The Trial of Josie K Classroom Pack | Years 5 - 8

CLASSROOM PACK

FOR YEARS 5 – 8

ABOUT THE UNICORN

WE CREATE INNOVATIVE PRODUCTIONS THAT ENCOURAGE CHILDREN TO QUESTION AND EXPLORE THE WORLD. WE CREATIVELY COLLABORATE WITH CHILDREN IN SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES.

WE MAKE OUR WORK AS AVAILABLE AS POSSIBLE. WE ARE REDUCING OUR IMPACT ON THE PLANET. WE BELIEVE IN EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION.

We offer innovative and thrilling theatre experiences for children aged up to 13, producing and presenting new shows alongside adaptations of classic texts. We are the largest children’s theatre in the UK, welcoming 65,000 families and schools to our venue every year, and thousands more through our new Unicorn Online programme of free digital theatre experiences.

We offer subsidy to groups to enable them to attend where needed, and make our work with the values of curiosity, respect and courage, partnering with schools from our local boroughs and community groups from across London to ensure that young people have a voice in shaping our shows.

We believe that young people of all ages, perspectives and abilities have the right to experience exciting, entertaining and inspiring work - we want all children to experience our theatre and actively seek out children who wouldn’t otherwise attend. We maintain a strong commitment to representing diversity in our audiences, as well as on our stages, and we prioritise accessibility and inclusion across our organisation.

THE TRIAL OF JOSIE K

THU 26 JAN – SUN 19 FEB 2023

Josie doesn’t know what’s going on.

She goes to the meetings, she answers the questions, she’s doing everything they ask, but still, nothing she does is right. Sometimes adults just don’t make any sense.

Who is the man in the suit anyway, and why on earth does he want her to throw a custard pie at him?

Join Josie K as she finds herself caught up in an absurd situation, and needs her best mate Becca and all her courage to find her way out. Inspired by Kafka’s The Trial, this is a story of defiance, the power of friendship and finding hope, even in a world where no one has explained the rules.

A Unicorn Theatre Production

Writer Katie Hims

Director Leigh Toney

Designer Rose Revitt

Movement Director Sundeep Saini

Lighting Designer Elliot Griggs

Composer & Sound Designer Beth Duke

WELCOME – A GUIDE TO USING THIS PACK

Thank you for downloading this pack, which helps you and your pupils to continue exploring the play back at school.

The Trial of Josie K is a surreal, comic and moving new play. It contains themes of growing up, friendship, overcoming adversity, and explores guilt and loss.* Your pupils might benefit from time to explore these themes as a group after they’ve seen the show, and these activities do that with lightness and fun problem solving.

The activities in this pack have been co-designed by a drama facilitator, a dramatherapist, a teacher, and our young Creative Associates, aged from 8 - 12. We have designed these activities so that they can easily slot into your school timetable, and have clear learning objectives and outcomes for you to link to the National Curriculum. There are some simple discussion questions to start with on page 6 – we really recommend you do these if nothing else! Your pupil’s responses might also help you to choose the best follow up activities for them.

The activities include simple and safe ways for your children to process some of the more complex themes. Your pupils’ varied life experiences, exposure and background personal circumstances might bring up different responses, and we have included a section about how to support anyone who particularly resonates with the themes of the play or finds any of it tricky (p.17).

We hope that this production introduces your pupils to the power of theatre for political and social commentary, as well as being an adventure in a slightly surreal world!

If you, or they, have any questions, you can always contact us at engagement@unciorntheatre.com

* During the play one character references the loss of a sibling and another the loss of a parent. These are held well within the play so shouldn’t raise concern, but if you have a pupil who has experienced the loss of close family member you might want to quietly let them know that this is mentioned by one of the characters so it doesn’t surprise them.

SUMMARY OF THE PLAY – FOR TEACHERS

• On the day after Josie K’s twelfth birthday, a Bureaucrat (from the Ministry of LT and D and H and R, Z, P, X and Y) arrives to tell her that she has an appointment which clashes with school – he won’t tell her what it’s about.

