If I was to suggest to another teacher why they should use this,
I would say that
it's going to save them hours of time,
and it's going to inspire their students
in a way that's very difficult to find in any other way.
- Morning, Year 10.
So in today's lesson, we're gonna recap a little bit,
because it's about a week since we watched the last section.
- We integrated the National Theatre Collection
into our curriculum because we found that
the students in this area usually didn't go to the theatre.
- Then we're gonna watch the next little clip.
- The Collection was a way of us bringing
high quality productions to all students.
- Can't you see it? It's there.
- A lake. How it glistens.
- We use the Collection for all year groups.
At Key Stage 3,
it's about introducing them to theatre,
generating a love and appreciation of the art form.
At Key Stage 4, it's more about
meeting the requirements of a specification,
whether it be GCSE or BTEC.
- Currently I'm using the production of Frankenstein,
and the resources that are available for Frankenstein,
with a group of Year 10 students.
(The monster cries out)
We've been examining how the actor, Benedict Cumberbatch
has interpreted the character
and the ideas behind the direction of that character.
- If he's, for example, feeling anger then the lights
might turn like a darker reddish colour or...
- We've talked about the lighting and the sound
and the acting and the set design and the costume
and the makeup, and we just put the whole thing together.
- So they have like the bright flash of light,
didn't they, to represent that emotion
that he was going through.
- It could be that we are studying the entire production.
It might be that we are looking at an aspect,
such as design or performance or a theme.
And those might go on to be stimuluses
for devised work or script work.
- There are the odd few students,
and usually the students who we want it to impact the most
who it's something new to them.
They don't understand it.
They don't get it, but very quickly,
you see development of themselves as a learner.
For example, at the beginning of Frankenstein,
we often find Year 10 students going,
"Oh God it's 10 minutes.
Like, all he's done is crawl around on the floor."
But then actually the more of the production that you watch
they understand that that 10 minutes
really helped them to develop an empathy for the character
and how that impacts the rest of the production.
- You are a king, the king of science,
build me a woman, please.
I beg you, a bride.
- A bride should be beautiful.
- So much media these days is short form
and requires shorter attention spans.
But to give your attention to a complete production,
requires a different kind of thinking.
And that complete experience can be transformational.
- It's a real opportunity to teach students
how to do a live review
so that when they come to do a live production
which is something that they will only get to see once
they're in a better mindset
of how to actually respond to that production.
(students chattering)
- It's hard to find productions of this quality
anywhere else.
- It really helps to raise the attainment
of every student in the lesson.
It gives them an aspirational goal to work towards something
that they can produce themselves,
being given all the skills
so they can see how a production is put together.
The monster is desperate to have that human connection
in a positive way.
- For many of our students,
the National Theatre itself can feel a long way away
but by being able to watch the productions now, here,
they feel, it is their National Theatre.
(soft music)