
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_01: wouldn't we,
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_01: if they bothered to actually make some kind of a book with pieces in.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_01: Everybody would have bought it.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_01: They would have made money.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: To me, it's being lazy.
• 20:10
  If they were about making money,
• 20:12
  why are they not still selling Anthology Volume 4?
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_01: I pretty presume it's... Who was it printed by?
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_01: It wasn't Nick Herm, was it?
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe it's out of print and they can't get...
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_01: What about an online, a digital copy?
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_01: Unless they only bought the copyright for those pieces for five years.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_01: I think that might be it.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_01: By the way, I think it's okay for me to say this.
• 20:37
  If you do a Google search of Lambda Anthology Volume 4,
• 20:41
  the pieces are all over the internet.
• 20:42
  There are loads and loads of drama schools who have probably
• 20:47
  illegally uploaded them.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, not me.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_01: I would never do that.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_01: I don't need to.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_01: I've bought three copies of the anthology.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_01: Do you think it's because they want you to get,
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_01: a new teacher particularly,
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_01: to lean towards the latest volume 20?
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_01: They don't want people really
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not sure.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_01: I have no idea.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: But that makes sense, the copyright.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_01: And actually,
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_01: to be honest,
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_01: thinking about it now,
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_01: that might be why they didn't release themselves a booklet of pieces,
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_01: because so many of those plays are in copyright.
• 21:28
  yeah okay the doubt then yeah so you know what yeah so you know
• 21:34
  on the list was
• 21:34
  looking here that the first books like macbeth by william
• 21:37
  shakespeare so i'm just
• 21:40
  going to ask a daft question so for example like you know like
• 21:43
  for example like
• 21:44
  landry have not created a monologue fill grade four or five
• 21:49
  does that mean
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_00: This is a question you've asked Lambda.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: We can create our own piece from that book of Macbeth.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_00: Am I correct or not?
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: You are absolutely correct.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_01: We can get a copy of Macbeth.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: We can find a monologue.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_01: that fits the grade five timing requirements or a dual log.
• 22:13
  There are loads of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth dual logs in there
• 22:16
  that would be easily long enough.
• 22:20
  I'm not sure whether,
• 22:21
  are there any two minute monologues in that anyone use any?
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_01: You could cut it, you can cut it, you can cut it.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_01: There are definitely bits that you could splice together,
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_01: which we know that we're allowed to do at Meddle,
• 22:36
  But that's the question that I'm waiting to hear back from
• 22:38
  about whether we can do still.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_01: I can't think why they wouldn't.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_01: If you can do it for grade six,
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_01: seven and eight,
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_01: why wouldn't you be able to do it for grades four and five?
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_01: Because they've been so sort of specific saying unedited.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_01: Somewhere on the additional set text, they've used that word unedited.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_01: That's what rang an alarm bell for me.
• 22:58
  So yes,
• 22:59
  essentially that's what,
• 23:00
  and those can be,
• 23:01
  that can be the set text.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_01: So you don't need to choose a piece from volume four or volume five.
• 23:11
  They could do Lady Macbeth as their set text and you write at
• 23:14
  the top of the page
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_01: W,
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_01: J,
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_01: E,
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_01: C,
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_01: Educast,
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_01: GCSE,
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_01: Drama,
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_01: Component 3 specification.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_01: So that they know that that's the syllabus that you're
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_01: the GCSE syllabus that you've taken it from.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_01: So you could have two completely free choices, basically.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, not completely free, but free-ish.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_01: This is so confusing.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_01: I really feel for new teachers,
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_01: we're getting slightly confused,
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_01: and I've been confused by lots of things since this started.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_01: But any newbie starting out, I think it's really confusing.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_01: And this is the thing, Jane, I don't even think I'm confused.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's actually fairly, I get it.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_01: I get it.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_01: I'm annoyed that they've made us do the work.
• 24:02
  And apart from that one question about what can we splice,
• 24:05
  to splice or not to splice,
• 24:07
  I get it.
• 24:09
  But I'm still terrified to actually do it because it's more
• 24:14
  that I'm scared that
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_01: the examiner won't understand it.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_01: I still get calls from examiners checking with me.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, hi, Gabby.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_01: Sorry.
• 24:25
  I'm at an exam centre and I've got a student who's doing two
• 24:30
  pieces,
• 24:31
  both from volume four.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_01: That's all right, isn't it?
