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| Background to the Play |
| Introduction |
| Cast List |
| Oral Histories |
| Journeys |
| Sheffield |
| Note About Alcohol Misuse in the Play |
| Appendix 1 |
| Appendix 2 |
| Appendix 3 |
| Appendix 4 |
| Oral Recordings |
| Email Us |
Sheffield
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Sheffield – Thousands of Cities For Richard Hurford, one of the key ideas in the play is that of “Five hundred thousand different cities in one city”
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Leonardo: The grey City / Kaleidoscope City |
Rita: The Lost City of Sheffield / Friendliest city in the |
Johanna: The most beautiful city in the world / The City of Love |
Quack: City of travellers / Suitcase city |
Now look at the following activities in order to make a version of Sheffield for each of the characters.
Make a Sheffield Kaleidoscope
(Leonardo: Kaleidoscope City)
You will need: A postcard or postcard size piece of card, clear stiff plastic (you can use the type found in some packaging or overhead projector acetate), silver foil, tracing paper, felt tips or overhead projector pens, scissors, ruler.
- Fold the postcard in half so that the shorter edges meet, then fold it in half again. Now open it out.
- Cut the plastic to the size of the postcard and place it on top of the postcard.
- Using a ruler and some scissors, score lines on the plastic, using the folds on the postcard underneath as a guide.
- Cut the foil so that this is also the size of the postcard, glue it on and smooth it out.
- Lay the plastic on the foil and fold it all into a triangular shape, overlapping and taping the fourth flap over the first.
- Cut out a piece of tracing paper or some acetate, slightly larger than the end of the tube. Decorate this with felt tips or overhead projector pens. Draw patterns such as zigzags or stripes but also include Sheffield buildings or scenes such as a Sheffield Wednesday owl or the Meadowhall dome. Make sure these are packed densely together and any spaces in between are coloured.
- Hold the tube up to a light source (not the sun) and turn the paper round.
As a slightly more complicated variation, try this:
- Insert the triangular tube into a cylindrical one (a cardboard sweet tube, for example). You may need to adjust the size of the card and make it larger than a postcard.
- Cut off a small section from the end of the tube using a junior hacksaw and glue a circular piece of plastic (e.g. acetate) onto the end using a glue gun. Now fill the tube section with coloured beads and sequins.
- Cut another circle and decorate this with a permanent marker with your favourite image or symbol of Sheffield. Now glue this onto the other end of the tube section so that the beads are contained within.
- Finally glue this smaller section to the larger section of tube.
- At the other end of the tube, attach a piece of card with a small viewing hole made in the middle.
- Direct the kaleidoscope towards a light source, look through the viewing hole and turning the whole tube in your hand.
There are also a number of websites with details of how to make simple kaleidoscopes. Decorate the outside of the tube with coloured photographs of Sheffield from the Internet or with bright drawings. Cover these in PVA glue.
A Sheffield Magic Lantern
As another variation on this, class members draw their favourite scenes from Sheffield to make a magic lantern. For instructions see:
http://www.pienetwork.org/a2z/m/magic_lantern/
Use gels or cellophane in front of the light source to colour the picture.
A Sheffield Love Poem (Johanna: City of Love)
If the city of Sheffield were a person, what would we love about it? Show the class some examples of personification in poetry and collect ideas about personifying a place. Ask the class to write a love poem to Sheffield, talking to it as if it were someone they loved! If extra structure is needed, add a classic and much used, “I love the way ..” / “I love the fact …” / “I love it that…” at the beginning of each couplet or stanza. |
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Sheffield in the past
(Rita: The Lost City of Sheffield)
- Think about Rita’s Sheffield.
- Talk to relatives or neighbours who remember Sheffield in the past and look at reference books.
- Prepare a short monologue from this information. This should be presented in character from the viewpoint of an older person looking back at Sheffield as they remembered it in the past. As the monologues are delivered, the rest of the class draw a sketch picture of the person they think is talking, surrounded by their memories.
- Design a collage for a particular decade in the past, or include ideas in the class collage to acknowledge Sheffield’s past.
