BLACKOUT WORKPACK FINAL

1 Lyric Theatre Creative Learning Department Blackout Project
BLACKOUT
BY Davey Anderson
TEACHER RESOURCE
PACK
Written and compiled by Maeve Morgan

When it's black
Take a little time to hold yourself
Take a little time to feel around before it's gone
You won't let go but you still keep on falling down
Remember how you save me now from all of my wrongs…
Open up
Open up your heart to me now
Let it all come pouring out
There's nothing I can't take
If your sky is falling
Just take my hand and hold it
You don't have to be alone, alone yeah
I won't let you go
And if you feel the fading of the light
And you're too weak to carry on the fight
And all your friends that you count on have disappeared
I'll be here not gone, forever holding on

This resourcepack has been generously funded by private donors, Belfast
Harbour, PhoenixGas and PCSP.
The work of the Creative Learning department at the Lyric Theatre is funded by
the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council.

Contents:
Foreword…………………………………………………………………………………………6
Production Information:
Cast and Creative Team……………………………………………………………………8
Blackout……………………………………………………………………………….............9
Ambition
Re-offending rates………………………………………………………………............10
Interviews
Interview with young offender……………………………………………………….12
Interview with director…………………………………………………………………..17
Activities………………………………………………………………………………………..20
Activity 1: Forum Exercise (40-60 minutes)…………………………............21
 Exercise description
 Relevant Information
 Relating to Blackout
 Instructions
Activity 2: Healthy Relationships exercise (40 minutes)………………….26
 Instructions
Activity 3: ‘Who Am I’ Exercise (40-60 minutes)……………………………..30

 Food for thought
 Instructions
o Micro warm up (10 minutes)
o Main exercise (30-50 minutes)
Activity 4: School Report Exercise (40-60 minutes)…………………………37
 Instructions
Activity 5: Video Debate………………………………………………………………...40
Local Services
Support for Parents………………………………………………………………………..42
Women’s Aid: local groups contact details…………………………………….42
More contact details for teens……………………………………………………….43
Further Documentation…………………………………………………………………44
Bibliography……………………………………………………………………….............46

Foreword
My name is Maeve Morgan and I am currently on placement with the
Creative Learning Department at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast. I’m a
third year student studying BA (Hons) Drama, Applied Theatre and
Education at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in
London.
Through studying my degree I’ve been fortunate enough to have
many opportunities thrust upon me. As part of a team, I have
performed a piece of children’s theatre in the Minack Theatre in
Cornwall, I have worked with full-time adult carers to produce a
show in the Roundhouse in Camden and I have delivered and taken
part in workshops with people from all walks of life.
I aim to specialise in the field of Arts in Healthcare and through
exploring relevant fields, I have learned a great deal about the power
of applied theatre and have seen the value of Arts intervention,
especially as a means of promoting well-being. This resource pack
aims to reaffirm this value.
Maeve Morgan
Year 3 BA (Hons) Drama, Applied Theatre and Education
The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

This resource pack is designed to explore and expand on themes
surrounding well-being, looking at those introduced in the Lyric
Theatre’s production of Davey Anderson’s Blackout. These themes
have been considered in relation to the issues faced by young people
today. Some of these include experiences of domestic abuse,
financial stresses, and social, web and gaming media influences. The
pack has been designed to tackle some of these themes and issues in
a constructive and healthy manner, using debate, discussion, writing
and physicality to express associated responses. It aims to help both
within the school system and outside of it, developing transferable
skills such as problem-solving, teamwork and self-management.
It aims to encourage young people to think about ways in which we
express our identity and how we choose to present ourselves within
different situations. Some of the activities have been selected to
promote both inward and outward self-expression.
The exercises have been broken up thematically and can be used as
individual exercises or as part of a whole lesson plan.
Several additional resources such as outreach information and
information about how to seek help when dealing with such sensitive
issues have been included throughout and at the end of the pack.
Time to explore!

Cast and Creative Team
Cast:
Thomas Finnegan
Siobhan Kelly
Patrick McBrearty
Owen McCavana
Michael Patrick
Creative Team:
Director: Philip Crawford
Movement Director: David Calvert
Composer: Chris Warner
Designer: Dot Kelly
Workshop facilitator: Ashlene McGurk
Technical Stage Manager: Ashley Smyth
Deputy Stage Manager: Sarah Robb
Production Assistant: David Chapman
Arts Administrator: Bronagh McFeely
Graphic Designer: Shelley Malcolmson

Blackout
Blackout was inspired by the true story of a young Glaswegian boy who
committed a violent crime. The play opens as a young man wakes up in a
prison cell one morning and can't remember how he got there, or what he's
done to merit being locked away.
Then he begins to remember. We're taken back to his childhood, a dismal
recollection of a wife-beating dad, a granddad dying of cancer, isolation and an
addiction to all things violent. We see his oppression and frustration culminate
in a court appearance when his futurelies in the hands of a judge.
The story, with its strongly physicalrepresentation draws us in to the young
boy’s story and sheds light on what can affect a young person’s mentalstate.
The isolation felt by the main character is felt by many young people today. We
then have to question, after everything that has happened, what comes next?