• At this appointment with the same Bureaucrat, Josie learns that she is on trial for something, but he won’t tell her what. She has to keep reporting to a red telephone box opposite the swimming pool to find out when her next appointment is, missing a lot of school.

• Her friend Becca suggests explanations for what’s happening to Josie, maybe it’s a case of mistaken identity, but the Bureaucrat dismisses these and puts her through strange tests, involving things from eating scones to throwing custard pies. Becca has to sit with other children at lunch as Josie is so rarely there.

• Josie tries and fails to guess why she’s on trial. It becomes clear that she blames herself for her younger brother Danny’s accidental drowning when the Bureaucrat confiscates her triceratops toy, which used to belong to Danny. The Bureaucrat requests to stay on Josie’s case instead of being replaced, out of concern for her: he has similar feelings to hers about his mother.

• At school exactly a year after the trial began, the Bureaucrat turns up unexpectedly to return the triceratops to Josie, giving her his name for the first time: Frank. It’s Josie’s birthday, and for the first time she believes in her own innocence, as she no longer feels guilty about Danny or anything about herself.

KAFKA’S THE TRIAL

In Franz Kafka’s 1925 novel The Trial, which this new play reimagines, the protagonist is Josef K., a man who never finds out why he is on trial, just like Josie in our play. Several aspects of this play echo Kafka’s original story, though there are lots of changes too: while both Josie and Josef are put on trial around the time of their birthdays, Josie is a child at school, while Josef is turning thirty years old and works for a bank. Both versions have official-sounding committees and endless bits of red tape with mysterious, impossible to guess functions.

In the book, there are many more characters who are a part of Josef’s trial or outside of it, unable to help him, from lawyers, to fellow lodgers at his guest house, to Josef’s uncle, while the world of our play is much smaller: only Josie, the Bureaucrat, and Josie’s friend Becca. After a year of confusion, Kafka’s original story ends with Josef’s execution, but our version of this story ends with Josie and the Bureaucrat reaching an understanding, with hope in the future for Josie as she doesn’t view herself as guilty anymore.

ACTIVITY SIMPLE CONVERSATION STARTERS

TIME: 20 minutes – you can choose to spend more or less time on this

RESOURCES: Optional whiteboard to view production photos

SUBJECT AREA: Drama, English, Speaking & Listening

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: To reflect on the play adding depth to understanding

LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of the activity, pupils will be able to:

– Articulate their response to the play

– Consider different responses from their peers

– Begin to think about the purpose of theatre

CONTENT:

What did you like about the play – did you have a favourite moment?

What do you remember about the design?

– This could include the set (everything on the stage), the costumes, the lights, or the sound.

– Was there anything you didn’t like or didn’t understand? – Choose three words to describe Josie… or the Bureaucrat.

What do you think Josie was on trial for?

– Who did the Bureaucrat work for?

What did you think about the ending?

Playwrights often want us to learn something about the world from their plays – what might we have learnt from this play? (See the next page for some useful prompt questions)

USEFUL PROMPTS FOR DISCUSSING WHAT THEY’VE LEARNT FROM THE PLAY: Discussing the ending…

Why is it important to tell someone if you’re worried?

– When is it ok to question power?

– How can you support your friends?

– Have they heard the quote “With power comes great responsibility” (Originally Voltaire, but they might know it from Spider-Man!). What does this mean? What does it mean in relation to the Bureaucrat?

Why does theatre exist?

– To share stories or learn about each other and the world

–

To share an emotional journey with other people

– (If your class learnt about Greek theatre, they might talk about that)

To explore dilemmas and consider different solutions

– To make more informed choices

– Because it’s fun!

