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WW1: Fortune Telling

Fortune Telling during World War 1A KS3 Drama and English lesson

Introduction

With no way of knowing what was happening to their loved ones fighting on the Western Front, there was a huge surge in the number of people visiting fortune tellers during World War 1. Even men in senior military positions went to visit fortune tellers even though the practice was illegal.

In 2017 theatre company Cap-a-Pie made a new show in collaboration with Professor Owen Davies from the University of Hertfordshire. ‘The Important Man’ told the story of the rivalry between ‘Professor Calderon’, a traditional fortune teller, and Charles Bramston who believed that the power of thought could stop bullets. Both characters were inspired by real people – Bramston by Frederick Rawson, author of a pamphlet called ‘Bulletproof Soldiers’ and Calderon by ‘the Great Zaza’ who professed to be Spanish but was in fact a native Londoner. ‘The Important Man’ was made with the help Professor Owen Davies from the History Department at the University of Hertfordshire. Professor Davies researches the belief in witchcraft, magic, ghosts, and popular medicine from the ancient world to the modern era. It was his introduction of primary sources mentioning Rawson and Zaza that started Cap-a-Pie on the road to telling this story in the play.

This lesson will ask your students to make small pieces of work in similar ways to how Cap-a-Pie made the show by using primary source material as a provocation.

Learning Objectives• To learn about the hidden histories of fortune-telling during WW1• To devise pieces of theatre using primary sources• To devise work using object animation

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Introduction

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National GuidanceThe National Curriculum guidance for History and English have been included as we believe the resource covers these areas.

History:Pupils should be taught about: • challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the

present day

English:Spoken English Pupils should be taught to: • speak confidently and effectively, including through: • using Standard English confidently in a range of formal and

informal contexts, including classroom discussion • giving short speeches and presentations, expressing their own

ideas and keeping to the point • participating in formal debates and structured discussions,

summarising and/or building on what has been said • improvising, rehearsing and performing play scripts and poetry

in order to generate language and discuss language use and meaning, using role, intonation, tone, volume, mood, silence, stillness and action to add impact.

Reading Pupils should be taught to: • develop an appreciation and love of reading, and read increasingly

challenging material independently through:• reading a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, including in

particular whole books, short stories, poems and plays with a wide coverage of genres, historical periods, forms and authors. The range will include high-quality works from:

• English literature, both pre-1914 and contemporary, including prose, poetry and drama

DramaDuring the lesson pupils should be taught to:• devise scripts and use drama forms and strategies effectively to

explore and present ideas• explore characterisation through use of masks, costume, props,

puppets and electronic media• evaluate their own and others’ work• explore issues related to Ethical Awareness

National curriculum links KS3

Resources

Fortune-Teller Fined £50A London Magistrate’s Warning

Thomas Morgan, otherwise Professor Melini, described as a psychist, of Edgware Road, London, was yesterday fined by the Marylebone magistrate £50 for professing to tell fortunes so as to impose on the public.

It was stated in evidence that on the accused’s premises were found the usual fortune-teller’s paraphernalia, including a black mirror, a horoscope, a magic wand and fortune-telling cards.

The Magistrate said there was no single thing in the case such as to make any man in his own mind consider that the accused was anything but a charlatan and a humbug. Nothing in the slightest degree bore out what he professed to do.

The Magistrate added that he wished it to be clearly understood that nobody would get off with a fine a second time.

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Newspaper articles

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100 Years HenceA Blackpool Fortune-Teller Fined

Elizabeth Ann Musgrave, known as Madame Vane, was fined £10 at Blackpool, today, for pretending to tell fortunes. In another case she was ordered to pay costs.

A girl spoke to visiting the defendant, who predicted that she would marry when she was twenty-two and have plenty of money.Witness said there were seven other persons waiting for interviews with defendant when she left.

Mr. Robinson, who defended, contended that palmistry was a lawful occupation and said the defendant was also a clairvoyant.Mr. Robinson asked the defendant to give an example of her power in court, but the clerk stopped her.

Defendant said she had told what had taken place in the trenches at the Dardanelles.

Asked to explain the ’Happiness line’ defendant said this had a great deal to do with the ’Line of marriage’.