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_01: They should know.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_01: I thought so.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_01: I just wanted to check.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_01: You know, will they be up to speed on all this new?
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_02: You know, will he be up to speed on it?
• 24:43
  I think one of the things that frustrated me a tiny bit was
• 24:47
  when it came through as
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_02: the GCSE,
• 24:49
  I think quite a lot of my grade sixes are potentially year 11s
• 24:55
  or maybe just going
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_02: into year 12 if they're a bit more immature.
• 24:59
  And we would quite often use for that one of their or even for
• 25:03
  both of their own
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_02: choices,
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_01: some GCSE drama play.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_01: for grade six.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_01: You still can, Rachel.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah,
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_01: I realize I can,
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_01: but if the same person chose something for grade five,
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_01: I would want them doing different for grade six,
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_01: because to me,
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_01: it's not right that you just revamp.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_02: And so I thought,
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_02: I was just hoping we would have,
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_02: well,
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_02: like we've all said,
• 25:26
  a little booklet of a whole new group of monologues so that we
• 25:30
  had all new material
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_02: rather,
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_02: because
• 25:34
  I think when you're in year 11 in particular,
• 25:36
  you've got a lot of stuff going on,
• 25:37
  haven't you?
• 25:38
  So to be able to not have to study for Lambda a whole play
• 25:43
  because you're studying
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_01: it in GCSE drama,
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_01: it just makes that quite nice.
• 25:46
  So I don't really want them doing that in grade four or five,
• 25:49
  if that makes sense.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that makes perfect sense, Rachel.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_01: And I would say...
• 25:57
  if they're doing grade four and five in year nine and ten and
• 26:01
  you already know what
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_01: plays they're going to be doing for GCSE,
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_01: yeah,
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_01: avoid those plays.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I don't do it with all of them, but just some of them.
• 26:11
  It just saves a lot of work for them if they're in year 11 when
• 26:14
  they've got a busy
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_01: studying year anyway.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think that's absolutely bang on.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: All right,
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_01: before we move on to grade seven sonnets,
• 26:28
  is there anything anybody wants to say or add or ask about the
• 26:36
  additional set text
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_01: list?
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_01: Not really about the text themselves,
• 26:40
  but I just wondered if anybody has any bright ideas for
• 26:45
  duologues for boys.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_01: I teach in a senior school and I have 16 boys and four girls.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm always short of boys' duos that they like.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_01: And I just wonder whether anybody's got any ideas.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_01: From the set, from the GCS?
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_01: Just generally.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_01: From there or just generally.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_01: From ages sort of, yeah, year seven to about year 10.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_01: It's a good Mark and Jan duo in DNA.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's quite, it's quite harsh, actually.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's about the scene where they're bullying Adam and talking about
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_02: I know that senior.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe not for the lower grades.
• 27:27
  Let me just have a little look at my...
• 27:29
  I really struggle with so many boys.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_01: What age did you say up to year 10?
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_01: Year 7 to year 9, year 10, yeah.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_01: Fault from the old anthology.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, been there, done that, yeah.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_02: That comes out a lot.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_01: And Spies.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_01: What's that, sorry?
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_01: Spies by Keith Johnston.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know that one.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_01: That's a really fun one.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_01: It's comedy.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_01: There's a Scorpius and Albus duologue in The Cursed Child.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, got that one.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_01: Got that one.
• 28:06
  Some of my old books are quite good,
• 28:10
  but I've done so many of them to my death,
• 28:11
  you know.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_01: There's a modern version of Medea...
• 28:19
  I can't remember who wrote it but she's got two sons and the
• 28:23
  sons actually play a
• 28:25
  part in it and that's quite good but I can't remember who wrote
• 28:30
  it I'll have a look
• 28:32
  about spies and that sounds quite interesting I have one more
• 28:35
  suggestion I used
• 28:37
  recently which worked well which was The Exam by Andy Hamilton
• 28:41
  that's very very
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_02: good there's a nice scene in there with a boy trying to do his exam
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I've got the book, I think.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I've got the play.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_01: There's a nice,
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_01: you might have to splice it a bit,
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_02: but there's a nice duologue in there for two boys.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_01: Skumpoomery?
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_01: Is that from an old anthology?
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_01: Because I often do that with two boys,
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_01: even though,
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_01: like,
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_01: as a sort of,
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_01: like,
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_01: panto,
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_01: with the mother as a sort of panto-type mother.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_02: Has anyone done Blood Brothers without boys, without the accent?
