London Literature Festival 2013: Claire Tomalin

The London Literature Festival is coming up soon - running from May 21 through June at the Southbank Centre. Click the link for more information on the program.

One of the highlights will be five lectures given by well-known biographer, Claire Tomalin. 

To date, she has chronicled the lives of these famous writers:

• Charles Dickens: A Life

• Thomas Hardy: The Time-Torn Man

• Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self

• Jane Austen: A Life

• Katherine Mansfield: A Secret Life

• Shelley and His World

• The Invisible Woman: The Story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens

• The Life and Death of Mary Wollstonecraft 

Tomalin will be presenting 5 lectures:
"Jane Austen and the Making of Pride and Prejudice" - Tuesday, May 28
"Thomas Hardy: Wessex Height and London Lights" - Wednesday, May 29
"Samuel Pepys: The First Modern Hero" - Thursday, May 30
"Charles Dickens and Queen Victoria: An Odd Couple" - Sunday, June 2
"Mary Wollstonecraft: Speaking Up for Her Sex" - Monday, June 3

Whew! A busy schedule for a busy lady!

Other notable speakers at this year's festival: Rupert Everett, Audrey Niffenegger, Lionel Shriver, Barbara Kingsolver...

An Audience with Helen Mirren

The other day I went to see the Queen - Helen Mirren playing Elizabeth II in The Audience at The Gielgud (running until June 15). 

This new play by Peter Morgan reunites some of the creative team (including Morgan) behind the so-called "Tony Blair trilogy" (The Deal, The Queen and The Special Relationship). Mirren memorably played Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, winning both the BAFTA and Academy Award for Best Actress that year. She really is the queen of queens, having played Elizabeth I and II (apparently the only actress to ever have done so), as well as Queen Charlotte in The Madness of King George.

As Morgan explains in his introduction to the play (available now on Amazon and Kindle), the idea behind The Audience came from The Queen. The Queen, where possible, holds a private audience with the prime minister, where they are free to discuss issues of national and personal interest in complete confidence. This tradition (which, the play emphasises, is not set in the constitution, even if Britain had one) apparently dates back to regular meetings between Elizabeth II's father and Winston Churchill. 

Since then, the Queen has met with 12 prime ministers, and the play tries to imagine what might have gone on behind closed doors. Morgan freely admits that he has made very specific decisions in which prime minsters to portray, including some of the more well-known (Churchill, Thatcher, Major) and some who were known to be favourites (Wilson, Callaghan). The play encapsulates PMs from Churchill right up to the present David Cameron, but does not follow a chronological order.

As expected, Helen Mirren gives a truly bravura performance. Her constant costume changes (many of which take place on stage) are astonishing in themselves. I have never seen an actress receive so many standing ovations, to the point where I couldn't even see the stage from where I was sitting in the stalls! Richard McCabe is also great as Wilson, and the pair rightfully deserve their Olivier Award nominations.

The play is surprisingly very funny, with the audience (many of whom were of a mature enough age to be able to recognise most of the PMs and references) constantly in stitches, but also in tears, especially when Elizabeth II has conversations with her child self about the challenges and loneliness of the top job:

YOUNG ELIZABETH: To have to sit there like a stuffed animal and listen politely to mad people for hours on end - 

ELIZABETH: That's one version of it. A kinder one, perhaps, would be that you're allowing complicated people, over-complicated people to measure themselves against something unchanging. Permanent. Simple.

It was particularly poignant to see the play two days after the death of Margaret Thatcher. Witness this exchange between Thatcher and the Queen:

THATCHER: My responsibility for the time I have in office is to put sentimentality to one side and look after this country's interests...it is my judgement that to focus on our economy and our standing in the world would be best for Britain and incidentally the profile of the person that personifies it.

ELIZABETH: You, Prime Minister.

THATCHER: No, you, Ma'am. You'll be here having these conversations long after I've gone.

The sets are handsome, and include real archival footage projected on to the stage. Some have been a bit disdainful about the inclusion of real live corgis in the production. On this occasion, they proved delightfully diverting, especially as one of them ran off in the wrong direction!

For those of you in the UK and overseas who will not get to see the play, it will be shown via National Theatre Live. Coming soon to a cinema near you - don't miss it!

