This week we took our Y10 & Y11 GCSE drama students to The National Theatre to see “Alterations” by Michael Abbensetts. This play was originally written in 1978 and we experience one night at a Guyanese tailor’s business as Walker Holt (the proprietor) tries to meet a tight deadline on alterations to a number of trousers. We encounter family and friends that all have something to offer the story, and as pressure mounts and the deadline creeps ever closer, tensions rise.
The play examines the race inequality evident in the time period, as well as taking a look at the personal cost that comes with dedication to your own business and a desire to become successful and independent, with the desire to gain financial equality overriding family needs. The play also offers an insight into the demands placed on the Windrush generation and the fractures that start to develop as second generation community members begin to demand more for their contribution to society that seem at odds with the optimism of first-generation settlers.
This show was chosen to support GCSE drama learners with their exam preparation; 15% of their final GCSE grade comes from the evaluative essay they write in the written paper. This show provided our learners with plenty of opportunity to examine use of semiotics, physical and vocal acting skills and use of the acting space. Not forgetting the historical, social and cultural aspects of any theatrical piece too.
Thanks to all parents for supporting your child’s drama education and for promptly collecting them on our return, late at night! We may be back with one more trip before the end of the school year... Watch this space!