1

2

This resource pack should prepare you as a drama facilitator to lead a workshop based on

exercises derived from the script of Medal in the Drawer. Perhaps you’re a drama teacher who

took their class to see the production, or a community worker who thinks drama would be a

great activity for your young participants.

This pack will give you background

information on the production, a list of

props and songs that were used, as well as a

detailed guide on applied theatre exercises

that utilize the script. Using these exercises

you can not only prepare your students or

participants to perform scenes from Medal

in the Drawer, but you can also learn how to

devise your own dramatic scenes and

scenarios by using the techniques and exercises detailed in this resource pack.

The exercises will illuminate characters motivations,

thoughts and feelings and will get your participants

thinking creatively when they experiment with different

outcomes in various scenes. The techniques will allow

your participants to test drive solutions in oppressive

scenarios whilst also coming to terms with the

implications of the text. In order to gain the full benefit of

the exercises your participants can take part in

“Research Tasks” to further their own understanding of

the history of Ireland in the early days of the 20th

century. The learning of the history will go hand in hand

with the exercises that further your participants

understanding of the conflict that the characters endured

in Medal in the Drawer.

3

Home Rule was the name given to the process of allowing Ireland more say in how it was

governed – freeing them from the rule of London and thus appeasing those in Ireland who

wanted Ireland to have more home derived power.1

Unionists believed that to preserve their membership of the British nation they had a right to

threaten loyalist rebellion. Edward Carson, leader of the opposition to Home Rule, declared that

‘if it be treason to love your King, to try and save your Constitution, to preserve your birthright,

and your civil and religious liberty, then I glory in being a traitor.’2

The looming civil war was interrupted however with the assassination of Archduke Franz

Ferdinand, and the commencement of the First World War.

Ireland’s contribution to the First World War was significant, with perhaps close to a quarter of

a million men and women from the island serving between 1914 and 1918.

In the four years and three months of fighting, at least 35,000 Irishmen, most in the prime of life,

died on battlefields across the world.

The sacrifices if the 1914-18 war and particularly those on the Somme have never been

forgotten in Northern Ireland. However, due to the upheaval in the Republic of Ireland’s

creation, many nationalist veterans found their actions ignored by their fellow countrymen.

Seen as having fought for the British Crown, veterans found themselves isolated in a country

which was struggling with the domestic and political difficulties which come with

independence. 3

All soldiers from the island were volunteers, as there was no conscription in Ireland.4

1 Historylearningsite.co.uk, Home Rule and Ireland, (2013)

<http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/home_rule_and_ireland.htm> 2 Thomas Hennessey, A History of Northern Ireland 1920-1996, (Dublin: Gill and Macmillan, 1997) pg 1-3

3 Steven Moore, The Irish on the Somme, (Belfast: LOCAL PRESS LTD, 2005) pg. 9-10

4 Ibid pg.11

4

Rifleman William Kerr. Killed in Action, 16th August 1917

As a child in the 1950s I was always fascinated by a plaque that hung in the hallway of our

Andersonstown home. It was a wooden shield, the sort that is given out for victory on the

football pitch, and in the centre was a round brass disc which looked like a large penny. It was

inscribed with the name of ‘William Kerr’. When asked, my mother told me that it was a medal

that her uncle had received for fighting in the First World War. Her father had given it to her

because in all of the Kerr family of twelve children, she was the one who polished it. No one in

her family had talked much about him. Indeed in the 1970s in West Belfast not very many

people talked freely about family connections with the British Army. In the course of time the

medal, which I now know to be the ‘Death Penny’, issued to the families of all those who

perished in the First World War, passed to me and hung in my hallway, a link with the past that

became more and more important as in turn each of my mother’s sisters and brothers, bar one,

passed away.

Eighteen months ago it was suggested to me that I write a new play for the centenary of the

First World War. I knew comparatively little about that conflict beyond ‘the lions led by

donkeys’ cliché, the war poets and, of course, Frank McGuiness’s master-piece, ‘Observe the

Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme.’ I knew about the pity of it all but very little about

the involvement of Irishmen, north and south, in the conflict. But I did know about Uncle Willie

and I wanted to know more.