10 Lyric Theatre Creative Learning Department BlackoutProject
Ambition
Re-offending Rates
This piece aims to heighten awareness of the consequences of committing a
crime as a young person. The last ten years have seen a decline in the number
of young people aged 18 and under in custody. Despitethe number of youths
in custody being in decline, re-offending rates are on the rise. An ever-evolving
age of modernity has broughtwith it a wholenew set of complexities affecting
this impressionableage group immensely. Statistics show that many who have
committed a crime reoffend soon after they have been released fromcustody.
Social media, films and gaming are among many factors which can all affect
how a young person develops personally and socially. Through experiencing
James’ story in the play wecan see the effects of such stimulus directly.
According to some sources, particular organisations havecited up to 70% of
their cohort reoffended following their original custodial sentence.
Adult and Youth Reoffending in Northern Ireland (2012/13 Cohort) findings
showed out of the 2,297 young offenders included in the grouping, 692
(30.1%) committed a proven re-offensewithin a year following being released
fromcustody. Almosthalf (45.2%) of the 692 who reoffended, committed their
firstre-offence within the firstthree months of the observation period.
The figures below show a much higher percentage of reoffending in the Youth
Cohortcompared to the Adult Cohort. Challenging this group’s behaviour
whilst also supporting them to reintegrate back into their community can
consequently help to reduce reoffending.

In relation to these statistics, the Lyric’s production of Blackout aims to
highlight how fragile a young person can be and how meeting the complex
needs of this group both prior to and after leaving custody is incredibly
important.
L, Duncan - Department of JusticeNorthern Ireland (August 2015) 'Adult and Youth Reoffending in Northern
Ireland (2012/13 Cohort)', Research and Statistical Bulletin 17/2015, [Online].
Availableat:http://www.dojni.gov.uk/index/statistics-research/stats-research-publications/reoffending-stats-
and-research/17-2015-adult-and-youth-reoffending-in-ni-201213-cohort-01sep15.pdf
(Accessed:7thSeptember2015).

Interviews
Interview with young offender
I was fortunateenough to have the opportunity to interview a young man who
has been through the criminal justicesystem. He has seen the truth behind
committing a crime, and having to pick up the pieces whenever it’s too late to
turn back.
Below is a transcription of our conversation. The views expressed here are of
the individual, and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of any
affiliated organizations.
What is like when you come out?
You feel nervous. It’s scary. You sortof worry about having to sorteverything
back out like finances, like whereyou stand, on accommodation, on sortof
getting back into the swing of things, and asking yourself, do you still run about
with this friend, do you not run about with this friend. Trying to control all of
that within you.
Did you have to change who you choseto spend time with?
Your whole perception of life, you have to change that. Big time. I mean, there
have been times where I haven’tdone that and I’vejustended up back at
squareone. I had seven and a half months knowing, THIS is the date I’m
getting out. I had seven and a half months of preparation inside my own head,
prepping myself for whatI needed to Do and whatI hadn’t done beforeto stop
myself fromgoing back that way. So the last two weeks, you’remorenervous,
you’remore scared, butyet you’remoreexcited at the same time. You havea
final plan in your head – I’mnot gonna do this, I’mnotgonna hang around with
this one, I’mnotgonna do that.

Is it hard to stick to that plan?
Itis yes, to a certain point. Say you’rein town, and you bump into someone.
It’s hard not to say hello, or to say hello and justwalk away. It’s hard. You’re
young and you’restill curious. You think, maybe he’s not a good influence on
me, but anyway, what’s hebeen up to this last few weeks, you know. You still
have that. It’s normalto think that way.
What were you convicted for?
Dangerous Driving
How long was your sentence?
Two and a half years.
What age were you when it happened?
19.
So if you could advise anyonethat may be going down that road , whatwould
you say to them?
I wouldn’tdo it. I would say to them stop for a second and a have a think about
what you’reactually doing before you actually do it. Because sometimes it can
be down to peer pressurefromsay threedifferent people, but yet they’rethe
firstthree people to walk away and leave you in the middle of it all. “Yea come
on we’ll go do this” – and then they pull out and it sortof leaves you thinking,
you know what, you encouraged me to do this so I’mgonna do this to the very
end. And then the end is too late. The end is whereyou’rewaking up in a cell.
By that stage you can’t go back and you can’tput the blame on them because
they didn’t go through with it.

What was it like when you were in there?
The cops sortof say yeah yeah yeah, you’ll be getting out on bail, no problem.
Then it’s like no, you have to stay another night. And you’rethinking right, well
this is going to courtthen. And then you’rethinking’ yea, you’regetting’
remanded. You sortof have to try and brace yourself for the unexpected.
People say this happens, people say that happens, and then you get in and
you’resortof welcomed by some and not by others. Itdepends on the
personalities around you, but mostof the time you will be welcomed. And
you’retold it straight, this is how it is, this is whatyou do, this is what you
don’t do. And you’retold. You’reguided in that way specifically. It is scary.
You’reentering a world you’veprobably never been in before. Some people
would never have thoughtthey’d ever be in that situation before, they haven’t
even had that second to think about like, prison, crime, even the justicesystem
you know.
Well was there any particularly good times, or particularly bad times?
Oh well, I was in over Christmas and stuff and the boys on our landing, there
was about 15 of us at the time. Me and another guy, wewere the orderlies on
the landing, and over time we sortof got the say on the landing of how things
went because there were no problems. We had people who were still wearing
jail issueclothes. A tracksuithere and a tracksuitthere, it doesn’tmean
nothing. But by giving him a tracksuityou’reactually stopping him frombeing
bullied for maybe 6 weeks. Its wee things like that – you justwant a nice
flowing time and you know what, it has happened. I’mout the other side of it
now doing other projects and stuff – and that has helped me sort of phase
away fromit but keep the good content of it you know.
So do you feel better off having gone through the whole process? Do you think
if you hadn’tbeen arrested that you’d be in the same position you’rein now?
No. Definitely not. If I hadn’tbeen arrested I’d probably besitting on about 46
thousand pound a year in an administration job. That’s the truth sadly enough.
The guy that got the work placement I was on beforeI started committing all

