Scenes from a drama class

We’re talking about how we’d stage the play that we’ve just read. It’s called ‘Too Much Punch for Judy’ and it’s one that we’re going to be doing some improvisations on, to link in with a student performance. It’s not surprising that I’ve never heard of it before, given that it’s a TIE play, but apparently it’s one of the most frequently performed plays. Though that does make me wonder about the teacher who has chosen it for a GCSE assessment piece for these kids, as it’s likely that the assessors will have seen it numerous times

The tutor suggests the ‘round’ as being an option, and asks if anyone has been to the Stephen Joseph Theatre in the Round in Scarborough. I say that I have. She then talks about a thrust stage, and says that ‘one of the best is The Swan in Stratford. Anyone been there?’ Yes, I say again. She goes on, ‘of course it’s partly based on Shakespeare’s Theatre…and then of course there’s the Globe’. She turns to look at me ‘Have you been there too?’ Yes, I reply, shuffling down a bit in my chair. But it seems a bit ridiculous to me. It’s a drama class, and yet I’m sort of apologising for the theatre that I’ve seen!