ACTIVITY STORY RECAP

TIME: 25 – 30 minutes

RESOURCES: Space to devise in groups

SUBJECT AREA: Drama, Reading, English, Speaking & Listening

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Create a shared understanding of the story (useful if there are varied levels of knowledge or to include pupils who missed the performance)

LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of the activity, pupils may be able to:

– Summarise material

– Retell key moments of the story through physical performance

– Infer how a character might be feeling

– Interpret other’s physical storytelling

CONTENT:

Freeze Frames: 10 minutes

1. Split the class into groups of between three to five students. TIP – If there are students who didn’t see the play put them into groups of students who did, you might want to give them the simple summary (p. 5)

2. Each group will recap the story and create three to five freeze frames of memorable sections of the play A freeze frame is a frozen image made using our bodies and facial expressions. Question for pupils: What makes a brilliant freeze frame? Clear facial and physical expressions, levels, being frozen, not talking

Sharing: 10 – 15 minutes

1. Each group that wants to perform can show them back to the rest of the class. TIP: Counting down from five to one and shouting ‘Freeze’ supports the structure of the performances and allows time for the groups to move between freeze frames.

2. The class can guess the moments shown from the play or the group can explain what the freeze frames are.

3. Optional extension: Thought tracking - when tapped, students can say a short sentence explaining what they believe their character might be thinking in that moment.

Plenary: 5 minutes

Discussion point: Which moment do students think is the most significant? Why? Or

Task: Teacher to choose a character and children select one adjective they think best describes this character.

ACTIVITY OPINION SCALE

TIME: 25 – 30 minutes (it is easy to adjust the number of questions used)

RESOURCES: Space to move around the room

SUBJECT AREA: Drama, Reading, English, Speaking & Listening

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: To encourage critical thinking (also a simple tool for adults to gauge group and individual responses)

LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of the activity, pupils may be able to:

– Present a debate about key questions in the story

– Justify an opinion using evidence from the story

– Use persuasive language to argue their opinion

– Listen to other views and adjust their opinion

CONTENT:

The class starts in the middle of the room. Label one wall ‘Strongly Agree’, the opposite wall

‘Strongly Disagree’ and the middle is ‘Not Sure’: it’s a sliding scale.

Ask questions (see list below) following this structure:

1. Give a five second countdown to stand somewhere within the scale.

2. ‘Interview’ pupils on why they chose to stand there.

TIP: Children can respond well to an imaginary microphone which can be mimed and passed around.

3. When a few people have spoken, give another five seconds so they can change places if they had their minds changed by anybody’s view.

4. If anyone has changed places they can be ‘interviewed’ about why they moved.

Possible questions (the class can add their own questions)

• Josie and Becca are good friends

• I felt sorry for Josie

• Josie should have asked her mum for help

• Josie should have told someone about the meetings with the Bureaucrat

• Becca should have done more to help

• The Bureaucrat was the bad guy

• The Bureaucrat’s boss is the bad guy

• Josie shouldn’t have kept going to the appointments with the Bureaucrat

• The Bureaucrat should have quit his job sooner

• Josie should never have thrown the pie at the Bureaucrat

Discussion point for plenary: 5 minutes

Why do people have different opinions even though they all saw the same play?

ACTIVITY THE ADVICE FORUM

TIME: 30 – 40 minutes

RESOURCES: Pens & pencils, A4 Paper, 2 Chairs

Questions (below) printed to give to pupils

Written signs saying Art/Advice/Drama to visually label the groups

SUBJECT AREA: Drama, PSHE, English, Art & Design, Listening & Speaking

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Using the play as stimulus to address social concerns

LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of the activity, pupils may be able to:

– Listen, reflect and use empathy to respond to problems

– Develop peer mentorship skills

– Develop inference skills

– Work collaboratively for conflict resolution

CONTENT: Set up – 5 minutes

Split your class into three groups (ideally a teacher or TA will be able to support each group) and give them each an Art/Advice/Drama sign

Explain to the class that they are going to become an ‘Advice Forum’, working together to offer advice to ‘Josie’ and use different ways to communicate it - Art, Verbal Advice and Drama

‘Art’ will draw their response to the question - together as a group, or with one or two people drawing other’s ideas. (This group also need a large piece of paper and pens)

‘Advice’ group will discuss helpful things to say to Josie and how to say them.

‘Drama’ group will create 2-3 freeze frames to demonstrate their advice.

Run activity – 30 minutes (approx.)

1. Select one person to be ‘Josie’ or ‘Joseph’ and give them a question (see list below). Ask them to come into the room and ask the class their question.