Useful websites for old photographs include:
http://www.picturesheffield.co.uk/
http://citysnapper.org/dm/sheffield/
http://www.francisfrith.com/search/england
/south+yorkshire/sheffield
/photos/sheffield_photos.htm
Design (Quack: Suitcase City)
This is how playwright Richard Hurford describes the set at the beginning of the first draft of the play. Look at the photos of the set, (Appendix 4) which was created by Kevin Jenkins, and read the interview at the end of this section for insights into the design of the set.
“This is Suitcase City and perhaps some oblique suggestion of the massed luggage as buildings could be built into the design – for instance the luggage piles contain suggestions of doors and windows, roofs and shop fronts. This could link into the art theme contained within the narrative – so here and there the luggage piles may be decorated with sketch fragments of city buildings, perhaps even iconic Sheffield landmarks.” |
Photograph of the Model Box by Kevin Jenkins
The activity below is described to the class and they are asked to think about the talents needed, for example drawing, modelling, language, organising. Individuals look at the list created and decide which of the talents they have, picking one main one. Each class member stands in a group with people who share the same talent and groups are formed by taking one person from each group. In this way, the class are reminded of the way the characters in the play worked together, each with their own talent.
The Task is to design and make a city scape from individual models of luggage. Once the design has been completed, the class should use boxes, card, paint etc to recreate their design. This can be on whatever scale the teacher thinks realistic depending on materials and space available.
The group now discuss their views of Sheffield and what is important to them, e.g. “Sheffield, City of Football” or “Sheffield, City of shopping” or “Sheffield, city of my birth”. At this point, the person who identified themselves as having language skills can help each person create their own statement.
Now talk as a class about the use of colour in the play (see appendix for some of the direct colour references in the script). What colours do the class think of when they think of Sheffield or different parts of Sheffield and why? Each person paints one of the suitcases that colour.
Finally, each group presents their model by coming forward to place their boxes and saying their statements. The class might ask individuals why they have chosen particular colours.
Read designer Kevin Jenkin’s interview about the process of designing the play. How do the class think the design worked when they saw the play?
It has been an interesting process, having been involved with the piece since the first draft. Richard Hurford has always had a note about the city being formed out of suitcases and after the first draft we had a phone conversation so I could talk about some of my thoughts. During this conversation the idea of the car being formed out of suitcases developed and is now part of the piece. I have not stuck exactly to Richard’s original, really because of the size of the stage. I felt a whole world of suitcases was getting too heavy visually for a small stage and that the formation of the car out of the cases said the same thing. I did try having a drawn background of a city made of suitcases but felt the sketch landscape developed from images of Sheffield was more dynamic. The current plan is to leave the suitcases just as they are with no further images. The set should be continually changing with the shapes made by the suitcases and the addition of coloured panels, with further sketches on, changing the face of the city. These panels really draw on the colour references that the characters describe throughout the play. The cases allow the actors to interact with the set in a theatrical way. I have suggested that a French Horn case represents a steering wheel and a snooker cue case is a windscreen wiper, but when the actors pick up an object it becomes what they want it to be. I am excited to see how this develops in the rehearsal room. The process started by researching Sheffield’s history and changing landscape and gathering images of Sheffield, past and present. I spent a day driving round Sheffield taking photos. I had originally intended to do some sketches too but as I sat in Meersbrook Park with freezing fingers, I decided to forget the pencil and stick to the camera. I was also on a quest to re-find my first view of Sheffield - this was on a geography field trip when I was in year 11. We were staying in the Peak District and to investigate urban regeneration we visited Sheffield. I can still clearly remember the Park Hill estate zigzagging its way across the landscape as we stood on a hillside overlooking the city.
We then travelled through the Don Valley to Meadowhall where we were treated to 30mins free time around the newly built shopping centre! Maybe the process for the design started all the way back then as these were the strong memories from my first visit to the City? The sketch in the background of the set is based on a view of the city from near the ski slope, the flats are inspired by Park Hill, the rows of houses typical of a Sheffield landscape.