"Screw your courage to the sticking place" and see James McAvoy play Macbeth

It seems that tickets to see James McAvoy play Macbeth at the Trafalgar Studios (until April 27) are so hot they are being sold for £100 each - double the face value!

A shot of the program

Fortunately, we booked well in advance and did pay face value for seats in the second row which, if you've been to the intimate Trafalgar Studios before, you can appreciate that while you have an excellent view of the actors and the action, you are also in very real danger of being spat on! My friend Vanessa was justifiably worried that James McAvoy might go one better and vomit on us, as vomiting was a requisite part of his performance in this production! I won't spoil it for those of you who might be going to see it by explaining why...

Let's just say that if you have a weak stomach, McAvoy's intense Macbeth (and we got very good views of his steely blue eyes gazing fixedly into the audience), together with the spit, vomit, blood and guts may not be for you. If none of these things bother you, however, then this production is a must see.

Directed by Jamie Lloyd and nominated for two Olivier awards, it is set in a futuristic, dystopian Scottish wasteland, with the witches in gas masks rising out of hazy smoke (so therefore also not so good if you're asthmatic). Interestingly, all the actors speak with Scottish accents (some more successfully than others), adding to the authenticity and making the play more menacing. 

I personally felt that there was a lack of chemistry between McAvoy's Macbeth and Claire Foy's Lady Macbeth (though I loved her in Little Dorrit, The Promise and Upstairs, Downstairs), although Vanessa strongly disagreed, pointing out that Lady Macbeth was a difficult character to play as she is given little introduction and is not very likeable. On the other hand, Allison McKenzie was a stand out as Lady Macduff, and her loving interactions with her young son made her slow, torturous death all the more agonising.

It seems the curse of the Scottish play continues - McAvoy has so far had to interrupt his performance at least 3 times: to help an audience member who collapsed, to berate a man for filming the show on a mobile phone, and to tell some drunken ladies to "Shut it" for talking loudly during the Banquo banquet scene!

"The Brilliant Bronte Sisters" with Sheila Hancock

In a recent episode of the ITV show “Perspectives”, “The Brilliant Bronte Sisters”, the actress Sheila Hancock explores the lives of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte, and how people and events shaped their work. 

Hancock does not really present much that many devotees and fans would not already know (who else would stay up to watch a documentary about the Brontes at 10pm on a Sunday evening?). Most know that Charlotte’s infatuation with her teacher, Monsieur Heger, inspired her passionate but reserved heroine, Jane Eyre. We have already seen documentaries with presenters running, hair flying, across the Yorkshire moors crying desperately for Heathcliff in an effort to emulate Emily’s wildness (though Hancock may well be the oldest!). We are aware that Anne’s proximity to her alcoholic and dissolute brother, Branwell, provided the prototype for the abusive Arthur Huntingdon in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. 

But two things stand out in Hancock’s piece. A cameraman zooms in on a full stop in a letter from Charlotte to Monsieur Heger, revealing that it is a tiny love heart, effectively illustrating Charlotte’s tormented, unrequited love for her tutor. This excites and astonishes Hancock and the curator of the Bronte Parsonage Museum. The second affecting moment is when Hancock reflects on the loneliness Charlotte must have felt as the sole surviving Bronte child, with no more siblings with whom to create new worlds or share story ideas around the table. Hancock sheds tears, recalling her own despair when her husband of 28 years, the actor John Thaw, passed away. 

These two incidents prove that you do not need to be an expert or academic to make a moving and stimulating documentary.

If you missed it, you may be able to catch it on ITV Player!

Foyle-d Again

Yes, the intrepid war-time sleuth is back!

The eighth series of the absorbing Foyle's War has reached its satisfying conclusion here in the UK. This series (supposedly the last, according to creator Anthony Horowitz) is set in the Cold War, complete with a new and austere Cold War-esque theme tune.

Foyle comes up against new nemeses, including unhelpful British government officials (Miss Pierce is played with delightful severity by Ellie Haddington), Soviet spies, ex-Nazis he tries (though not very hard) to protect, and his former driver Sam Stewart, now Sam Wainwright, who unwittingly threatens to undermine his work by abusing his authority to help her MP husband with sensitive government material. Fortunately, the post-war years have not blunted Foyle's sharp intuition - there seems to be no case too difficult for this police detective to solve!