2. Each group has 5 minutes to prepare how they would help Josie/Joseph using art, peer advice, or drama/freeze frame. (The Josie/Joseph character could draw how they think their character is feeling while the class are working on advice)

3. Ask each group in turn to show or give their responses – the art and drama groups can describe their responses if helpful. ‘Josie’ or ‘Joseph’ can thank the groups.

4. Switch the group signs around so they are using a new style of advice. Select a new ‘Josie’ or ‘Joseph’, who will come with another question.

5. Run at least three ‘problems’ so each group has a go at different response types – if you have time, you can run all the questions below.

Discussion points for plenary: 5 minutes

In their groups, ask the students to discuss which was their favourite way of giving advice. Was it helpful to have ways of communicating without words? Or

If you had a problem and were unsure what to do, who could you ask for advice? Think about different settings for the children, e.g. school, home etc., and create a list as a class that can be signposted to in later sessions when talking about upsetting situation

Josie/Joseph Questions

• My best friend has started to sit with other people at lunch and it’s made me feel really sad. What could I do?

• A precious item was confiscated from me and it feels really unfair. The adult I would usually choose to speak to is too busy for me to talk to them. What should I do?

• Someone keeps telling me I have to do things and I don’t know why. I feel really confused. What should I do?

• I love dancing, it makes me happy but then I remember not everyone gets to have fun dancing and I feel guilty. What should I do?

• I think I am in trouble for something but I don’t know what it is. I feel really worried about it. What should I do?

• I lost somebody very close to me. I would like to remember them in some way but I’m not sure how. I feel apprehensive. What should I do?

• I have missed some school because of stuff that is happening outside school. I am worried I am falling behind. What should I do?

ACTIVITY MEETING CHARACTERS

TIME: 50 minutes

RESOURCES: Whiteboard, list of character questions (below), space to split into groups and devise, pens and paper

SUBJECT AREA: Drama, Reading, English, Speaking & Listening

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Developing fictional characters and act in role

LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of the activity, pupils may be able to:

– Make informed decisions based on the play

– Improve confidence

– Improve performance and verbal communication

– Develop critical thinking

CONTENT:

Set up: 5 minutes

Recap the characters we meet in the play (Josie, Josie’s friend, The Bureaucrat). Ask the students to think about which other characters we hear about but don’t meet in the play – write list on the whiteboard. (See below for list of unseen characters)

Character Development: 10 minutes

1. Split into groups of 2 - 3 and ask each group to pick an unseen character who it might be useful to hear from.

2. Display the ‘Character Development’ questions (below) on the board. Together each group will discuss answers for the character they have chosen (10 minutes).

Drama and Performance: 30 minutes

1. Groups create a short everyday scene of Josie interacting with their chosen character, making it as normal as possible (i.e. having breakfast). If there are more than two people they can add another character (10 minutes).

2. Each group shows 1 minute of their scene (time this so it doesn’t run over). After each scene they identify who the character was that they chose to add.

3. Set up the ‘Hot Seat’ – a chair is placed in the room. Explain that when someone sits on the ‘Hot Seat’, they need to stay in role as their character while they are interviewed by other people in the class. If they don’t know the answer to a question, they can make it up.

4. Ask the class to choose a character to ‘Hot Seat’ – ideally the person who played this character will be hot seated, but someone else in the group can do it if they don’t want to. The class can ask the character questions: it’s good to start with some easy ones, like their name. Further questions could be from the character development list, or related to the play (i.e. what would you have done if you knew Josie needed help?)

Discussion point for plenary: 5 minutes

Discuss why these character might have not been shown in the version of the play you saw and how it would be different if they were in the play.

Unseen characters

Josie’s mum

Josie’s teacher

The other students Becca sits with The Bureaucrat’s Boss

The shopkeeper

They can add other people who might be in Josie’s life

Character development questions

How old are they?

Where are they from?

What is their favourite colour?

If they were an animal, what would they be?

What is their favourite food?

What items might you find in their pockets?

What is their favourite thing to do on a Friday night?

Who inspires them?

What is their biggest secret?