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_01: No.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I have.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_01: I have done it without the accent.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_00: Did they do well?
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they did.
• 29:20
  It's great in the beginning because you can just charge around
• 29:23
  shooting each other
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_01: and blowing each other up with weapons.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_01: I'm also reluctant to do a Willie Russell play because of the accent,
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_01: but maybe that's just me being a bit old-fashioned or whatever.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_01: I've done it with and I've done it without the accent.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_01: Very difficult accent to get.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just looking through my stuff.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_01: Hang on.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_01: Don't worry, don't waste time.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_01: I could talk about sonnets.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_01: You can always put it in the chat.
• 29:46
  If you come up with a brilliant duologue for two boys,
• 29:49
  put it in the chat.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 29:52
  So the first thing I want to do is actually share a sonnet that
• 29:59
  someone sent me,
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_01: someone who couldn't make the meeting,
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_01: but wanted to share her favourite sonnet.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_01: And it wasn't one that I knew well, but I really like it.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm just going to share that here.
• 30:17
  Since there is no help by Michael Drayton,
• 30:20
  who is a contemporary of Shakespeare and apparently
• 30:26
  contributed quite a lot to sonnet form and was um not not very
• 30:31
  kind of well known
• 30:32
  at the time but you know is well respected now and i've i'd
• 30:37
  never heard of him so
• 30:38
  um and i thought this was a really nice sonnet i won't read it
• 30:43
  for you because you
• 30:43
  can all read but i will put it in the uh in the little resource
• 30:48
  pack that i'm going
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_01: to make um and it's essentially
• 30:52
  about someone who is the end of a relationship and it's like
• 30:57
  okay we're done shake
• 30:59
  hands forever cancel all our vows not one jot of former love
• 31:04
  retain it's over but
• 31:05
  then just right at the end it's like but if you want to change
• 31:08
  your mind then maybe
• 31:10
  it you know that we could salvage something um so i thought
• 31:15
  seeing as sonnets are
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_01: often so soppy that this is quite a a sort of
• 31:21
  one that an awkward teenage boy or girl might feel a bit
• 31:26
  happier about performing
• 31:27
  um so does anyone else know that one already yes yeah it's just
• 31:33
  me just beautiful
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_01: um okay um
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_01: Do any of you have the poetry anthology that we published?
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_01: Me.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_01: Fabulous.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_01: Which is your favorite from that?
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_02: Three.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_01: Well, my kids' favorite are Mermaid, Jessica and Spider and the Fly.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_01: They've been done to a death, I have to say, by this end.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_01: They're very popular.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_01: So,
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_01: yes,
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_01: if any of you don't have it already,
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_01: it's this book,
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_01: Poetry for Performance,
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_01: which is a picture of my niece on the front.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_01: And at the end,
• 32:16
  we've got a collection of modern sonnets that haven't been
• 32:26
  published anywhere else
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_01: except in this book.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_01: And that's quite a nice one is this one by Susan Rogerson,
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_01: which is a response to Sonnet 147 by Shakespeare.
• 32:43
  And so I will sometimes get my students to do that one for
• 32:47
  grade seven and then to
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_01: do Sonnet 147 for their grade eight.
• 32:54
  because then they kind of already become familiar with it
• 33:02
  because they've looked at
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_01: it to do this one.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_01: Sonnet 147 is, my love is as a fever longing still.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_01: Hang on a second.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_01: That one, can you see it?
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_01: It's basically sort of saying,
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_01: you've made me, you know, you've made me ill with love.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_01: And the last couplet is,
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_01: for I have sworn thee fair and thought thee bright,
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_01: who art as black as hell,
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_01: as dark as night,
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_01: because she's rejected him.
• 33:35
  And then Sonnet 1,
• 33:36
  this one,
• 33:37
  Serpent's Tongue says,
• 33:38
  if I am dark as night,
• 33:40
  you made me so.
• 33:41
  And says that the reason she's behaved like this is because of
• 33:45
  the way he's treated her.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_01: So it gives the woman a bit of a...
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_01: a comeback.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 33:54
  So I can put that one into the resource pack as well,
• 33:58
  because that's quite nice.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_01: And yes, I can put some others from there as well.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just having a little look at other ones that we like.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_01: And then I will ask you guys.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_01: That's collection.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_01: So this is my little collection of great seven sonnets.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_01: Death be not proud.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_01: That's my heart.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_01: If thou must love me.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_01: I've got say cheese on there.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_01: Does anyone know that one?
