Key Stage 3 Reading Recommendations

All About Theatre by National Theatre

Described by Benedict Cumberbatch as "a brilliant introduction to theatre", this fascinating book by the National Theatre shows how plays like War Horse and many others are made. The book is packed with interviews with famous directors and actors, like Lenny Henry, Meera Syal, Julie Walters and Ben Whishaw, and productions like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and One Man, Two Guvnors. Hear from experts at the world-famous National Theatre about every aspect of stagecraft, including prop-making, set building and lighting design, and discover, from first idea to final curtain, how plays are made.

Year 7:

These suggested reads link to the themes that students explore in their Drama lessons:

Stone Cold by Robert Swindells

A tense, exciting thriller combined with a perceptive and harrowing portrait of life on the streets as a serial killer preys on the young and vulnerable homeless. 17-year-old Link is distrustful of people until he pairs up with Deb, homeless like him. But what Deb doesn't tell him is that she's an ambitious young journalist on a self-imposed assignment to track down the killer and that she's prepared to use herself as bait...

 

 

Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams

When Ingrid accidentally leaves her favourite football sneakers at a murder scene, she is sucked into a mysterious case. It's all her fault that the police are on the wrong track, so Ingrid swears to hunt down Cracked-up Katie's killer herself. But Ingrid's life is full of distractions: Joey, the son of the local police chief; portraying Alice in the Prescott Players' new production; not failing maths... When the clues lead her to the new member of the theatre group, Vincent, she doesn't realise the danger until it's too late - and suddenly she's battling for her life, about to be pushed over the edge of Echo Falls...

 

New Kid: A Graphic Novel by Jerry Craft

Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enrol him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of colour in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights flat to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighbourhood friends and staying true to himself?

 

Year 8:

These suggested reads link to the themes that students explore in their Drama lessons:

Sweeney Todd: A Musical Thriller by Sondhiem

According to legend, Sweeney Todd had his barber shop at number 186 Fleet Street, next door to St. Dunstan's Church, just a few blocks away from the Royal Courts of Justice. On this site, they say, he robbed and murdered more than 150 customers. To dispose of their remains, he carried them through underground tunnels to the bakery of one Mrs. Lovett a few blocks away, where they supplied the stuffing for her meat pies.

 

 

 

All the Things that could go Wrong by Stewart Foster

Dan is angry. Nothing has been the same since his big brother left, and he’s taking it out on the nearest and weakest target: Alex.  Alex is struggling. His severe OCD makes it hard for him to leave the house, especially when Dan and his gang are waiting for him at school. Then the boys’ mums arrange for them to meet up and finish building the raft that Dan started with his brother. Two enemies stuck together for the whole of the school holidays – what could possibly go wrong? 

 

 

The Rule by Paul Orton

When Ryan Jacobs hacks into a top-secret computer system, he has no idea that his life is about to change. He faces his worst fears as a sinister organisation tries to use his skills for its own evil ends. If he doesn’t think fast, someone will die. At thirteen, you shouldn’t have to face these kinds of issues. But at thirteen, you don’t get to decide THE RULES.

 

 

 

The Terrible Fate of Humpty Dumpty (play text) by David Calcutt

The victim of a deadly gang at his new school, Terry Dumpton is hounded to the end. Fear, pity, guilt and deceit divide the bullies, giving rise to discussions on moral issues, prejudices, the community and media subjects.

 

 

Year 9:

These suggested reads link to the 'Crime and Punishment' schemes of work that students explore in their Drama lessons:

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

A plane crashes on a desert island. The only survivors are a group of schoolboys. By day, they discover fantastic wildlife and dazzling beaches, learning to survive; at night, they are haunted by nightmares of a primitive beast. Orphaned by society, it isn't long before their innocent childhood games devolve into a savage, murderous hunt...

 

 

 

The Riots (play text) by Gillian Slovo 

The London riots of summer 2011 rocked the UK to its core, scenes like this had not been seen on the streets of the UK for many a year. The Government has so far refused a Public Enquiry into the riots that shook our cities this Summer, so the Tricycle Theatre is mounting its own, through a verbatim piece of theatre, created by verbatim and political playwright Gillian Slovo. From tweets by taxi drivers, to moment-by-moment accounts by riot police, The Riots will build a real-time picture of the riots as they unfolded. And then, from interviews with politicians, police, teachers, lawyers, community leaders, as well as victims and on-lookers, The Riots analyses what happened, why it happened, and what we should do towards making a better future for ourselves and our city. 