What would their dream job be?

What are they scared of?

What do they spend the majority of their time doing?

Are there any particular words they use regularly?

What is their biggest disappointment?

What is the piece of clothing they wear the most?

What is their name?

How do they feel about a certain situation from the play?

OPTIONAL EXTENSION – WRITING ACTIVITY:

Write a letter to a character from the story. What would you advise them, ask them or talk to them about?

Or

Write a diary entry as a character from the story.

ACTIVITY FINDING CLOSURE

TIME: 30 minutes (+ optional 15 minute Human Rights extension activity)

RESOURCES: A4 Paper, Pens and Pencils

SUBJECT AREA: Reading, English Language

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Write an ending to the play and consider social lessons

LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of the activity, pupils may be able to:

– Create/continue a story using known information

– Make predictions using known information

– Reflect on the importance of closure

VOCABULARY: Closure – Finding a clear ending. Saying goodbye to what was and hello to what may be next. Closure supports regulation, attachment, and development and is particularly useful in supporting anxiety – allows pupils to consider their own relationship to endings.

CONTENT:

Set up: 10 minutes

1. Recap how the play ends (from memory or see synopsis on p. 5)

2. Together, create a list of possible theories about what happened in the play (e.g. Who was the bureaucrat? What did Josie do?)

If your class haven’t already done this, it may help to spend an extra 5 minutes discussing why the play is unresolved (see Optional extra questions on p. 6)

Writing Activity: 20 minutes

1. Ask pupils to write what they think happens next? (This could be in first or third person)

Prompts: Does Josie tell someone? Do we find out who the Bureaucrat was working for? What happens in the future for Josie?

2. Ask a few pupils to share brief summaries of what they have written.

Discussion point for plenary

Is it important to get closure in real life? Why?

OPTIONAL EXTENSION ACTIVITY (15 MINUTES):

This is for pupils who are familiar with the UNCRC – if pupils are not familiar with this you may need longer.

United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child - Article 40: Your rights if you are accused of breaking the law.

1. Discuss this with your class – there is a simplified explanation here

2. What do they think about Josie’s experience in the play – were her rights respected? What can we do if our rights aren’t being protected?

APPENDIX

TIPS – USEFUL TOOLS FOR DEEPER CONVERSATIONS

The activities in this section were used during our workshops developing the content of this pack –but they are a useful ongoing resource. In Drama workshops we regularly use check-ins as it’s a good way to read how a group is responding, quickly and simply. They can be especially useful if you’re unsure how someone is doing.

CHECK IN CIRCLE

– Everyone makes a circle. Each take it in turns to share a word and action for how they are feeling.

– The group repeat back the word and action, then move to the next person.

– Options:

– Your name and a feeling (this can be any word, give examples like ‘happy’, ‘tired’, ‘calm’, ‘bored’, ‘sad’, ‘inspired’, ‘overwhelmed’)

– Sound and a movement

– Name and a colour

– Name and a weather state

Teacher note – this allows them to simply express how they are feeling and then move on, you don’t need to follow up unless you’re concerned about anyone.

COOL DOWN, 10 SECOND SHOWER

A simple way to move on from something

Everyone puts their hands in the air and make ‘rain movements’ with their fingers. Then they use their rain fingers to shower or wash all of the day’s activities off by moving their hands from their head to their toes and back – first for a count of 10 seconds, then 5, then 3, then 1. Once we have realised how tough it is to wash all the activities off in 1 second, we’ll go back to 10 seconds which now feels like a really nice amount of time!

HAND SYMBOLS

Our team have found this an incredibly useful technique to gauge how children are responding. Adults in the room can look out for how each student is getting on. It is particularly useful for whole group discussions.

There are three hand symbols to respond to information and peer responses, they are all nonverbal communication so no sounds should be made with them.

Agree – If you agree with something your classmate has said, tap your hand on your opposite shoulder as if giving yourself (or the person speaking) a pat on the back.

Build On – If you want to build on a point someone else has made you can make fists with both your hands and put one on top of the other, gently tapping them together

Respectfully Disagree – If you disagree with a point another person has made you can make fists and rub them together.