• 34:39
  I don't think I've ever actually had a student use it,
• 34:41
  but it is technically a sonnet.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_01: Shall I compare you to a plate of cheese?
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_01: You made me crumble, turned my heart to jelly.
• 34:50
  Oh,
• 34:50
  I had a case of trembling knees for Barry,
• 34:53
  the big cheese,
• 34:54
  somewhat smelly.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_01: That's a brilliant one.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_01: It is.
• 34:59
  I don't know if I can share that in the resource pack because
• 35:03
  it'll be in copyright.
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_01: But do a quick screen.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_01: Watch the recording back and do a quick screen.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 35:13
  um that's the um quite a few of my students choose embers
• 35:17
  that's in our book um
• 35:19
  that's the one i was just talking about if i'm dark as night
• 35:21
  you made me so mermaid
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_01: i think is great it's really about
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_01: you know, looking after the environment and things like that.
• 35:32
  And the spider and the fly is also very popular with our
• 35:38
  students,
• 35:38
  although quite sad.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_01: There's another one.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_01: The bottom of the jar, I had a student do this one.
• 35:47
  SPEAKER_01: It's such a, I'm not sure if I actually like it that much.
• 35:51
  SPEAKER_01: I try to reach the bottom of the jar without,
• 35:53
  it's basically saying a new relationship is always much sort of
• 35:59
  easier than an old
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_01: relationship.
• 36:01
  And it's using the metaphor of a sort of a sticky jar of like
• 36:05
  jam or treacle or something.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like an old relationship you have to kind of, you know,
• 36:11
  get your hand messy to get into the bottom of the jar where
• 36:14
  it's a new jar.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_01: You can just take the lid off and eat it so easily.
• 36:17
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a bit of a strange metaphor, but I think it's quite fun.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 36:24
  SPEAKER_01: Some favorites from you guys.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah,
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_02: so I brought,
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_02: I think,
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_02: I brought three with me to share because I thought,
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_02: I always take from these sessions and don't give very much.
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_02: Not true.
• 36:36
  There's one that boys tend to like a lot,
• 36:39
  Death of a Whale by John Blight.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_01: It's all about finding a dead whale on a beach and how disgusting it is,
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_01: but everybody comes to stare at it.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_01: And it's quite, it's real, I can do that if you like, I'm,
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_01: Here we go.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if anyone can see it properly.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_01: I can do this.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_01: That's easier.
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_01: Is that right?
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_01: Can you see the right bit?
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, but that's one.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_02: And as I say, particularly boys like it.
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_02: And if they've had quite a lighthearted poem and piece of prose,
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_02: which boys tend to not,
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_02: but if they had,
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_02: this is quite gritty to sort of contrast to the recital,
• 37:21
  SPEAKER_02: if that makes sense.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I love this one.
• 37:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's really, really good.
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_01: It's ugly, if that makes sense.
• 37:31
  SPEAKER_01: A bit like the mermaid one, actually.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_01: You know, the barb caught in the sort of pussy mermaid scales.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_01: It's kind of gross, but, you know, effective.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_01: Gives you lots of opportunities to do interesting stuff with your voice.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, exactly.
• 37:49
  SPEAKER_01: Lovely.
• 37:50
  And then another one I brought was Carol Ann Duffy from her
• 37:53
  Feminine World's Wife
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_02: book,
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_02: Anne Hathaway.
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_02: which was written,
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_02: so Shakespeare's will,
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_02: apparently,
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_02: it's from a quote,
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_02: item I give unto my wife,
• 38:05
  SPEAKER_02: my second best bed.
• 38:07
  And so the perspective is Anne Hathaway talking about the bed
• 38:11
  that they loved in,
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_02: and it's absolutely beautiful.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_01: Boys hate it.
• 38:15
  SPEAKER_01: It's really quite gushy, but it's absolutely stunning.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_01: Lovely.
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_01: Can you all see that one on the screen now?
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_01: Is that there?
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 38:29
  The Bed We Loved In Was a Spinning World,
• 38:31
  Forest Castles,
• 38:32
  Torchlight,
• 38:32
  Clifftop Seas.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_01: Lovely.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_01: It's absolutely beautiful.
