Resources for schools
The A-Level Drama and Acting Diploma students involved in Who Cares? were at the heart of the process.
Click the link to download a step-by-step guide to running this project in your own school or youth club, with detailed session plans.
Over a number of weeks, the students got to know the 12 people living in care homes better through various drama techniques, leading to a deeper appreciation of their lives. The students were determined to honour them respectfully through their final performances as they made choices around which key moments to include and how to best structure their piece.
Having some of the original interviewees watch the final performances with their families brought home just how important this project was. There were tears and laughter from the audience as they recognised and shared their stories and a sense of pride from the students as they appreciated the impact they had achieved through drama.
The students' interviews with our 12 care home residents formed the basis for our podcast episodes as well as their own pieces of verbatim theatre.
At the start of the project, the students began exploring the interview transcripts using verbatim techniques, such as repeating the words as spoken whilst listening through a headset, learning sections off by heart, using the text as narration with still images and exploring ideas through role play.
Alongside this, it was important to capture the students' own opinions and experiences to enable them to make connections with the lives of the interviewees.