Making these symbols isn’t the same as putting up a hand to speak, but a way to express how you are feeling. If a pupil has made this hand symbol you can choose to invite them to share if it feels appropriate.

EMOTIONS BOARD & CHILL ZONE CREATION

This was suggested by one of our young Creative Associates and we have found it an incredibly useful tool. You might already have a similar space at school (see Zones of Regulation), but if not you might want to work with this or adapt it for your classroom. We realise that a space like this needs to not become a disruption from teaching, so you might decide to only use it during certain activities.

PURPOSE: Provides agency to express emotion safely, improving emotional literacy, supporting wellbeing and mental health. It gives permission to take ‘time out’ and creates clearer communication between children, adults and peers.

RESOURCES: Space or corner of room, Blue tac, paper, colouring pens. Optional – items to make the corner of the room cosy.

CONTENT:

1. The children and teacher identify a safe space in the classroom which can be turned into a chill zone. (If space is limited this could be small, just a chair or bean bag).

2. They name the space and think about things they want to put in it to make it comfortable and nice to chill out in. This can be a space where they talk to someone about something or a space to be calm and quiet.

3. On the wall they add an ‘Emotions Board’ – this is a list of emotions created by the students, all things they might be feeling.

4. Each student can design their own sticky note or name tag to place next to the board.

5. If a child decides to go to the ‘chill zone’ they can move their name tag next to the emotion they are feeling (this helps an adult or their peers to understand and support them). It’s of course important that an adult in the room is able to check in with them, they may quickly be fine to return to the activity or need a little more time – this space really helps with self-regulation.

ZONES OF REGULATION

This display is a simple tool is often used in classrooms. It should have 4 zones that represent the following emotions:

Green – relaxed, productive, happy

Yellow – anxious, tired, silly

Blue – sad, unwell

Red – aggressive, out of control, angry

Students can move their names or photos to a zone depending on which colour they are feeling. This is particularly useful for children who are sometimes unable to word exactly which emotion they are feeling.

APPENDIX WHEN CHILDREN NEED EXTRA SUPPORT

As teachers, you will be well versed in safeguarding and experienced in identifying and responding to wellbeing concerns. You might have some children you are aware of and will look out for based on the themes of this play. It’s also possible there will be children you don’t expect for whom this might raise difficult feelings.

Many children won’t be overly impacted by Josie’s story, simply enjoying the humour and drama of the play. For some it will resonate, and for others, it may sit uncomfortably but they might not understand why. The Trial of Josie K explores difficult conversations between adults and children and the power associated with those conversations, and we expect this might impact more children in 2022 than before the pandemic.

These are some quick reminders for you and your classroom team:

What to do if a child clearly communicates being upset:

• Invite them to a separate place (chill zone or quiet place and room)

• Give them space to self regulate first.

Ask what they need?

– To sit out/sit quietly until they are ready to rejoin

– Would they like to write or draw?

– Do they need to talk to an adult?

• Follow your school’s wellbeing guidelines and safeguarding policy

What to do if you suspect a child is upset but they haven’t reached out:

• You could see if any of the activities in this pack might give them the opportunity to express themselves or process their response.

• Co-regulation supports self-regulation, so an adult standing or sitting next to the child while the activity continues may be useful.

• Sometimes offering a shift in activity or even physical position in the room will be enough: everyone swapping places in a circle, or responding with drawing or writing instead of talking.

Other places for wellbeing support:

Your first step will always be your school Designated Safeguarding Officer. You may also find useful information here:

• www.youngminds.org.uk

• www.place2be.org.uk/our-services – or your school’s talk or arts therapy services

• www.kooth.com – an online mental health community for young people

THE TRIAL OF JOSIE K

Resource pack

and edited by Unicorn Theatre with Gabrielle MacPherson, Agape Drama Therapy, Thea Medland, Unicorn Creative Associates

With thanks to Theatre Royal Stratford East

COMING SOON THE INVISIBLE MAN

SUN 28 MAY – SUN 18 JUN 2023

FOR YEARS 1 - 6