As Horowitz is convinced this series will be the last, he has revealed in the Daily Mail that the character of Sam is based on his real-life nanny, Norah FitzGerald, who was a WAAF driver in World War II. Tragically, she became a nanny because three of her potential fiancees were killed during the war. You can read more about her fascinating story here.

Sadly, Acorn have yet to upload an up-to-date Foyle's War website. You can find an old Masterpiece one here. For those of you in the UK, catch up episodes on ITV Player.

Review of Teacher Man (2005) by Frank McCourt

Completed April 9, 2013

It is with a sense of sadness that I put Teacher Man back on the bookshelf. A recommendation by two great teachers whom I admire, it is a teaching memoir both laugh-out-loud funny and profoundly moving. McCourt's accounts of his experiences teaching high school students in New York touches on so many aspects of humanity - both of himself and his students. 

McCourt is a storyteller. In the midst of despair and in the face of apathetic and, at times, disruptive pupils, the only way he could get through lessons was to tell them stories from his own life growing up in both America and Ireland, his own experiences of poverty and cultural confusion. In return, his students tell their stories - the euphoria of cheering for the moon landing on television only to find your father has died in the next room; a Jewish boy who wants to be a pig farmer but faces strong opposition from his Rabbi father.

Other McCourt teaching strategies I would love to steal: getting students to analyse (their own) forged parent notes as examples of good persuasive writing; studying recipes, setting them to music and singing them in class, accompanied by classmates on various instruments, then writing your own restaurant review of local eateries (including the school cafeteria); doing a human continuum with the class in response to the question "Would you tell 'Hansel and Gretel' to your children?".

I am sad that Frank McCourt is no longer around as I would have loved to meet him and hear him tell more of his wonderful and poignant stories. His love for teaching English as a subject and a life skill, together with his true compassion for, and connection with, his students, makes for an absorbing and inspiring read.

I am also sad that during the months I have been reading Teacher Man my own enthusiasm for teaching has waxed and waned. Although I am a passionate advocate of teachers and the teaching profession, even I have to admit that I am exhausted. As I always say, teaching is truly a work of heart and is most definitely not for the faint-hearted. Who would willingly lay their reputation on the line on a daily basis to walk into a classroom alone to face 30 teenagers, some of whom have come to school burdened by life and are not in a place where they will readily receive an education? Who would willingly take on the mammoth task of planning up to 5 periods a day of educational, engaging and meaningful lessons, while trying to fulfil curriculum requirements, fearful of constant and stringent scrutiny?

As I stand at this crossroads of my teaching career - do I continue on the rocky, uncertain path or do I head for higher ground - McCourt's sage advice remains in my mind: "Find what you love and do it."

If you are, have ever been, or harbour any thoughts of being a teacher, you MUST read this book!

Curiosity Killed the Dog, But Not the Teacher

To the Australian teachers whose school holidays are rapidly approaching their end (*sob*), why not spoil yourself with a ticket to the latest National Theatre Live screening?

To celebrate the end of the holidays, plan to go see the National Theatre Live screenings of the London theatre adaptation of Mark Haddon's acclaimed novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. One of my personal favourite books, it's a murder-mystery told from the perspective of a young boy with Asperger's and how he solves the mystery of the neighbour's dead dog. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. It will give you insight into the mind of a student with special needs, as well as being a unique piece of storytelling.

The play has received great reviews, e.g. The Guardian. I am curious to see how they have adapted it. Screenings taking place this weekend, October 5 and 6. See www.ntlive.com/ for more info.

When I was doing my education degree, I wrote an English unit around The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Louis Sachar's amusing There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom and Helen Keller's The Story of My Life. Although I haven't yet had the opportunity to teach the unit, the objective was to promote tolerance and understanding of diversity among Year 9 students. Hopefully I will get the chance to run it in the not-too-distant future. If you have had positive experiences teaching any of these texts, I would love to hear from you!