• 38:37
  SPEAKER_01: Brilliant.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_02: And then another one that I quite like if you want,
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_02: because sonnets quite often are quite gushy again,
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_02: and I've only got it called Sonnet 7 by Wendy Cope.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_02: And it's about travelling.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_02: It's all about reading poetry on a train.
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, yeah.
• 38:58
  And it's taking the mick out of people reading poetry and the
• 39:02
  carriage will empty
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_02: quickly if you're seen reading poetry on a train.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_02: That's quite a good one.
• 39:07
  If you want a little bit of lightheartedness,
• 39:09
  a little bit tongue in cheek.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_01: You probably can't see it.
• 39:16
  i can't seem to find it online anywhere it was in an old lander
• 39:20
  anthology actually
• 39:22
  oh was it really do you know which one oh gosh that's how how
• 39:25
  long i've been
• 39:26
  teaching um well i've had this from my days when i used to
• 39:31
  perform and that was
• 39:32
  over 30 years ago doing exams so it's it's gosh it's in volume
• 39:36
  14 brilliant
• 39:41
  OK,
• 39:41
  so,
• 39:41
  yes,
• 39:42
  it's still if you want something that's a little bit tongue in
• 39:44
  cheek.
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_02: But all of these,
• 39:47
  all three of these are quite good for when you're doing your
• 39:50
  knowledge section at
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_02: the end and and talking about them.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_02: So, yeah.
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_01: So I thought I would bring those three.
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_01: Great.
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_01: That's brilliant.
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_01: Any others from other people would love to hear?
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_01: What are your favourites?
• 40:06
  SPEAKER_01: One of my favourites is High Flight by John Gillespie McGee.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, yes.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 40:15
  SPEAKER_02: It's a very, very beautiful sonnet.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_01: Very uplifting.
• 40:21
  Lovely to contrast if the student's got maybe very dark prose
• 40:24
  or something.
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_01: This is a lovely contrast.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_02: I can hold it up to the screen if that's any good.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_02: I've got it here.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_02: You've got it.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_02: Oh.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_02: Nope.
• 40:40
  SPEAKER_02: There?
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_02: Can we see it?
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_01: Lovely.
• 40:50
  I think I'm assuming that those italics on the end of every
• 40:52
  line shouldn't be there.
• 40:57
  SPEAKER_03: No.
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_01: It's certainly not in the one I've got.
• 41:00
  I think it's there to sort of highlight the rhyme scheme or
• 41:03
  something like that.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_01: Interesting.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_01: One of my students asked if they could do Vegetarians by Roger McGuff.
• 41:17
  SPEAKER_01: Hmm, I know that poem.
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_01: It is a 14-lined poem.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_01: Is it a sonnet?
• 41:23
  SPEAKER_01: And it isn't a sonnet.
• 41:25
  SPEAKER_01: It's not in iambic pentameter, but it is a sonnet.
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I didn't know what anybody thought of this one.
• 41:33
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if it is a sonnet, just because it's got 14 lines.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_01: Hmm.
• 41:38
  SPEAKER_01: Great.
• 41:38
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe not then.
• 41:40
  SPEAKER_01: I thought maybe it was a very loose sonnet.
• 41:45
  SPEAKER_02: I would say not.
• 41:46
  There's not long enough lines,
• 41:48
  is it,
• 41:48
  particularly at the end,
• 41:50
  just looking at it.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_02: And Anthem for Doom Duke's very popular too.
• 41:55
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 42:00
  I've got a feeling that that is not a sonnet because it
• 42:03
  doesn't...
• 42:03
  There's no...
• 42:08
  clear rhythm and although those last two okay so on the way
• 42:12
  it's written on this
• 42:13
  screen it look so those that last section should be a rhyming
• 42:18
  couplet throw in the
• 42:19
  trowel and lay down the hoe mo no more let my people go I've
• 42:24
  got it on paper look
• 42:25
  it looks more like a sonnet you've got your rhyming couplet at
• 42:28
  the end that kind of
• 42:30
  made me think oh could we maybe get away with that one but I
• 42:33
  steer my student away
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_01: from it in the end it's too iffy
• 42:38
  I think the fact that it doesn't have either a Shakespearean or
• 42:43
  Petrarchan rhyme
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_01: scheme and it's not written in iambic pentameter is the problem.
• 42:52
  The fact that it's 14 lines and that it's got a rhyming couple
• 42:56
  at the end,
• 42:57
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think is enough.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_01: I think it flirts with sonnet form is my very, very brief
• 43:08
  SPEAKER_01: you know, not in depth at all analysis.
• 43:13
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 43:13
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 43:16
  SPEAKER_01: I also just think it wouldn't give them enough.
• 43:21
  SPEAKER_01: I just feel like it's for grade seven.
• 43:23
  SPEAKER_01: It's not quite.
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_01: I thought as much.
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_01: They just said, oh, I really like this one.
• 43:27
  SPEAKER_01: And I said, I don't think it's a sonnet.
• 43:30
  SPEAKER_01: So we steered clear of it.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 43:34
  SPEAKER_01: Also, my veganism is like my vegan hackles are prickly.
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_01: How dare they say that plants feel pain?
• 43:45
  SPEAKER_01: We all know that's nonsense.
• 43:46
  SPEAKER_01: No, I'm joking.
• 43:49
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_01: Lovely.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, some brilliant ones.
• 43:54
  SPEAKER_01: Any others that people would like to share?
• 43:57
  SPEAKER_01: You can always email me afterwards if you suddenly remember one.
• 44:03
  SPEAKER_01: Millet sonnets are lovely and of Ederson Vincent Millet.
• 44:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 44:07
  SPEAKER_01: Girls.
• 44:08
  SPEAKER_01: Not so much for boys.
• 44:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 44:11
  SPEAKER_01: It's quite tricky.
• 44:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 44:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 44:17
  SPEAKER_01: I'll have a, is there a favorite one that you have?
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 44:22
  SPEAKER_01: I've got it in front of me now.
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_01: And she's,
• 44:27
  Lying in bed and thinking about the young men she used to sleep
• 44:29
  with who left her.
• 44:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think what it's called now.
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_01: I shall forget.
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_01: Is it the one?
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_01: Time does not bring relief.
• 44:41
  SPEAKER_01: Time does not bring relief.
• 44:43
  SPEAKER_01: Or that might be the other one.
• 44:44
  SPEAKER_01: There's that one and another one.
• 44:45
  SPEAKER_01: Time does not bring relief.
• 45:00
  um my my computer's decided not to not to load that one here we
• 45:12
  go time does not
• 45:13
  bring relief you all have lied who told me time would ease me
• 45:16
  of my pain yes it's
• 45:19
  SPEAKER_01: lovely song there
• 45:27
  yes very nice good all right well that's given me loads of
• 45:32
  material to put together
• 45:33
  obviously i'm not i won't share stuff that's in copyright but
• 45:38
  um for other people
• 45:40
  and for people watching and listening um you can do a google
• 45:46
  search and of course
• 45:49
  SPEAKER_01: if for pieces that are in copyright um
• 45:52
  SPEAKER_01: I recommend people buy the,
• 45:54
  SPEAKER_01: like the Wendy Cope one,
• 45:56
  SPEAKER_01: for example,
• 45:57
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 45:59
  you can always buy the book that it comes in or get it from the
• 46:03
  library or
• 46:03
  SPEAKER_01: something like that.
• 46:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 46:06
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 46:07
  SPEAKER_01: Good.
• 46:09
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 46:10
  So we haven't got much time left,
• 46:12
  but before we say goodbye,
• 46:16
  is there,
• 46:18
  are there any questions?
• 46:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 46:21
  SPEAKER_01: Anything else that people would like to share?
• 46:24
  I should say thank you for your amazing work,
• 46:27
  Abby,
• 46:27
  to be honest with you.
• 46:28
  The stuff that you've done on Stubstack is worth every penny of
• 46:32
  the £6 we pay.
• 46:35
  SPEAKER_01: It's tax deductible, Jane.
• 46:37
  SPEAKER_01: So in real terms, it's £4.33.
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 46:42
  SPEAKER_02: Brilliant.
• 46:43
  Honestly,
• 46:43
  I've got so many,
• 46:44
  it's just been so helpful in so many different areas.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_01: It's been brilliant.
• 46:47
  And even just this list you've made of additional plays,
• 46:50
  we've got it all on two sheets of A4.
• 46:51
  SPEAKER_01: That is fantastic, Gabby.
• 46:54
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that's so kind.
• 46:54
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for saying that.
• 46:55
  SPEAKER_01: And thank you for the lovely post you put on the Facebook group as well.
• 47:00
  SPEAKER_01: I think I got several new subscribers as a result of that.
• 47:03
  SPEAKER_01: So I really appreciate it.