of these offences, he was actually on about a 100 pound a week, the same as
what I was on. Within three years, he’s been bumped up to the 46 grand. So
yea. But I’mnot the person I was then. Ithas recreated me in a different way,
it’s given me a different way of looking at things. And that’s a good thing,
because the stuff I do now is more positive and beneficial for me rather than
for others. If it’s not going to benefit me, and it might benefit somebody else,
yes you might consider it, but really you could be running about all your life
trying to help somebody else who doesn’twant to help themselves.
You mentioned other offences, were there many others?
Fromwhen I was 18 until now I’vehad three convictions for dangerous driving.
For one of them I got 9 months, doing 4 and a half - and on the sameday I got
a month, in for two weeks. So that was 10 months, doing 5 all in. At this stage
this was the first time of me getting a custodialsentence and while I received
that custodial sentence via video link, I had sortof calculated that I was getting
out that day but it worked out that I had two weeks left. That was the most
awkward two weeks. Itwas the sametwo weeks I had to think about how I’d
move on. But at this stage I had no address, nothing concrete. I got released on
the 13th February lastyear, and got broughtback in on the 4th March for the
same offence. I’mout from June this year, so nearly 5 months.
How are you feeling about that?
That’s good. I’vebeatmy record my miles.
So whathas it actually been like, thinking okay clean slate? Where do you
actually start?
That’s a good question. I don’t know whereI started. Prior to me leaving,
about 2 weeks beforeI left I got a flat fromthe housing executive, so that sort
of took that large chunk of stress away becauseaccommodation is the most
severething for adolescents. Without that you haveto worry aboutall the
factors that come with it. If you haveno home and you’rein your mates,

you’resquatting in hostels, you’remeeting all different people, and you end up
going back to your old ways becauseit’s the only way you remember surviving.
You don’t havea new survivaltechnique apart fromwhatyou already know. So
getting a place to stay sortof took away a lot of different factors that could’ve
sent me down the wrong road again. I feel lucky, yea.
And then what was next for you?
Well then fromthere, I supposeit’s justloneliness that sortof pulls you back a
bit too. So it’s about identifying your good friends and trying to identify the
people that’ll be there when you need them to be there. Then there’s trying to
find work placements.
What’s it like trying to find work and placements?
Yea it can be pretty hard. I was doing a bit of work a few weeks back but it’s
only short–term contracts, like two weeks work and the money’s nottoo bad
but it’s not full-time, that’s what’s hard. So frommy perspectiveif me and you
go for the samejob, I’mthe one with the criminal record. I’mthe one with the
record regardless of what’s on it. You don’t even havethe piece of paper to
produceand it sortof works outstraightaway being, ‘well that guy’s got that
blue bit of paper, kick him to the side.’ Which is still hard.
Fromthere, is there anything else you’d like to say or pass on?
I think if you’reyoung and you see something going on around you and you
realise its wrong, or that it might be a criminal offense, you don’t have to
necessarily reportit, but you can walk away - justtake yourself away fromit.
You don’t haveto go down that road because once you’redown it, it’s justa
big hill to the top of it again and you’ll never makeit back there unless you do
have somelevel of realising the consequencewhere you’rethinking
differently. That’s it.

Interview with Director
The director (Philip Crawford) explains the process of the projectfromstart to
finish:
So, how did this projectcome about?
Well, the Lyric Theatre runs a coursecalled Drama Studio. It’s for young people
(aged 18-25) who areseriously interested in a career in acting. We’ve run it
now for 5 years. The group meet every Saturday for 2 terms and it ends with
the production of a play, supported by the Lyric’s professionalteam. 22 young
people havegone on to take up places at major Drama Schools in the UK and
Ireland in the last 4 years and somehave now graduated and are out there
looking for work. Oneof the reasons for the Blackoutprojectwas to create
work for them.
How many people were you able to offer work to?
There are five young actors in the cast – all fromthe North of Ireland and
recent graduates fromDrama Schools. Our Costumeand Set Designer came
fromthe Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and one of our Stage
Management team fromThe Lir Academy in Dublin. We’ve got a student from
the Central Schoolof Speech and Drama on placement and she put together
this Education pack. The Graphic Design was done by an Intern fromthe
University of Ulster.
Why did you choosethis play?
I came across the play through the National Theatre’s Connections festival–
when it was written specifically for 13-19 year old youth groups. TheCreative
Learning department at the Lyric do a lot of work with Hydebank Wood College
in Belfast, a place whereyoung offenders are taken into custody. I’mlearning a
lot about their lives and the challenges that face them when they return to the
community and I’vebeen gripped by the fact that many of them wantto warn

other young about the consequences of breaking the law. This play seemed to
do that and appeared to be an effective way to help the Hydebank students in
their mission.
The play covers a lot of issues. Arethere any you think are particularly
important?
When I listen to the stories of many of the boys, I’mreally surprised by the
crimes they committed: personable, young people who are polite and great to
talk to. The one word that keeps cropping up is drugs. It’s difficultenough for
many young people to keep their life on track, but once they get involved with
drugs, it becomes impossible. I get very angry when I hear very wealthy
celebrities bragging about taking drugs – they have the resources to attempt to
get themselves out of the situation – others aren’t in that position.
Another key point in the play is that James feels he can’t talk to anyoneabout
the bullying and in particular, abouthis grandfather’s death. It’s really sad to
think that someone might be driven to desperate measurebecause they feel
have no one to listen to them. There are a number of organisations who
providefantastic supportfor young people in James’ position, but I think we all
have to take on some responsibility for caring for other human beings – even if
it’s justa smile or a friendly word.
As JB Priestly says in An Inspector Calls: “We don’tlive alone. We are members
of one body. We are responsiblefor each other.”
How did the PSNI help you with the production?
Well, if you’regoing to do a play about juvenile crime, it would seem sensible
to talk to the police to find out more about the wholeissue! We talked to some
of the officers about the problems that exist around Northern Ireland and how
the play might tie in with someof the crime prevention work they’redoing.
However, they were also very helpful in advising us about some of the
technical details in the scriptand even let us rehearsein a real holding cell just
to help the actors get a feeling for what James went through.