Also present are the pylons from the M1 approach, the pedestrian entrance to the city from the station and an aerial view of Meadowhall along with a tribute to the Tinsley Towers. I wanted to create a world that was a bit unlike our real world and the idea behind the sketches layering upon each other was to represent a changing city and to give the feel of that change continuing. There are elements within the design that make the city a more personal place - a window, a pavement, a door, faces… The scales of objects are all mixed up to try and represent the different perceptions of the same place, and these views inhabit the same space. Choosing the colour of the backdrop and the floor was a challenge because the characters all describe the city using different colours. Leonardo describes it as grey at the start but the others don’t see it that way. The result is a mix of colours that come out of the grey and vibrate next to each other, creating a place that personifies the city.
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Personal responses to Sheffield
I myself went to University in Sheffield and therefore have a journey and a link with it. The city has changed so much since I was last here. I never saw Sheffield as a grey city, an industrial town. I lived in the student areas of Broomhill, Hunters Bar and off Ecclesall Road - which to me were very green vibrant areas. Now moving back after twelve years in London the city has changed so much and I think for the better. While retaining the old buildings the city has been injected with life particularly with the use of water and light. |
In small groups, ask the class to brainstorm what Sheffield is to them and to write all thoughts down on a sheet of paper, making sure that all ideas are taken into account and included. Include places, people, words etc.
The Colour of Sheffield
The colour idea ties in strongly with the notion of one city being the same place but everyone seeing it differently. Use multiple copies of black and white photos of the school, the local area (e.g. parks), Meadowhall, the Winter Gardens, a local church or mosque etc. printed with a wash out effect. Refer to old fashioned photographs which have been tinted and ask individuals to colour them in according to how they see them.
As a variation, ask each student to select 2 or 3 of the photos to write a sentence about on a strip of coloured paper, explaining what colour they see it as and why. For example, “The ice rink is blue because it’s so cold!”, “Centertainment is yellow because it’s full of fun”.
Now split these statements into colour groups, so that all the red statements are together, all the blue, all the yellow etc. Naturally, places appear as different colours to different people. Paste these into a book with the accompanying photographs. This could be a book for each colour or colour sections within one book. To view the book/s, the class use cellophane to make different coloured glasses so that when looking at all the red statements and pictures, the viewer wears the red glasses.
Collage
Use this information to begin to collect ideas for a Sheffield collage, either a group or a class piece. This could include drawings, personal photos of buildings or geographical features, Internet photos, words and phrases, tickets from sports events or concerts etc. If the project is a longer term one, ask the class to think about taking pictures on their phones of special places or events to include. Ask the class to consider colour, as this is very important in the play. What colour is Sheffield, or different places in Sheffield to them?
How will the collage be organised? Will the images be scanned into a computer and manipulated or collected and placed on a large board or background? Do the class want random and chaotic images or do they prefer to compartmentalise their ideas and make a grid or concentric circles with one idea at the centre? If using the grid idea, try taking a large piece of calico and sewing a transparent material over the top so that there are a number of pockets. Class members bring in photos (use the tinted ones from the activity above), tickets, drawings, newspaper headlines, club fliers etc to fill all of the pockets and show the many sides of Sheffield.
Mural
Does anyone in the class know of any longstanding murals on Sheffield buildings? Look together at the steel worker mural and read the information about it
(http://sheffield-for-beginners.blogspot.com/
2008/04/man-of-steel.html).
Does this represent Sheffield to them?
As a class, brainstorm ideas for images, colours, shapes etc. The students go away and make individual designs from these ideas before the class come back together. The idea is now to select one or join a number of designs together to come up with a class idea, which should not be too complicated.
The original man of steel is made from 30,000 bricks. Divide up the class design using a grid so that pairs or individuals can work on a clay tile or with a modelling material. The mural can be drawn on and / or slightly raised using the modelling material to create a slight 3D effect.
The idea of the class mural is that although tiles have been produced individually, they go together to produce a whole. This will take a great deal of class planning and co-operation!
Sheffield poem
Do the class recognise the building where this poem is? Have any of them read it? The poem, “What if…?” is by Poet Laureate Andrew Motion and can be found on the side of Sheffield Hallam University’s Owen Building.