The Chairman:– Much happens after marriage. Let’s know what happens before marriage. Defendant said by a clairvoyant it was possible to tell what would happen in 100 years. Lord Roberts was mentioned and the Chairman asked:- Can you tell me where he is now? Defendant:- He won’t be very far from the war.

Newspaper articles

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Class discussion 1In pairs, discuss the different ways in which people found out information or news during WW1.

One thing that might or might not come up is fortune-telling which was very popular during the war. Getting news from the Front was very difficult so people wanted to know what had happened and what would happen to their loved ones.

Class discussion 2If you could see someone who could absolutely be able to tell the future, what would you ask them?

Lesson Plan

Starter

Input and Development

Object animationEach student will now choose one object in the room to work with for this exercise. It could be anything* - a chair, a pen, a rucksack – whatever is to hand in the room with them. (*Note: more fragile objects like phones or other electronics may not be ideal).

Spread out in the space, each student will work individually. They will place their object on the ground in front of them, step back and consider the object. The aim of the exercise is to start to invent ways that the object can be used differently. For a few minutes, students will interact with the object and try to find ways they can animate the object to be something that it is not.

Some very basic examples:• A pen being used as a syringe• A rucksack placed under a jumper as a pregnant belly• A football being used as a crystal ball

The key is to not force it. Be gentle with the object – by working with it slowly and looking at its details, it will organically reveal different things to the students.

Ask each student to pick a couple of things that they discovered and show these back to the group.

Devising warm-upThis first exercise asks the students to create still-images with their bodies to represent certain ideas and themes. This will help to build a physical vocabulary for their larger piece later in the lesson.

Divide the class into groups of 4-5 students. Each group will create 3 still-images with the following titles:• Magic• Belief• Fortune-telling

The groups will have 1 minute to create each still-image. Be very strict with the time limits but remind the students that they are not looking to create something ‘perfect’, they just have to create something.

What they are looking to create is an image that has detail, tension and drama. Different levels and using depth can be effective also.

Select a couple of groups to show one of their images. Get feedback from the other students – what is interesting about it? What can they see? How could it be improved?

Give 5 more minutes for each group to hone their images based on what has been said.

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Devising exerciseEven though fortune-telling was very popular during the WW1, it was also illegal.

Give each group one of two pieces of text from a newspaper article written during the WW1 that reports on a court case where a fortune-teller was prosecuted.

Ask a couple of students to read both articles out loud a couple of times. Ask the students to write down any words or ideas that they don’t understand, as well as what sparks for them – what characters, language or situations are interesting to them. Have a discussion where anything not understood can be clarified, and where students can express what they found interesting.

In their groups, they must now make a short piece of theatre. It will be an advertisement for the services of the fortune-teller from their newspaper article (either ‘Madame Vane’ or ’Professor Melini’).

This is what they have in their toolkit to draw from:• Their objects and its different uses• Their 3 images• Information from the newspaper article

Starter

Give each group 5 minutes to think about some more scene ideas for this story about their fortune-teller. It could be as simple the character preparing their studio in the morning; or as dramatic as them being sent to the Front to fight in the war.

How did using the newspaper article (the primary source) help when devising your pieces?

How did it help/hinder you to have very tight boundaries when you were making scenes?

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The piece of theatre must:• Be no longer that 2 minutes• Include at least 1 of their still-images• Include at least 1 of their objects being used in a different way• Have a moment of slow motion• Have a moment of fast motion• Have a moment of suspension• Have some audience participationThey have 15 minutes to create a first draft of their piece.

ShowingGive each group an opportunity to show their first draft. Ask for feedback from the rest of the class and give your own about any changes they could make to improve it.

Re-rehearsalGive the students another 10 minutes to refine what they have made.

Final showingEach group shows their re-rehearsed piece. Ask the audience watching to feed back on the changes that were made from the original version.

Plenary

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Acknowledgements

This lesson plan has been developed by Cap-a-Pie based on research by Professor Owen Davies, University of Hertfordshire. Funded by AHRC and commission by the Centre for Hidden Histories at the University of Nottingham.

This document may be photocopied, shared and used as long as Cap- a- Pie and the University of Nottingham are acknowledged. It may not be sold.

Useful Links and Websites

Cap-a-Pie’s theatre show ‘The Important Man’:cap-a-pie.co.uk/the-important-man

Everyday Lives in War - First World War Engagement Centre:everydaylivesinwar.herts.ac.uk