What sortof research did the actors do?
We spent a morning at a local PSNI station talking to officers and finding out
what being arrested and held actually involves. We then went to Hydebank
and the staff talked us through the procedures - what happens when a young
person is taken into custody. We visited the cells and talked at length to some
of the boys who are in there. That was really informative!
It’s notreally clear what happens at the end of the play. What do you think
happens?
This is an interesting one, because there are a few possibilities. I felt it was
important for the actors and I to make a choice on this. Whathappens after
James takes down the posters and pulls the covers over his head and turns the
lights out? In theatre, we usethe term blackout to indicate the end of a scene.
However, this is also the point at which a new scene starts. James has come
very close indeed to being sent to prison, but instead he is given a probation
sentence. This is a chancefor him to make a fresh start, to play the next scene
of his life in a different way. I choseto concentrate on a positive note.

Activities
Through these activities you will be exploring differentresponses to the
themes that emerge within the play. Some of these themes include Bullying;
Media, Social Media and Web influence; Domestic abuse and mental health.
You will be exploring these themes through means such as discussion, writing
and in some cases a performancebased approach will be taken also.
The activities have been broken down into sections:
1. Exercise Name & Time Frame
 Exercise description
 Relevant Information
 Relating to Blackout
 Instructions
Each exercise has been given a flexible time-frame of 40-60 minutes. Itcan be
completed in 40 minutes but can be developed and taken further if the time
allows and if the group are responding well to the material they are working
with.

Activity 1:
Forum Exercise (40-60 minutes)
 Exercise description:
This exercise will explore someof the scenes in which James recalls negative
experiences and the group will be discussing and exploring how things could
have possibly gonedifferently for him. For this exercise you will be using
ForumTheatre as a tool to explore how different events affected James.
This exercise can last for anything from 40 to 60 minutes depending on how
much time is available and how responsivethe group is to the nature of the
workshop.

 Relevant Information:
Definition:
ForumTheatre starts similarly to traditional theatre in that an audience
watches actors performa play. There is usually a clear protagonist, who is the
‘Oppressed’, who faces differentsituations of Oppression or difficulty. Often,
the play in question halts without a proper conclusion and without any of the
issues being resolved.
History of Forum Theatre:
ForumTheatre was invented by Augusto Boal, a Brazilian practitioner who
originally started out as a chemical engineer.
He became interested in theatre during a time of great political oppression in
his native country of Brazil.
The aim of forumtheatre is to raise awareness of issues, problems,
oppressions or obstacles notnecessarily considered previously by the
‘audience’. Forumtheatre scenarios aredesigned to stimulate audience
participation through discussion, interactiverole-playing and shared
experiences.
Why Forum?
Forumtheatre allows for the audience to express their opinions, and test to
see if their approach would have worked in the Relevant Information of the
play. Boal calls this ‘rehearsalfor reality’.
This way, it allows for participants to express their thoughts and opinions to try
and instigate social change.
The goals are discovery and empowermentof the individual.

 Relating to Blackout:
The play opens with a word. Imagine. You are asked to put yourself into the
shoes of our main character – James. James is our ‘Oppressed’ character that
we see face numerous difficulties throughoutthe play.
James has awoken in a prison cell and desperately wants to know how he has
come to be there. He is told by a Police Officer that he has been charged with
attempted murder. He is left alone to then question all of his actions that have
led him to this conviction.

 Instructions:
Discussion –Having watched the play, ask the students discuss in groups
James’ journey to committing his offence. Ask them to isolate certain ‘turning’
points which you feel led to him ending up in the position he was in by the end
of the play, e.g. being bullied for having long hair, reading about violent men
and women etc.
In leading the exercise, you will need to take on the role of the Joker. The Joker
is a middle-man between spectators and actors, in this casebetween students
acting, and students observing.
After this discussion, as theJoker, invite individuals to share someof their
thoughts on the story and ask whether there were any specific points at which
they felt something could have happened differently. Ask for examples of this.
Ask questions such as, would you haveacted another way in that situation? An
open discussion could be held between class members, led by you.
Performance - After some individual class members have shared their ideas,
you will then ask the group whether anyone would like to show their
alternative solutions to the problems faced by James in the play. What would
they have done in their shoes?
You will invite volunteers to the performancespaceto play the roles of chosen
actors and try out their method.
During this ‘performance’, you willestablish that when the word FREEZE is said
the performancewill halt and the person who has said freezemay suggesta
possiblealternative to how the scene is playing out so far. They may chooseto

take over or they can ask the performer in the role to carry outtheir
instruction.
If there is sufficienttime left, this exercise can be repeated to look at many of
the differentsuggestions offered. If there is not enough time, informthe group
that they will no longer be able to shoutfreeze and let the drama come to an
end.
Finish this exercise by asking the group how effective the exercise was. Were
the outcomes offered realistic, or completely obscureand unnatural? There
are no wrong answers this is to help the group understand that different
actions lead to different outcomes.

