To what extent do your pupils understand what is going on in the Middle East?

The average person knows very little of what is going on in the Middle East, and perhaps more importantly, WHY – a result of the differing interpretations of historical and present-day events in the region. Not to mention its obvious complexity.

And, since your pupils have followed this timeline of events for a much shorter period of time, confusion and a lack of understanding about what is going on in the Middle East is likely to be much greater. Which is why the charity, Middle East Education, was formed and is offering a FREE talk in your school that gives a balanced yet factual look at the issues involved.

If you are interested in booking one of our FREE talks, simply email office@middleeastedu.co.uk with your preferred dates (at least two different dates) and we’ll do our best to organise a mutually convenient time for us to visit your school.

Given by two knowledgeable, articulate and lively speakers, one Muslim the other Christian or Jewish, the talks can be provided in accordance with the requests from individual schools and are accompanied by colourful PowerPoint presentations containing many maps and photos, films, and animations. What’s more, questions and discussion by your students are encouraged.

If you would like to find out more before registering your interest, simply visit http://www.middleeastedu.co.uk/talks.html. On our website you will also find a number of free resources, including PowerPoints, activities and teachers’ notes, generally sorted by subject area (General Studies, History…) and/or education level (GCSE, A-Level…).

Let’s talk about how live performance at your school can give your students an advantage

Over the coming academic year, Fred Theatre is touring four exciting productions into schools:

Jekyll and Hyde     A Christmas Carol

Macbeth     Romeo and Juliet

Each of our 90-minute adaptations is designed to be a great introduction to the text, or a useful revision tool. Watching one of the productions really helps your students understand the narrative arc of the text, and they will hear those all-important quotes in context. They see and hear the text rather than just reading it, and, of course, there’s the simple joy of live theatre.

All of this at a very cost-effective price too! Booking a performance from Fred Theatre is a whole heap cheaper than paying for theatre tickets + travel costs + the time of staff and helpers.

All four productions are fresh and exciting re-tellings of the familiar and much-loved stories, and features a cast of six professional actors. We concentrate on the text and producing a faithful representation of the original… just a little shorter!

All we need to perform at your school is a space approximately 5m x 5m with room (of course) for the audience.

Last year we took two productions to over 40 schools and almost 7,000 students. This year I want to reach 100 schools and I’m more than happy to work with you on how we can bring live theatre to your school.

And we don’t leave our involvement with just the performance. We send out regular newsletters for students that build up to the performance with lots of great information on the show. We give students feedback cards which can be used as a valuable tool in the classroom after the show. And, we can also arrange workshops if that’s of interest.

You can call me to discuss any aspect of Fred Theatre playing at your school on 01789 777612 or 07974 210265. Alternatively, email Helen in our office: helen@fred-theatre.co.uk. We’ll have a chat about how we can help, collect a few details from you and respond with more information.

Robert Ball

Artistic Director
Fred Theatre

PS: The feedback we received last year from both students and teachers was great, and we’re more than happy to share this with you. You can read some now on our web site: www.fred-theatre.co.uk/schools