The Globe on Screen

My favourite theatre in the world, the Globe in London, has announced a series of international screenings of some of its shows, similar to the National Theatre Live concept.

In September-October 2012, audiences in Australia and New Zealand will get to experience some of the Globe's top shows from 2011 in the comfort of a cinema in their hometown. Click here for more details and the trailer.

The three shows from 2011 that will be featured are All's Well That Ends Well, Much Ado About Nothing and Doctor Faustus. The Globe's Much Ado, starring Eve Best and Charles Edwards as the quarrelling lovers, faced stiff competition last year from the West End Much Ado which had Doctor Who's David Tennant and Catherine Tate at its helm. To the Globe's credit, their production received just as gushing reviews, and in fact some theatregoers preferred it for its authenticity.

I went to see the Globe's Doctor Faustus in London last year, mostly because I had studied it at uni but never seen a production before. Also, because Arthur Darvill (Rory from Doctor Who) was playing Mephistopheles. It was of the Globe's usual high quality, but a bit too panto for my liking. Not sure whether this was because of the play, the acting or the production!

Globe on Screen will definitely be worth a look. More details to be released soon.

Nineteen Eighty-Four - Shaken and Stirred

Looking forward very much to taking the students to see Shake and Stir's adaptation of Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Shake and Stir have proved time and again that they are a young and innovative theatre company whose interpretations of classics are fresh without trying too hard to be hip. They presented an enjoyable potted version of their Bard to the Bone show at the ETAQ Conference on the weekend and were warmly received.

I cannot recommend highly enough the Teachers' Resource Kit Naomi Russell has compiled for Shake and Stir's production. You can find it here. I have already tried out the Physical Jerks activity at the beginning of period one on a Monday morning. A good way to wake the students up - particularly the ones who came in late! They were then grumpy and complained that they now understood what it was like to have no freedom - huzzah!

We also did the 1984  bingo as a lead in to a discussion on how language is linked to power and control. They came up with comments on how language is controlled (Newspeak, etc.), but also how language is used to control (propaganda).

Tomorrow, again inspired by Shake and Stir's teachers' notes, I am going to turn my classroom into Room 101 and we are going to explore our deepest fears about the future. I will then introduce them to the literary concepts of utopia and dystopia using Mike Ashley's exhibition guide for last year's British Library exhibition, Out of this World: Science Fiction, But Not as You Know It. I thought it would be interesting to also frame discussion in light of the original utopia-into-dystopia - Genesis chapters 1-3. The big question they will be seeking to answer in the lesson is: what utopian and/or dystopian elements may be seen in the sci-fi texts we are studying this term?

Will let you know how it goes!

National Theatre Live Season

I know I keep going on and on about this, but National Theatre Live keeps getting better and better!

They have announced the next line-up of screenings which includes encores of the excellent Frankenstein and One Man, Two Guvnors. I am proud to say I have now seen both versions of Frankenstein and they were both excellent. Miller and Cumberbatch prove beyond a doubt that you can be fantastic as protagonist and antagonist.

Anyway, what I'm really excited about is that one of the screenings in the new line-up is a production of Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Haddon's novel, about a boy with Asperger's who tries to solve the murder of his neighbour's dog, was a critical and popular success. How writer Simon Stephens will adapt it for the stage, and who will play the main character, will be worth seeing, I'm sure. Stay tuned for further details.

Celebrating Dickens's 200th Birthday at the State Library of Queensland

The State Library of Queensland is holding a special evening event to commemorate the 200th birthday and the works of Charles Dickens.

Quoting their website:
"2012 marks the 200^th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens, whose iconic works are as resonant today as when first written. His books have never gone out of print and there are more than 180 film and television adaptations of his novels.

"What is the contemporary, worldwide appeal of an author whose stories were primarily concerned with the social injustices and disadvantages of Victorian life? Join our panel of experts as they explore the enduring legacy of this literary giant. Speakers include Professor Regenia Gagnier (University of Exeter, UK), Dr David Ellison (Griffith University), Professor Michael Hollington (author of Charles Dickens: Critical Perspectives), and Dr Cathy Waters (University of Kent)."

This event will be held at the library this coming Thursday, April 12, from 6-7:30pm. The event is free but you do need to register.