Activity 2:
Healthy Relationships exercise (40 minutes)
Resources: Cards, string, paper, pen
This exercise will look more closely at the nature of some of the relationships
we share. Itis not an exercise of right or wrong it is about recognising certain
behaviour in relationships. The aim is for the group to debate and discuss as a
collective what may be defined as healthy and unhealthy in a relationship.
“81% of teenagersexperiencing abuse in relationshipsnever get support.”
(www.tender.org.uk Accessed: 7th
September 2015)
This exercise has been adapted froma charity organisation known as Tender.
Tender engages with young people in promoting healthy relationships and
challenges modern day tolerance of abuse.
Tender have offered the following statement on their website:
“Using theatre and the arts, we engage young people in violence prevention
workshopswithin their schools, enabling them to recognise and avoid abuse
and violence. These workshops can be adapted to many groups.”
(http://tender.org.uk/?page_id=1396 Accessed: 7th
September 2015).
Their website includes more information about the work they do and offers
free resources on how to approach certain sensitive topics such as
pornography and sexualbullying and shaming.
“We recognise atTender that there are many aspects of relationships which
can seem particularly daunting to talk aboutwith young people, no matter how
much you wantto keep them safe”. – (http://tender.org.uk/?page_id=1895
Acessed: 7th
September 2015)
Any resources can be accessed here: http://tender.org.uk/?page_id=1895

Source: Tender (2015) Our School'sProgramme, Available
at: http://tender.org.uk/?page_id=1396 (Accessed: 7th September 2015).
In an early scene of the play James starts to remember his past and it brings
him back to his early childhood. He remembers his father abusing his mother,
every day until their imminent divorce. James remembers the effect this had
on his mother, as she closed herself off to the world, too embarrassed to show
her bruises in public. He remembered that she still held high hopes for him.
She always wanted the best for him. He remembered they didn’t talk much.
James experienced this abusiverelationship between his mother and father
froma young age and was left alone to develop his own responseto it. He
thought highly of his mother, but did not know how to communicate with her
in a healthy way. This may suggesthis concept of a healthy relationship may
not have been fully grasped as he grew older. This exercise aims to look at how
we view relationships and explore whatis deemed as ‘healthy’ or ‘unhealthy’.

 Instructions:
For this exercise, you will need to dress the space. Place two pieces of paper on
opposite ends of a piece of string (approximately 2 metres) on the floor. One
piece of paper will havethe word ‘Healthy’ written on it and the other will
have the word ‘Unhealthy’ written on it. This will be your scale of
measurement fromhealthy to unhealthy.
Healthy Unhealthy
On separate pieces of paper you will write down severalactions that the group
must decide where to place along this line. These actions don’t necessarily
have to be typically carried out between couples in a romantic relationship; it
can be about any type of relationship. This can proveeffective in terms of
developing discussion, team-work, problemsolving and debate.
You will ask the group to place themselves on one side of the line. You then
need to call out the following actions and explain that the group are to discuss
whereit may go along the line of string:
 Kissing (with permission);
 Kissing (withoutpermission);
 Hitting;
 Pushing;
 Reading messages;
 Looking at personalpictures;
 Stopping you fromleaving the house;
 Not letting you go out with friends;
 Making sureyou text them every hour;
 Making sureyou text them every day;
 Telling you what to wear;
 Shouting
Feel free to adapt, changeor add more actions where you see fit.

When the group make a decision, hand them the piece of paper with the
action written on it and ask them to place it along the line.
Ask them why they have placed the piece of paper at that particular area and
how they came to that decision. If the group cannot make a decision
altogether then this is an opportunity to open it up for debate.
Ask them why they could not agree on a position along the line. Allow for a
shortdebate. This will highlight that these types of relationships are extremely
complex and there may be many layers involved.
Repeat this exercise for as many of the actions as you would like/ have time
for.

Activity 3:
‘Who am I’ Exercise (40-60 minutes)
In this exercise you will predominately be using discussion and writing to look
closely at how we see ourselves in everyday life and how we respond to certain
stimulus. Depending on the group, this exercise offers a scope to explore
themes in different ways.
The director’s interpretation of the play was heavily influenced by the song ‘I
won’tLet you go’ by James Morrison. Hereis an excerpt fromthe song:
If your sky is falling
Just take my hand and hold it
You don'thave to be alone, alone yeah
I won'tlet you go
While Morrison wroteit as a love song, in the case of Blackout and James’
story, the I in I won’t let you go does not necessarily haveto be one single
person, but rather many in society, all playing a role to supportthosein need.
In Blackout, James is feeling alone and isolated without anyoneto turn to. The
song can be a reminder to those who are feeling lost, that there are places and
people they can look to for support.
Itcould be interesting to listen to this song with the above in mind. The song is
available on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgRb_lfIZ6A

In the play James remembers dealing with the traumas of his past and how this
has affected his mental health leading him to do the things he has done. He
asks the question “How did I get here?” - This is more than justa question of
how he got to that jail cell, but how he got to that point in his life. Whatled
him there?
An element of free-writing is included in this exercise and this can be an
excellent way to explore the self and begin to understand whatmakes us who
we are. Having seen the play, the students have seen James’ mental health
deteriorate in a very upfrontway. Combining this with a closer inspection of
ourselves, the aim is to create a moredynamic and personalcreative formthat
the group can engage in wherewe try and see oursselves in a different
perspective.
Food for thought:
In Blackout, James struggled to establish himself as a young man in the world
and now he must try to rebuild himself again as a young offender. Where can
he go fromhere? This exercise looks at how we, like James might change our
attitudes and how this can affect how we view/are viewed in the world. Some
questions for debate/consideration throughoutthe exercise could be as
follows:
 Is my attitude practicable? Or naive?
 If you were the victim of crime, would you wantto supportyoung
offenders?
 Is being unsympathetic and possibly aggressiveto people the best way
to go about changing their attitude?
 What could come of young people having no one to listen to their
problems? Or even choosing not to talk about them?

