NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS CURRICULUM SUPPORT

Drama
Look Back in Anger

Staff Development Materials

[HIGHER]

Greg Giesekam
Charles Barron
Gina Clark

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First published 1998
Electronic version 2001

© Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum 1998

This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part for educational purposes by

educational establishments in Scotland provided that no profit accrues at any stage.

Acknowledgement
Learning and Teaching Scotland gratefully acknowledge this contribution to the Higher
Still support programme for Drama.

ISBN 1 85955 159 9

Learning and Teaching Scotland

Gardyne Road
Dundee
DD5 1NY

www.LTScotland.com
 CONTENTS

Foreword iv

Part One: The play, the author, the background (Greg Giesekam)

Introduction 1
Historical and social context 3
Theatrical context 6
Bibliography 26
Notes 29

Part Two: Learning and teaching guide to the play (Charles Barron
and Gina Clark)

Section A - Overall directorial interpretation and dramatic commentary 35

Section B - Directory of acting pieces 56

DR AMA iii
 FOREWORD

This set of staff development materials is produced for teachers of Drama who
wish to use John Osborne’s play Look Back in Anger, one of three newly
prescribed texts listed in the 1997 Higher Still Arrangements for Drama
[Higher], Unit 2: Study of a Text in its Theatrical Context. Similar resources
have also been published for the two other new prescribed titles - The House of
Bernarda Alba (Federico García Lorca) and Juno and the Paycock (Sean
O’Casey).

Staff development materials along similar lines were produced by the Scottish
CCC in 1993 for the other eight texts which remain prescribed: Antigone, The
Merchant of Venice, Ghosts, Mother Courage, Waiting for Godot, The Birthday
Party, The Crucible, and Lovers.

There is one important difference between the three new Higher Still
publications and the 1993 materials. The earlier publications only contained
factual background information about the play, the author, and his times. In
addition to this component, and in response to teacher demand, the new
publications also contain practical suggestions for developing an overall
directorial interpretation as well as identifying suitable acting pieces (Part Two
of this publication).

iv DR AMA
 Part One

The play, the author,

the background

Greg Giesekam
vi DR AMA