The Hare and the Tortoise... and the Turtle.

Create a piece of drama based on the script.

Conduct a brief read through of the script. Draw students’ attention to stage directions (featured in the script in italic font).

Emphasise that some stage directions are specific, such as:

(winking to audience)

While others are more general, such as:

Some animals might be fishing, or swimming. Others are sharing picnic food or playing games.

Discuss how students might perform the second instruction, inviting students to perform their ideas. Emphasise that the playwright has deliberately left these instructions vague to allow for the individual creativity of actors and directors.

Place students in small groups of ideally five to six. Instruct them to each assume the role of one of the characters. Tell them to discuss how they might perform each of the stage directions. Provide examples such as: moving across the stage, miming doing breaststroke to show they are swimming or sitting on the floor and miming eating food if acting as if at a picnic.

Once students have decided how they might perform the actions, instruct them to rehearse acting in the play they have planned while reading the lines.

After allowing time to rehearse, match the groups with another and instruct students to perform their version of the play to the other group.

Discuss performances, highlighting any differences between the way students have chosen to perform the actions.