 How do you make amends when you’vedone something you feel is
wrong?
 If you’refeeling isolated, can someonespeaking kindly to you for once,
or smiling at you, make an impact on your day?
Feel free to raise these throughoutthe exercise as food for thought.

 Instructions:
MicroWarm-up: (10 minutes inclusive) The Sun Shineson
For this exercise ask the group to sit on chairs in a circle. The aim of this game
is to remain with a seat in the circle. However to begin the game one person
stands in the middle of the circle without a spareseat in the circle. They must
say the words “TheSun shines on anybody who…” and they must finish this
sentence with a quality, attribute or experience shared by the group. For
example, “The sun shines on anybody who got the bus to schoolthis morning”
or “The sun shines on anybody with socks on”.
When the person says something that a participant knows to be true about
them, they must get up and find a new seat within the circle. They must try
and choosea seat far away fromtheir original chair.
The person who was in the middle of the circle will aim to find a seat whilst
others are moving, therefore aiming for a new person to then be in the middle
of the circle to repeat the phrasealong with a new attribute. Repeat this a few
times at your discretion. This exercise is a gentle way to introduce thoughts
about whatwe attribute to ourselves and those around us.

Mainexercise: ‘Walk likea…’
This exercise requires everyoneto have a pen and paper to write with,
preferably single sheets of paper, or paper that can be removed froma book.
Ask the group to begin by writing “I am” at the top of the page. Ask them to list
everything they feel can be attributed to them. For example, “I am…
Scottish;
A girl;
A boy;
A footballer;
Funny;
Tall” etc.
In order not to dwell and to avoid overanalysing the task, give them 1 minute
to complete this.
Following this, you will ask the group a series of questions about themselves.
After hearing a question, ask them to write down an answer. Givethe group 30
seconds to do so before asking another question. Explain the importance of
writing the firstthing that comes into their head. Remind them that it is
important that they try not to censor themselves and rather to let the answers
flow organically.
The questions are as follows:
 What makes me angry?
 What frightens me?
 What gives me hope?
 What do I think that I don’t say out loud?
 When I look in the mirror, whatdo I see?
Feel free to adapt, changeor add more questions whereyou see fit.

Explain that what they write for this particular section will be for their personal
use only and that they will not have to show their responses to anyone.
Ask the group to take the page they havewritten their ‘I am’ responses on and
if they wish to, remove it from their book, fold it up into a small shapeand
place in a box. Their names should not appear anywhereon this paper as the
offering should be anonymous. Keepthis withyoufor the next part of the
exercise:
‘Walk like a’
Ensureyou have enough clear spacefor the group to walk around the room
freely. Ask the group to stand up and begin to walk around the roomat a
leisurely pace.
Following this, you will explain that you are about to call out instructions as to
how to walk around the space, someof which will be made up, someof which
will be called out fromwhatis written anonymously on the papers in the box.
Remind them that they musttake care what direction they are walking in and
that they don’tbump into anyone or anything as they travel
Begin with the following:
Walk like a girl
Walk like a boy
Walk like a toddler
Walk like a busy commuter
Walk like you’re tired
Walk like you’re excited
These can vary and change depending on your preference.

Includealso, the instructions on the pieces of paper given to you prior to this
exercise. These can be called out after the aboveinstructions or perhaps you
might want to fluctuate between the two.
The next instruction is:
Walk like yourself
When the group begins to do this, ask them to freeze and ask an individual to
show you how they walk. Ask them why they feel they walk like this. Were any
of instructions trueto them? Were they tired? Were they tall? Etc.
Ask the group to continue walking again. This time, instruct the group to “Walk
like yourself, on a bad day.” Tell the group that they are free to interact with
other people as they walk, but only with a word, and they must continue
walking. Freezethe group and repeat the instructions with a different
individual asking them questions about their response. How did their
movement change on a bad day? Ask other members of the group how it felt
to interact with others/beinteracted with.
Ask the group to continue walking. Change the instruction to “Walk like
yourself, on a good day”. Again, tell the group that they are free to interact
with other people as they walk, but only with a word, and they mustcontinue
walking. Freezethe group and repeat the instructions with a different
individual once more. How did their movement change on a good day? Ask
other members of the group how it felt to interact with others/be interacted
with. Which felt better? Which was easier to show?
This exercise aims to show that the way in which we chooseto present
ourselves affects how we interact, how we see other people around us and
how we respond to the world around us.

Activity 4:
‘School Report’ Exercise (30-40minutes)
 Exercise Description:
This exercise explores creative writing elements and memory work recalling
how previous schoollife was for the student and developing re-enactments of
these. Students are asked to think back to an earlier experience of school-life
and create a re-imagining of this time in their life.
This exercise aims to highlight the changes we undergo throughoutschool-life.
The relationship a teacher has with a student can changeand fluctuate as the
student grows and responds to the many twists and turns of adolescent life,
and unfortunately its conflict occur.
Anti-Bullying week begins on Monday 16th October. The Northern Ireland Anti-
Bullying Forumis offering schools and other organisations working with young
people a free resourcepack if they register online. This will include a rangeof
different activities, presentations, activity plans, Anti-Bullying Week 2015
themed posters and lots more.
You can register your interest in this resourceonline at
http://www.endbullying.org.uk/anti-bullying-week/register-interest/by
entering in your organisations details and clicking ‘Submit.’
Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying Forumis based in Belfast and can be accessed at
http://www.endbullying.org.uk/ - (Accessed: 16th October 2015).
Phone number 028 9089 1738
Email address info@niabf.org.uk