In the past year the research process for this play has been like a crash course in the

contribution of Irishmen, loyalist and nationalist, to the First World War. Whilst the play is

underpinned by historical detail gleaned from academic sources, it is inspired by the personal

stories I encountered in archives, diaries and from the families whose great grand- fathers and

great-uncles appear in the play. I am indebted to Mrs Jean Lamb who first told me that my

Great-Uncle Willie went to War with her uncle, Herbie McBratney, and other young men who

used to gather round a shop at the top of Forthriver Gardens on the Springfield Road. I also offer

thanks to Judith Blair who provided details about the life and death of her Great-Uncle, Tom

Martin. My cousin Deirdre Brennan has been an invaluable support in pointing me towards the

stories of her grand-father and great-uncle, Robert and Michael Brennan. My own search for

Willie has yielded tantalising fragments of information which raise as many questions as they

answer. I was able to trace his war journey by following the movements and engagements of his

regiment, the 14th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, throughout the course of the war. A trip to

5

Lijssenhoek Military Cemetery in Belgium where he is buried provided more information.

However, the central dynamic of this play was suggested by the fact that in the midst of the

Home Rule Crises, a time of great unrest between Nationalists and Unionists in Ireland, William

Kerr, a West Belfast Catholic, chose to join Carson’s predominantly Unionist 36th Ulster

Division, instead of one of the Irish regiments… And thereby hangs the tale.

Willie Kerr and Tom Martin were real persons, that much we know for certain. They lived two

doors away from each other in Forthriver Gardens. We know they were in the same battalion

and company. It is highly likely that they were friends. Tom’s death in a trench collapse in the

lead up to the Somme is well documented. As for Willie, I was able to ascertain that he was

killed near St Julien during the battle of Langemarck and that he was dead on arrival at Remy

Siding Field Hospital. There were so many deaths that day that records were sparse.

Consequently I could only guess how he might have died as suggested by the facts that are

known. Gerry Brennan and Ernie Brady are entirely fictional characters but based upon the

experiences of real people. The job of the historical dramatist, as opposed to that of the

historian, is to mould , lovingly and respectfully, the flesh of the imagination on to the bones of

the facts. This is what I have tried to do. For me the act of writing and directing Medal in the

Drawer has been a reclamation of my family history which has never been properly

commemorated. What you will see tonight seeks to rectify that situation.

Brenda Winter-Palmer

6

Before starting your workshop with the exercises detailed below, you may want to warm up

your drama class or community group with these basic drama based games. The games should

prepare your participants for movement and dialogue, and get them comfortable in an applied

theatre environment.

This warm game is most ideal with a group of 5 or more players, and

you as a drama facilitator should feel free to join in. Get your participants to stand in a circle.

Instruct each player to silently label two other players: one as a bomb and another as a shield.

The facilitator yells “Go!” and the participants are to move around the room, and try to keep

their shield between them and their bomb. You as a facilitator can pause the game at any time,

and instruct the players to switch their bombs and shields, before resuming. When the game is

called to an end, you can ask your participants who survived.

This game has an unlimited number of players. Ask for a volunteer to be

your first player. The first player must go on stage and become part of a moving object or

machine, making a repetitive motion or sound. Instruct your participants to join onto the first

player and create another part of machine with a different movement and sound. They can join

whenever they feel like, and there is no right or wrong way to be part of the machine. When

everyone has taken their place in the machine, you can instruct your participants to alter their

behaviour. Ask them to do their motions and sounds in reverse. Tell them the machine is

speeding up and getting “Hot”, or that it’s slowing down and getting “Cold.”

5 Beat by beat, Bomb and Shield, (2013, Beat by Beat press) http://www.bbbpress.com/2013/11/drama-game-

bomb-and-shield/ 6 Viola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater, (Illionois: Northwestern University Press, 1999) pg. 64

7

Using a chair or table, pair your participants into groups of three. Your

participants must improvise a scene whilst having each one sitting, standing or leaning. Give

your participants a topic or scenario e.g. A doctor’s office, and have them act the scene out for a

few minutes. The catch is that if one player changes position in the scene, the other two must

change to make sure there is always one sitting, standing or leaning.

Ask you participants for a volunteer to play. The player must sell or

demonstrate something as if they are a salesman. Have your other participants/audience

suggest things for them to sell e.g. a shoe, a school bag. Or, in keeping with the themes of Medal

in the Drawer, have them play a recruitment officer for the army. The point of the game is to be a

convincing salesman and retain a connection to the audience using their voice or eye contact.

Have your participant’s research recruitment posters, from Ireland

during the First World War before trying this warm up.

7 Stuffforactors, “Stand, Sit, Kneel” Improv Game, http://stuffforactors.com/gpage.html

8 Viola Spolin, Theater Games for the Classroom: A Teacher’s Handbook, (Illinois: Northwestern University

Press, 1986) pg. 173

8

Rainbow of Desire is a group process. It primarily involves the telling of stories, or the

performance of a scene within a group. The story or scene is provided by the group members or

based on a text chosen by the facilitator, and the stories usually involve an unresolved conflict

between the storyteller and an oppressor such as a boss, a friend, a lover or a parent.9

For the purpose of illustrating these techniques, this guide has utilized specific scenes from

Medal in the Drawer for demonstration. These exercises can also use scenarios suggested by

your participants or students.