What If..? by Andrew MotionO travellers from somewhere else to here
Rising from Sheffield Station and Sheaf Square
To wander through the labyrinths of air,
Pause now, and let the sight of this sheer cliff
Become a priming-place which lifts you off
To speculate
What if..?
What if..?
What if..?
Cloud shadows drag their hands across the white;
Rain prints the sudden darkness of its weight;
Sun falls and leaves the bleaching evidence of light.
Your thoughts are like this too: as fixed as words
Set down to decorate a blank facade
And yet, as words are too, all soon transferred
To greet and understand what lies ahead -
The city where your dreamling is re-paid,
The lives which wait unseen as yet, unread.
Photo of Andrew Motion's poem by Kevin Jenkins
(For an audio version and more information about the poem go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/content/articles/2007
/11/01/andrew_motion_poem_feature.shtml)
How do the students feel about the poem? Do they think that it represents Sheffield? Now go to the website above to look at Rony Robinson and Radio Sheffield listeners’ take on the poem, and discuss this.
- If the class were to have been asked to write this poem, what would it have included?
- Would it have more reference to Sheffield as a city, as the Rony Robinson/ Radio Sheffield poem did?
- Would it refer to Sheffield’s past as well as the present?
- What impression of Sheffield would they like it to give?
- If it is a poem primarily aimed at those arriving in Sheffield, what other themes could be included? Could they link in the themes of travel, arriving in a city and life journeys found in the play?
Ask the students to think about their own lines for a poem. Now join these together to form a class poem, using some of the structure of the original. Perform the poem.
Sound collage
Either to accompany their visual collage or as a stand-alone activity, work on a sound collage for Sheffield. What are the noises which could be found in most cities? Which mark Sheffield out as unique (Steelers / Sheffield football chants) or unusual (tram, but especially announcements for places such as Meadowhall)? Again, this could be a class or group activity.
Tour
Begin by locating Sheffield on a map. Now look at a map of Sheffield to make sure the class have an idea of the location of their home and school. Explore their streets and the school on Google Earth.
Now ask the class to work in pairs or small groups to create a tour of Sheffield for a visitor. Which places would be important and why? Use photos or drawings to illustrate the route and create a running commentary. Try making a power point presentation.
For a modern day picture tour go to:
http://www.picturesofengland.com/England/South_Yorkshire
/Sheffield/pictures/1051243
Tourist information
Ask the students to look at the following passage, taken from Edinburgh’s tourist information website:
“Welcome to Edinburgh and the Lothians, where the buzz of Scotland's capital city sits in perfect contrast to the peaceful tranquility of the surrounding Lothians region.
Edinburgh has one of the most beautiful cityscapes in the world, making it the ideal city break destination. With Scotland's most famous castle dominating the city skyline, there is plenty to see and do with the perfect balance between all things traditional and contemporary.
Discover world-class museums and galleries, take a tour on an open-top bus or even visit the city's own zoo. From the world famous Festivals to top-class restaurants and bars, not to mention fabulous shopping, you'll be spoilt for choice. “
Would this encourage them to visit the city? Why/why not?
If the class were to write a similar brief for Sheffield Tourist Information, what would it include? In no more than 125 words, ask the students to produce a short publicity statement for the city.
To make the activity more of a challenge, refine the audience. For example, they have 150 words to convince:
- a family that Sheffield is the place to come and live
- a teenager that this is the place to visit for a holiday
- an 18 year old to come to Sheffield to study
- a pensioner that the new Sheffield based retirement village is the place for them.
- “A” is an employer, trying to persuade “B” to take a new job which involves relocating themselves and their family in Sheffield.
- “A” is a parent trying to persuade “B” (a teenager) that Sheffield is a more desirable holiday location than Florida!
- “A” is a representative of Sheffield University responsible for recruiting potential students (“B”) at a school careers day.
- “A” is an estate agent trying to persuade a pensioner (“B”) to buy one of their newly built homes in Sheffield.
| RELATED LINKS |
| Jago's Box |
| Handful of Henna |
| www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk |