Ten Ten Theatre is delighted to be working in partnership with the Catholic Association of Teachers, Schools and Colleges (CATSC) and the Catholic Independent Schools Conference (CISC) to produce a theatre-in-education resource and follow-up lesson plan which will help Catholic schools to articulate British Values and the Prevent agenda, rooted in Gospel values.
The project includes a visit from the Ten Ten Theatre team to perform the powerful play, “Civilised” and a follow-up lesson resource for PSHE or RE.
Due to the content and nature of the drama, this resource is aimed at Key Stage 4 and 5 although we can discuss working with younger years.
In partnership with:
.
.
“Civilised”
“Civilised” is a powerful new play commissioned by CATSC and CISC and is produced by Ten Ten Theatre.
Set in a Catholic secondary school in the North of England, “Civilised” tells the story of how a Year 10 student, Tony, is drawn to extreme action following an altercation with another boy in his class, raising interfaith conflict. Into the mix, Tony is influenced by a volatile Sixth Form student, Gus, who has developed some far-right views and, on the other hand, the school’s Head Girl, Khalila, who is Muslim and has been a family-friend for many years. Vulnerable and conflicted, Tony must decide what kind of country he wants to live in by responding to a very personal dilemma.
Written by Paul Jones and directed by Martin O’Brien, “Civilised” is a powerful piece of theatre which will help students to engage with the issue of Britishness and radicalisation in a profound way.
.
The follow-up lesson: What kind of country do you want?
The RE / PSHE lesson resource takes the students on a journey through the issues raised in the play leading to a deeper understanding of how Gospel values can help form and shape our response to radicalisation.
Stage One: Gauge students’ understanding of extremism and dispel some myths about its origins and manifestations. A variety of examples are provided – from recent terrorist attacks in France, to the activities of the KKK in the 1920s; from the actions of animal rights extremists in England to the protests by members of Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas; from the killing of Lee Rigby to the words of Gus in the play.
Stage Two: Using three sources, including the words of Cardinal Vincent Nichols, students consider why young people such as Gus and Tony may be particularly vulnerable to being radicalised.
Stage Three: Students turn verses of Scripture into advice which could be offered to a young person in Tony’s shoes; advice which would equip him with the resilience, insight and wisdom to challenge Gus, remain rooted in ‘Gospel values’ and resist radicalisation himself.
.
Outcomes
By watching the play and working through the lesson resource, students will be able to:
- Identify and describe different forms of extremism, including Far-Right and Islamic extremism;
- Identify and describe different reasons why young people may be particularly vulnerable to radicalisation;
- Articulate how living out Gospel values can prevent radicalisation.
.
The Visit
A team of three professional actors will perform the play and lead a short follow-up review of the themes of the play. The play can be performed up to three times in one day so we can work with multiple year groups during the visit.