 Relating to Blackout
In the play James tells the audience of his schoollife and how he was bullied
and tormented for how he looked. This had a big impact on his approach in life
and how he chose to change his appearance and behaviour. James attempts to
fight his bullies, as the teacher says “That’s notlike you.” The teacher here
recognises that James’ behaviour has changed and is now unrecognisable.
 Instructions
Below is a list of guided rhetorical questions before the main writing exercise.
Ask them the following questions and ask them to think about the answers
rather than write them down:
What has schoollife been like for you so far?
Did you enjoy your classes?
Did you enjoy your friends?
Did you enjoy your teachers?
Did you enjoy it all?
Did you enjoy any of it?
Why is that?
Think back to when you were 14…
What were you studying then?
Were you interested in schoolor not?
Were you involved in any extracurricular activities?
What might your schoolreport havesaid?
Feel free to adapt, changeor add more questions whereyou see fit.
After asking these questions, explain to the group that they then have 5
minutes to write down a school report, of what they think their teacher would
have said to them when they wereyounger. This is both a memory and a

creative writing exercise, as it can be based on truth, or partially remembered
or be completely fabricated.
Following this, ask the group to get into smaller groups of 3 or 4. Ask the group
to imagine the report being delivered in a different way, this time as a parent-
teacher meeting.
In these groups you will need one person to play the role of the teacher, one to
play the role of the student and another 1-2 people to play the role/s of the
guardian/s.
Ask the groups to allocate roles and to pick one of their schoolreports to show
back to the rest of the group. Question how they feel the teacher would
deliver this review of the student’s behaviour, and how they feel each
character would havereacted to hearing this report. Limit them to 1 minute
discussion and 4 minute rehearsaltime before showing back to the rest of the
group.
Repeat this rehearsalprocess until as many people as possiblewithin the
group have had a chance to have their reportperformed.
If there is time, ask the group if anyone would like to swap roles and try the
scene again. Give them 2 minutes to preparefor this beforeperforming. This
may proveinteresting, as the scene could change drastically.
Following this, have a shortdiscussion with the group as to how they found the
exercise. Some examples are as follows: Was it interesting to remember their
schoollife as a younger student? Do you feel you’vechanged? Why is that?
Feel free to deliver this group discussion in whatever way you feel is
appropriatefor your participantgroup.

Video Debate:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06jmbv7/panorama-tough-justice-in-
britain-texas-style
The above link is of a recent BBC Panorama episodeaired on 12th October
2015, titled Tough Justice in Britain – Texas Style, which is available to watch
online for the next 11 months. This is a thought provoking exposéof the
successes and failures of the criminal justice system.
Michael Gove, the currentSecretary of State for Justice and the former
Secretary of State for Education travels to America, to observea new and
radical formof justice. We see the contrastbetween the currentcriminal
justice systemin the UK and the rehabilitation-led revolution occurring in
Texas. This new method of justice sees the emergence of specialist courts for
those who struggleto break out of a life of crime. The courts aim to steer this
cohortaway from re-offending and attempt to guide them back into helping
society.
Some of the footage shows interviews with those who have been through the
criminal justice systemand many comment on the effects of prison life:
“Prison is the University of Crime”;
“Prison don’tmake you think. Prison don’t make anybody think”.
This new method of justice has seen crime rates fall, prisoner numbers decline
and aboveall they are saving on costs. England and Wales currently havethe

highest imprisonmentrate in Western Europe. With this is mind, are there
valuable lessons to be taken fromthis that we could apply to help put a stop to
the “revolving door of re-offending”?
This video offers an interesting topic for debate and discussion on how we
might go about tackling youth offending. It raises many questions as to whata
truly effective method can consistof. Which type produces the most promising
results, detainment and punishment or rehabilitation and supportor perhaps
elements of both? In small groups, students could discuss both sides of the
coin and forman argument using relevant statistics and research to forma
well-rounded response. This would develop skills in both verbaland written
communication, planning and organising, debating and team-work.

List of local services
This section includes a list of contact details for organisations that focus on
supporting thosein need.
Support for Parents
The following organisations offer supportand information for parents
concerned about the well-being of their child:
 Parentline Plus: 0808 800 2222- immediate help for parents 24 hours a
day, seven days a week
 Kidscapehelpline for parents: 08451 205204(from10.00 amto 8.00 pm
Monday and Tuesday, from10.00 amto 4.00 pmWednesday, Thursday
and Friday)
 Anti Bullying Campaign advice line for parents and children: 020 7378
1446 (from9.30 amto 5.00 pm)
 Childline Anti-bullying Helpline: 0800 44 1111
 Parents Advice Centre Helpline: 0808 801 0722
 Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People: 028
9031 1616
 Chalky Helpline (Children’s Law Centre), for legal advice: 0808 808 5678
 Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying Forum: 028 9043 1123
Source: http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/bullying-getting-support
Women’s Aid: Women’s Aid are an organisation that supports women and
children who have been effected by domestic abuse. There are 10 local
Women's Aid groups throughoutNorthern Ireland. Thesegroups are
autonomous and are affiliated to Women’s Aid Federation Northern Ireland,
129 University Street, Belfast, BT7 1H.
Local Women's Aid groups can be contacted directly or through the 24 Hour
Domestic Violence hotline: 0800 917 1414
This number is open to anyone affectedby domestic violence