NT Live - Frankenstein Encore

Exciting news for us all - National Theatre Live is presenting encore screenings of last year's hit London production of Frankenstein in which Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch alternated the roles of the Creature and the Doctor on successive nights. Both versions were recorded and will be shown as part of the encore screenings.

Screenings will take place on the following dates at Dendy cinemas in Brisbane:

NT Live - Frankenstein Version 1 NT Live Performance  

Cumberbatch as the Creature, Miller as the Doctor
 120 mins

• Sat 9 Jun
  
  • 12:30pm  
• Sun 10 Jun
  
  • 12:30pm  

NT Live - Frankenstein Version 2 NT Live Performance  

Rated CTC (Suitable only for 15+), 120 mins
Miller as the Creature, Cumberbatch as the Doctor

• Sat 23 Jun
  
  • 12:30pm  
• Sun 24 Jun
  
  • 12:30pm 
  Check your usual NT Live local cinema for details. 

A Modern Tess: Michael Winterbottom's Trishna

Michael Winterbottom's new film, Trishna, is a modern re-telling of Thomas Hardy's tragic novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles. It is set in India and stars Slumdog Millionaire's Freida Pinto as the heroine of the title.

Some mixed reviews on IMDb (although there are only 4 so far!). You can view the UK cinema trailer here.

National Theatre Live

I can't recommend this enough!

Britain's National Theatre regularly holds screenings around the world of theatre productions currently on in London. This weekend will be the screening of The Comedy of Errors with Lenny Henry playing the main character and one of my favourite British actresses, Claudie Blakley. This production had rave reviews from the Daily Mail as well as The Guardian. A chance to get a prime theatre seat at less than prime prices! It's $25 for Palace Club holders or $27 for adults. See the NT Live website for details of your nearest cinema. The National Theatre's official The Comedy of Errors website has links to the trailer and other resources.

They also have a Resources page relating to other current and past productions, as well as the opportunity to purchase Digital Programmes of NT Live productions.

The National Theatre has been doing an excellent job in selecting its most entertaining, challenging and thought-provoking productions to share with us (many of which have been recently nominated for prestigious Olivier Awards), including:

• A new adaptation of Frankenstein by Nick Dear, in which Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch alternated the roles of the Doctor and the Monster on successive evenings, highlighting the duality of the characters
• The crowd-pleasing modern take on commedia dell'arte and the classic gender-bending mistaken identity Shakespearesque scenario - One Man, Two Guvnors
• The imaginative The Collaborators by Trainspotting writer John Hodge,  which creatively re-creates 1930s Moscow and the interactions between dissident playwright Mikahil Bulgakov and Joseph Stalin, for whom he has been asked to write a celebratory play or see his friends "disappear"

You can see a full list of previous NT Live productions here. Unfortunately, the NT has no plans at this stage to release these recordings for purchase.

NT Live is one of a number of exciting digital initiatives allowing people around the world access to performances and exhibitions they may not otherwise be able to see unless prepared to travel. Other similar schemes include The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD and the recent screening of a walk-through of the "Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan" exhibition from the National Gallery, London (which, sadly, I missed).

BBC "On this Day"

I hope the BBC wins lots of awards for their websites, because they make for fantastic resources. Check out BBC Bitesize if you haven't already. It's a shame, though, that we can't access the TV programs on BBC iPlayer (however apparently we can access the radio programs).

Another fantastic BBC site I just stumbled across is their "On this Day" page, which is great for teaching history because it lists some significant historical events for that particular day. For example, March 13, 1996, was the day of the terrible Dunblane massacre, and the day in 1961 on which 5 Britons were tried for allegedly passing secrets to the Russians (McCarthyism? The Crucible?).  You can even get it RSSd to your desktop for easy access.

Obviously as you can see the events are quite Anglo-centric, but interesting, nevertheless. Could make for good classroom discussion, especially considering so many of what we consider to be historically significant events happened before this current lot of students was even born.

"Reader, I...did not marry him"?

A new competition by Britain's The Times newspaper which which should appeal to feminist literary critics everywhere - "What Jane did next".