• 47:05
  SPEAKER_01: And of course,
• 47:06
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 47:06
  SPEAKER_01: the whole idea is that for each individual person,
• 47:09
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 47:10
  SPEAKER_01: you're buying me a coffee once a month,
• 47:11
  but you put all those coffees together and it means that I can
• 47:14
  then devote,
• 47:15
  SPEAKER_01: I can justify devoting more of my time.
• 47:23
  SPEAKER_01: to spend creating resources, which then everyone can benefit from.
• 47:28
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm hoping it's a win-win.
• 47:30
  SPEAKER_01: And apart from anything else,
• 47:34
  and please remember that as well as the ideas that I have about
• 47:40
  things that I share
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_01: that I think people might find useful,
• 47:44
  SPEAKER_01: you can guide the content yourselves as well.
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_01: So if there's a resource that you need,
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_01: you can email me and say,
• 47:52
  SPEAKER_01: can you do,
• 47:52
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 47:53
  a lot of the posts that I write come about because someone has
• 47:56
  written to me and
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_01: said,
• 47:57
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 47:57
  I just can't figure out grade seven verse and prose rhythm and
• 48:02
  meter question.
• 48:03
  SPEAKER_01: Can you help with that?
• 48:05
  SPEAKER_01: And the other thing is in the Substack app,
• 48:08
  there's a like a chat group um and so if you've got a quick
• 48:13
  question you can always
• 48:14
  post it there um and then i get a little notification i can
• 48:18
  reply and of course
• 48:18
  other people can reply as well um so you know recently i can't
• 48:23
  remember who it was
• 48:24
  SPEAKER_01: but someone put the message there saying
• 48:26
  SPEAKER_01: about the additional set text list.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_01: Oh gosh, does this mean we can't now use these pieces at medal level?
• 48:32
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, you know, I could reply very quickly.
• 48:34
  SPEAKER_01: You can, it's fine.
• 48:37
  SPEAKER_01: Just like you can use the volume four pieces as own choice or set text.
• 48:43
  The only pieces that are exclusively for grades four and five
• 48:49
  are the pieces in volume five.
• 48:52
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, I mean, grades one, two and three as well.
• 48:55
  SPEAKER_01: They can only be used for those specific grades.
• 48:59
  SPEAKER_01: The volume five pieces are absolutely ring fenced,
• 49:03
  SPEAKER_01: but everything else on the additional set text list is,
• 49:06
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 49:06
  SPEAKER_01: can be used for own choice,
• 49:08
  SPEAKER_01: medals,
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_01: whatever.
• 49:11
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 49:13
  SPEAKER_01: And I will, as I said, get back to you.
• 49:16
  SPEAKER_01: Hopefully next week,
• 49:17
  I will have an answer to that crucial question about whether we
• 49:22
  can stitch together
• 49:23
  monologues and duologues from those GCSE plays in the same way
• 49:26
  that we do for medal
• 49:27
  SPEAKER_01: exams or whether they have to be lifted exactly as they are,
• 49:31
  SPEAKER_01: which means,
• 49:33
  SPEAKER_01: of course,
• 49:33
  SPEAKER_01: if they have to be lifted exactly as they are,
• 49:36
  it means that some of those plays then are completely useless
• 49:39
  because they just
• 49:39
  SPEAKER_01: won't be
• 49:41
  SPEAKER_01: any monologues or duologues in them.
• 49:43
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, what's the point?
• 49:47
  SPEAKER_01: And I will also...
• 49:50
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not sure whether there's very...
• 49:52
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think there's very much in those...
• 49:55
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's only the Shakespeare that are out of copyright.
• 50:00
  I'm not sure if there are any other plays on that list that are
• 50:04
  out of copyright,
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_01: which means I can't really...
• 50:07
  share um well we can't share freely the um pieces that we've
• 50:13
  extracted from them
• 50:14
  but what we can do is point people in the right direction say
• 50:16
  you know if you start
• 50:17
  SPEAKER_01: with this line and end with this line then that works okay
• 50:26
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks, Gabby.
• 50:26
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_01: Absolute pleasure.
• 50:28
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you all so much.
• 50:30
  SPEAKER_01: It's been lovely to hang out with you all.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm now going to cough myself silly.
• 50:41
  SPEAKER_01: Take care.
• 50:41
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks again for the meeting.
• 50:43
  SPEAKER_01: Pleasure.
• 50:43
  SPEAKER_02: Bye.