More contact details for Teens:
Breathing space: 0800838587
The Samaritans: 08457909090
Childline: 08001111
Lifeline: 0808 8088000
Aware NI: 028 9035 7820
Website available here: http://www.aware-ni.org/
AwareNI are a charity that works exclusively with people who suffer from
depression, generating supportand improving awareness.
HelpTo Heal: 0845 120 3788
Website www.helptoheal.co.uk
This is a national helpline that provides telephone help and advice for people
suffering fromfamily-related problems
Prisoners'Families Helpline: 0808808 2003
Website: www.prisonersfamilieshelpline.org.uk
The Prisoners'Families Helpline is a free and confidential servicefor anyone
who is affected by the imprisonment of a close family member or friend.
Talk to Frank: 0800 77 66 00
Website: www.talktofrank.com
Ring FRANK anytime and speak to a friendly adviser who's professionally
trained to give you straightup, unbiased information about drugs
Youth2Youth: 020 8896 3675
Website: www.youth2youth.co.uk
The helpline for all young people 11-19 years old. Young Person's helpline, run
by young people, for young people.
Relate: 0845 456 1310
Website: www.relate.org.uk
Provides relationship supportfor individuals, couples and families. Offers
counselling.
Source: http://www.parenting.co.uk/help/family-helplines.cfm (Accessed 29th
September 2015).

Further documentation:
Information:
Northern Ireland Curriculum2015 - Summary of Relevant Legislation
Applicable to Northern Ireland (PSNI, PHA)
Online:
http://www.belb.org.uk/Downloads/cpsss_summary_of_legislation_applicable
_to_NI.pdf
Northern Ireland Curriculum2015, Signs and Symptoms of Drug Use
Online:
http://ccea.org.uk/sites/default/files/docs/curriculum/area_of_learning/pdmu
/drugs/Signs_of_Drug_Use.pdf
Smith, M (M.A), Segal, J (PHD) (2015), Teenager’sGuide to Depression
Available at:
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/teenagers-guide-to-
depression.htm
Further activities:
Northern Ireland Curriculum2015, Learning for Life and Work Integrated
activity
Online:
http://www.nicurriculum.org.uk/docs/key_stage_3/areas_of_learning/learnin
g_for_life_and_work/KS3_LLW_Integrated_Activities/DS_Booklet.pdf
Sipler, E. (2006) 'PersonalDevelopment', The Power of Teachers in a Young
Person’sWorld , The Rationale for Teaching PersonalDevelopment in Post
Primary schools in Northern Ireland
Online:
http://www.nicurriculum.org.uk/docs/key_stage_3/areas_of_learning/person
al_development/ks3_pd_powerofteachers.pdf

Source:https://www.beyondblue.org.au/resources/family-and-
friends/parents-and.guardians/family-guide-to-youth-suicide-
prevention/youth-suicide-warning-signs (Accessed:20thSeptember 2015).

Bibliography
Anderson, M. 2012 Masterclassin Drama Education: Transforming Teaching
and Learning. London, ContinuumInternationalPublishing Group
BBC (12th October 2015) Panorama- Tough Justice in Britain - Texas Style,
Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06jmbv7/panorama-
tough-justice-in-britain-texas-style(Accessed: 13th October 2015).
Beyond Blue (2015) Youth Suicide warning signs,
Available at: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/resources/family-and-
friends/parents-and.guardians/family-guide-to-youth-suicide-
prevention/youth-suicide-warning-signs (Accessed: 20th September 2015).
Helping Struggling Teens (2009) Freedom and Responsibility Go Hand in Hand,
Available at:
http://www.helpingstrugglingteens.com/ (Accessed: 29th
October 2015)
King, J. (2015) 'WhatJustice?', Justice for You, [Online].
Available at: http://www.why-me.org/what-justice/(Accessed: 10th
September 2015).
L, Duncan - Departmentof Justice Northern Ireland (August2015) 'Adultand
Youth Reoffending in Northern Ireland (2012/13 Cohort)', Research and
Statistical Bulletin 17/2015, [Online].
Available at: http://www.dojni.gov.uk/index/statistics-research/stats-research-
publications/reoffending-stats-and-research/17-2015-adult-and-youth-
reoffending-in-ni-201213-cohort-01sep15.pdf
(Accessed: 7th September 2015).
Murphy, A. - Tender Volunteer (July 14th 2015) 'Changes in attitude. ‘Itwill
never be me’', [Online].
Available at: http://tender.org.uk/?p=1827(Accessed: 7th September 2015).
Murphy, A. - Tender Volunteer (August10th 2015) 'Sexand Relationships
Education in Schools', [Online].
Available at: http://tender.org.uk/?p=1850(Accessed: 6th September 2015).

NI Direct - GovernmentServices (2014) Bullying: getting support,
Available at:
http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/bullying-getting-support (Accessed: 16th October
2015).
Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying Forum(2015) Register,
Available at:
http://www.endbullying.org.uk/anti-bullying-week/register-interest/
(Accessed: 16th October 2015).
Parenting SupportCentre (2014) Child and Family Helplines
Available at: http://www.parenting.co.uk/help/family-helplines.cfm (Accessed
29th September 2015).
Tender (2015) Our School'sProgramme,
Available at: http://tender.org.uk/?page_id=1396 (Accessed: 9th September
2015).
Women's Aid (2015) 'Women's Aid Annual Survey', News!, [Online].
Available at:
http://www.womensaid.org.uk/page.asp?section=00010001001400130005&s
ectionTitle=Women%27s+Aid+Annual+Survey
(Accessed 8th
September 2015)
YouTube, James Morrison (4th
August2015) I won’tletyou go,
Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgRb_lfIZ6A (Accessed: 29th
September
2015).

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