This competition allows you to re-write the ending of this novel by editing the most famous line (read "understatement") of the novel: "Reader, I married him". The challenge is to do it as a tweet, i.e. in 140 characters or less. This is a bit like the website "Summarise a Novel in 25 Words" (warning: some undesirable language on this site!). You could, for example, decide that Jane in fact does not marry Rochester, or that she decides to run away and start her life again, a wealthy woman, or...?

First prize is a night in Yorkshire staying in "the room of Amos Ingham, Charlotte and Patrick Brontë’s physician". Runners up receive a copy of the most recent Jane Eyre DVD. Sadly, this competition is only open to residents of the UK or Republic of Ireland!

Happy 200th Birthday Charles Dickens!

Yes, the late great Charles Dickens, Victorian novelist and social commentator extraordinaire, turned the ripe old age of 200 on February 7 this year. He's looking good for his age - there are a number of events being held worldwide to commemorate this milestone (and to coincide with the London Olympics and increased tourist traffic - but this is not a bad thing!).

You can find information about events, exhibitions, etc. at the official Dickens 2012 site.

The Picks
These are the highlights, AKA my own personal wishlist if I had a private jet and carte blanche:

• The actor Simon Callow, who is releasing his own book about Dickens (Charles Dickens and the Great Theatre of the World) and has performed a one man Dickens show (The Mystery of Charles Dickens), will be speaking on Wednesday, February29, at the Museum of London
• UCL will be hosting a Dickens's London evening at their Bloomsbury campuse on March 15
• My good friend, Ben Winyard, will see his hard work come to fruition when the University of Buckingham officially launches the ambitious but amazing Dickens Journals Online digital project from March 28-31
• Some place called Simpich, Colorado Springs, USA is hosting a "lavish two-part" Dickens Festival from June 26-December 31 (whew!)
• Charles Dickens: Legacy and Life exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, London (my favourite gallery ever!), until April 22
• The Dickens and London exhibition at the Museum of London until June 10

I'm sure there are many more which I have neglected to mention.

Miriam Margolyes' Dicken's Women touring Australia
Most excitingly (if that's a word), Miriam Margolyes is currently touring her much-lauded one woman Dickens' Women show around Australia as part of the Dickens's birthday festivities. Make sure you get along if you can - I've got tickets and can't wait! To whet your appetitie, here is a sneak preview on YouTube - Margolyes is delightful.

"The Best of Times..."

...to start blogging again! Yes, the new school year is up and running and, as I have not blogged here since May last year (!), I felt it was high time that I did.

Twenty Twelve is shaping up to be an exciting year for Anglophiles (as well as English and History teachers), as it is London's year to host the Olympics, the Queen's diamond jubilee and Charles Dickens's 200th birthday.

It is also the first year of implementation of the new Australian Curriculum, and it will be interesting to hear how Australian teachers have been rising to the challenges of change, something which we all do so well!

So stay tuned for more posts on great events and resources for teachers this year. And, to echo the great Dickens, may 2012 be the best of times, not the worst of times, the age of wisdom, the season of Light and the spring of hope.*

* from A Tale of Two Cities, of course!

Time 100

It's that time of the year again, when Time releases their list of the top 100 Most Influential People of the last year or so.

Some of the entries this year are no surprise - Mark Zuckerberg, Colin Firth, Julian Assange, a racy picture of "Tiger Mom" Amy Chua...

Some more surprising include: Angry Birds creator Peter Vesterbacka, Glee's Chris Colfer, Aussie actress Mia Wasikowska, PBS's Rebecca Eaton (who has had a hand in producing many of the acclaimed period dramas of recent years), and Pastor Rob Bell, of Nooma fame. Justin Bieber has replaced Lady Gaga as the headline influential pop artist, reflecting current trends.

This could make for interesting class discussion. You might even compile a class list of the people considered by the class to be the most influential.

Fox News Gaffe

Proofreading is an extremely important aspect of producing good written work. I was just teaching this concept to students this week.

Unfortunately, someone needs to teach this to Fox News. They made the rather embarrassing gaffe this week of having their banner at the bottom of the screen proclaim to the world "Obama Bin Laden Dead", which apparently prompted mass panic.

I shall show this to my students next week to further reinforce my point, methinks.