THE SILVER SWORD - Sing Up

THE SILVER SWORD (CROSS ARTS - SONG WRITING, DRAMA)

Performers from NEGUS Sixth Form Centre at Plumstead Manor

About the project: The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier was written in 1956 and is a world-renowned novel for young people. The story explores the way in which the Balicki family is torn apart by the Germans from their home in Warsaw, Poland, in 1940, and how they succeed in reuniting themselves in Switzerland at the end of the war. In partnership with writer and director Susie McKenna (Associate Director at Hackney Empire) Greenwich Theatre worked with a small group of year 12 students from NEGUS Sixth Form Centre to devise a new piece of music theatre based on the ideas of migration, dislocation and conflict raised by Seraillier’s book. For the second stage of the project, a larger group of students from the Sixth Form developed the work further for presentation within Greenwich Theatre’s annual music theatre festival, Musical Futures.

Project aims To explore themes of migration, dislocation and conflict and use them to devise a new piece of music theatre To explore storytelling through music, drama and song To enhance confidence in writing and performance by working with a professional writer/director To create an enjoyable and challenging experience for the young people To perform the new piece as part of a professional music theatre festival Teachers’ Feedback “This was a new, small group and the workshop helped them to gel… one student with learning difficulties progressed more than others” “Giving the students a target – i.e. a performance working in a professional environment – worked particularly well” Audience Feedback “Very poignant. Hard to watch. I felt quite emotional.” “Unique, refreshingly different, timely message – an unexpected treat.” “Sincerity spoke volumes – particularly the different languages plus the sign language.”

School: NEGUS Sixth Form Centre at Plumstead Manor Secondary School Partners: Greenwich Theatre, Susie McKenna Additional Supporters: Arts Council England, PRS Foundation, Idlewild Trust