“Stop and Think” is an applied theatre exercise that is useful for revealing a character’s

motivations, and also for highlighting an oppressed individual’s thoughts and feelings in a

situation of conflict.

: Have your participants research the Young Citizens Volunteers,

and life in early 20th century Belfast before starting this exercise.

For this exercise your workshop participants can suggest a conflict scenario or you can use a

scene from Medal in the Drawer that involves multiple characters in a conflicting scene. In this

instance we’ll use the scene in the Martin’s shop, where Willie Kerr is trying to convince his

mother to let him join the YCV.

As the Drama Facilitator ask your participants for two volunteers to play the roles of Willie Kerr

and Jane Kerr, his mother. Have them read through the following scene.

Willie: Tom, ye know there is nothing I want more than to join the YCV. When I finished

schooling I begged my Da to let me join the army. He wouldn’t hear of it. Said one of m’

mother’s Bell cousins could speak for me and get me a start in Mackies. I’d be set up

9 Robert J. Landy and David T. Montgomery, Theatre for Change, (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012) pg. 179

10 Augusto Boal, The Rainbow of Desire, (London: Routledge, 1995) pg. 61

9

then. And I was – for a lifetime! I hate it, Tom- the stink, the noise, the heat! This Young

Citizens business is something I can put my heart and soul into- I want to be part of it.

Jane: So this is where you are Willie Kerr. C’mon home now.

Willie: Ay I’m comin’ now, Ma…

Jane: I said now…

Willie: Ye can wait a minute

Jane: And you can take that long sufferin’ look off your face. I am fed up seeing you

droopin’ round the house like a wet weekend.

Willie: Give over Ma…

Jane: I told you Willie this Citizen Volunteer nonsense is not for the likes of us.

Willie: You mean Catholics.

Jane: No!

Willie: O, I know… What would Father Toner think? You’re a bigot, Ma!

Jane: How can you accuse me of that? Some of my own people are Protestants.

Willie: You’ve long forgotten your Presbyterian Bell blood, Ma. You’re more Fenian

now than the Fenians themselves.

Jane: Oh, Willie… Look it’s all very well for the Martins with the rough ness of money

they have

Willie: It’s not the money. It’s because I’m the youngest boy you wanna wrap me in

cotton wool. Well, I’m no Mammy’s boy and you can’t keep me locked up forever. I’m

staying where I am. I don’t want no dinner.

Jane: Willie!

When your volunteers have read and understood the scene, prepare them to read it again.

Except, on this second read through, you as a Drama facilitator will call out “Stop!” and they will

pause the scene.

You then ask one of them to speak aloud any thoughts their character are having at that time.

e.g. You ask them stop when Willie suggests that his mother has long forgotten her

10

“Presbyterian Bell blood.” Then you ask the participant playing Willie to speak aloud any

thoughts he is having at that time. He might say “I really want to join the YCV” or “My mother is

being unfair.” There is no right or wrong answer. This exercise can be applied to multiple scenes

to expose a characters motivation at any one time.

You can then resume the scene and pause again to ask Jane what her thoughts are at that

moment. Remind your participants that they don’t need to state what is happening in the scene,

just thoughts that there character could be having at that time. Answers such as “I hope dinner

doesn’t burn” or “I’ll have to scrounge extra money this week” are completely acceptable

thoughts. Spontaneity and attention are key to this exercise.

When the scene is finished or your actors have stated as many thoughts as they can, ask your

audience and participants how they feel about the characters now. Ask if the discovered

anything new about the motivations of Willie and Jane.

11

Forum theatre is an exercise in which audience members become “spect-actors” and are given

the chance to change what happens in an improvised scenario, by implementing their own

ideas. This exercise is typically used for trouble shooting different actions that an oppressed

individual can undertake.

When creating your own drama, your participants can suggest their own scenarios from their

own experiences or ideas, but in this instance we can use a scenario from the script of Medal in

the Drawer.

: Have your participants do some research into the history of Home

Rule and Edward Carson before implementing this exercise.

The scenario you’ll be using comes from the third scene of the play, where Ernie, Tom and Willie

have enlisted into the Young Citizens Volunteers. The third Home Rule bill has just been passed

into the House of Commons, and civil war is about to break out. Willie Kerr is conflicted

between fighting with his childhood friends in YCV to keep Ireland within the Union, or joining

up with the Irish Nationalist Volunteers and fighting for Home Rule.