Little Revolution (play text) by Alecky Blythe

In the summer of 2011, London was burning. Alecky Blythe took her dictaphone to the streets... From the helicopters circling overhead to the burnt out buildings on the street, this explosive play records the voices and stories of a community as the riots happened to their present-day aftermath.

 

 

 

 

Orangeboy by Patrice Lawrence

Sixteen-year-old Marlon has made his mum a promise - he'll never follow his big brother, Andre, down the wrong path. So far, it's been easy, but when a date ends in tragedy, Marlon finds himself hunted. They're after the mysterious Mr Orange, and they're going to use Marlon to get to him. Marlon's out of choices - can he become the person he never wanted to be, to protect everyone he loves?

 

 

 

Key Stage 3 and 4 Recommended Reads

The Time Traveller's Guide to British Theatre: The First Four Hundred Years by Aleks Sierz

British theatre is booming. But where do these beautiful buildings and exciting plays come from? And when did the story start? To find out we time travel back to the age of the first Queen Elizabeth in the sixteenth century, four hundred years ago when there was not a single theatre in the land. In the company of a series of well-characterised fictional guides, the eight chapters of the book explore how British theatre began, grew up and developed from the 1550s to the 1950s. The Time-Traveller's Guide to British Theatre tells the story of the movers and shakers, the buildings, the playwrights, the plays and the audiences that make British theatre what it is today. It covers all the great names from Shakespeare to Terence Rattigan, by way of Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw and the classic plays, many of which are still revived today, visits the venues and tells their dramatic stories.

The Oxford Illustrated History of Theatre by John Russell Brown

Authoritative and wide-ranging, this absorbing account of the history of theatre draws on the latest scholarly research to describe and celebrate theatre's greatest achievemenst over 4,500 years, from festival performances in ancient Egypt to international multicultural theatre in the late twentieth century. Written by a team of distinguished authors and illustrated throughout, this is an essential source of reference for students, teachers, theatre professionals, and the theatre-goer alike.

 

Key Stage 4 Recommended Reads

Audition speeches are a great read and can encourage students to go on to read the full play from which the speeches are sourced:

National Youth Theatre Monologues: 75 Speeches for Auditions: Speeches for Young People by Michael Bryher

An exciting and invaluable collection of audition speeches, all chosen from plays produced by the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, spanning more than sixty years as one of the world's leading companies for young performers. Featuring seventy-five monologues by acclaimed writers such as Zawe Ashton, Moira Buffini, Carol Ann Duffy, Brian Friel, James Fritz, James Graham, Dennis Kelly, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Gbolahan Obisesan, Evan Placey, Sarah Solemani and Jack Thorne, the book offers rich and diverse roles ranging from teens to adults.

 

A Beginners Guide to Devising Theatre by Jess Thorbe and Tashi Gove

A Beginner's Guide to Devising Theatre, written by the artistic directors of the award-winning young people's performance company Junction 25 and is aimed at those new to devising or wanting to further develop their skills. It explores creative ways to create original theatre from a contemporary stimulus. It offers a structure within which to approach the creative process, including ideas on finding a starting point, generating material, composition and design; it offers practical ideas for use in rehearsal; and it presents grounding in terminology that will support a confident and informed approach to production.

 

 

An Actor Prepares by Stanislaski

An Actor Prepares is the most famous acting training book ever to have been written and the work of Stanislavski has inspired generations of actors and trainers. This translation was the first to introduce Stanislavski's 'system' to the English speaking world and has stood the test of time in acting classes to this day. Stanislavski here deals with the inward preparation an actor must undergo in order to explore a role to the full. He introduces the concepts of the 'magic if' units and objectives, of emotion memory, of the super-objective and many more now famous rehearsal aids.

 

The Frantic Assembly Book of Devising Theatre by Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett

Acclaimed by audiences and critics for their highly innovative and adventurous theatre, Frantic Assembly have created playful, intelligent and dynamic productions for over fourteen years. Written by artistic directors Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett, The Frantic Assembly Book of Devising Theatre is the first book to reflect on the history and practice of this remarkable company.