As part of their GCSE coursework, Year 11 girls at the Marist Senior School have researched and devised a play to warn fellow students of the dangers of drug taking.

As a theatre in education assignment, the girls used the internet to research the dangerous effects drugs have and devised a play called ‘Wonderland’ that they performed for younger students within the school.  Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’, the play begins with the central character ‘Alice’ accepting a drink from a ‘friend’ at a party which is laced with a drug.  Alice enters her own imagined world of Wonderland and fails to distinguish between it and reality. The White Rabbit appears and asks her ‘Which world is which’ but she cannot tell the difference between them.

The Year 11 cast devised the play as they wanted to relay to their audience how easy it can be to get into drugs without even realising it.  The play teaches the audience to ask questions and really be on guard to check that what is thought to be an innocent drink or a sweet really is safe.  Devising the play themselves, the girls were able to create a very accessible play to convey a serious message to others in their peer group.  Through their research, the girls wrote their own brochures to warn against drugs which they handed out to the audience in addition to leaflets freely available by the drugs information charity ‘Talk to Frank’.
 
Emily Hill, one of the cast members said “Devising the play really helped us all learn about the dangers of drugs and opened our eyes to another world.  We had no idea how many young people are affected by drugs and we hadn’t realise how easy it can be to get caught up in it.”  Emily added “We learned so much by researching the play ourselves and physically communicating our message.  By seeing the play, we hope the warnings we discovered are also made more memorable for others.”

Mrs Jane Harris, Head of Drama at the Marist Senior School said “This was a hugely ambitious project which challenged the students as performers, designers and teachers.  It was extremely well-received by audience members from all year groups and gained the girls outstanding marks for their practical coursework.”