Ask for four volunteers to play the roles of:

Gerry Brennan, who represents the INV and motive for Home Rule

Tom Martin, Willie’s childhood friend and supporter of the Union

Jane Kerr, Willie’s mother who would rather he stay out of violent conflict and remain

with his own kind

Willie Kerr, the young Catholic who has joined up with the YCV and is conflicted

between fighting with his friends for the Union, leaving to support Home Rule or leaving

the violent conflict entirely.

Have your participants start the scene with the following dialogue:

Gerry: And you Willy Kerr? What about you? Are you going to parade in front

of Carson with fellow chocolate soldiers?

Willie: I … I dunno!

Tom: Willie! Remember! Soldiers together- like we planned!

11

Augusto Boal, The Rainbow of Desire, (London: Routledge, 1995) pg. 63

12

Jane: Willie! Remember who you are! Remember where you belong!

Tom: Willie…

Willie: I know who I am Ma! I know where I belong…

The first participant playing Willie at this point will begin the improvised portion of the scene,

choosing one of the outcomes available or inventing a totally different one and trying to

rationalise their choice to the other actors in the scene who can try and convince him to choose

their option.

At any time during the improvisation a member of your audience may yell “Stop!” if they have

an idea as to how the scene could play out differently. That audience member then takes the

place of Willie Kerr and by improvising the scene they implement their idea or scenario. This

can continue for as long as audience members are willing to suggest ideas. If the improvised

scene seems to be reaching a natural conclusion, as the Drama facilitator you can pause the

scene and ask the volunteer stepping in for Willie how they felt trying out their scenario. You

can follow this up by asking for further volunteers from your audience.

Without radically changing the characters views or opinions, audience members can yell “Stop!”

and take the place of the Gerry, Tom or Jane in the scenario as well.

This exercise is very effective when devising drama as it allows your group to explore the

outcomes of various scenes that aren’t initially obvious.

13

This technique involves the multiple emotions, motives or actions that populate a person or

characters head, and the internal thought process that leads to a decision in times of conflict.

: Before starting this exercise, have your participants research

Trench Warfare, the Battle of the Somme and Desertion from the army.

To perform this exercise you can use any scene within the script in which a conflict or

oppression takes place. In this scene the character Ernie is lamenting for his friend Tom and

talking about his emotions before zero hour at the Battle of the Somme. He is conflicted because

he has joined the army without knowing the true horrors of warfare, and must take part in a

battle when he would much rather be at home.

Ernie: Can ye hear m’heart, Tom, for I swear to God its near jumpin’ out of my

chest. I bet ye the fella next to me can hear it. Or maybe it’s heart I’m hearing!

… Ye know, it was you that was the lucky one, getting’ smited all of a sudden

like. For now you don’t have to sit like a baitin docket just waitin’ for it. Dear

Jesus, any fella that went through the hell of the Somme knows what’s in front

of him. And… I dread it, Tom. I dread it…

It’s not so much going for m’tea that bothers me, cos there’s times I think a

nice clean bullet in the head wouldn’t be the worst thing that could happen. It

would be all peaceful, I think! Like lying in the Hatchet Field listening to the

bells ringing out over Belfast, lettin’ all the Ma’s know it’s time for the Sunday

evening service. Nah it’s the fear of getting’ wounded and being left lyin’ on

your own out in No Man’s Land that near puts my head away. Cos I’ve heard

the poor bastards trapped out there wi’ their guts hanging out screaming for

someone to come and put them out of their agony…

Using the above dialogue, have one of your participants play Ernie and have them perform the

monologue. When he is finished ask the actor playing Ernie to name any feelings that stick out

during the scene. Ask any other participants playing the role of the audience to name some

emotions or thoughts that they think Ernie might be having in this scene. E.g. fear, home

sickness, anger. There are no right or wrong answers to this.

12

Augusto Boal, The Rainbow of Desire, (London: Routledge, 1995) pg. 64

14

Take of one these emotions for example “Fear” and ask your audience to suggest actions that

Ernie can take to cope with his fear of battle. After you get say three or four suggestions for how

Ernie might deal with his fear, ask for volunteers to play the emotions in Ernie’s head. E.g. have

an audience member act out Ernie’s rationale for desertion. That participant would then need to

invent reasons to convince Ernie to desert.

If you have a range of solutions, and enough volunteers to act out those solutions have them

stand around the room in relation to how likely Ernie is to choose that solution. Closer if he’s

more likely to choose the option, and further away if he’s least likely. E.g. The participant

playing “Stay and fight” might stay close to Ernie, while the participant playing “Desertion”

would stand far away but still in the performance space.

Finally, have all participants playing Ernie’s solutions surround Ernie in a circle, and while

slowly walking around him, have your participants try and convince him to choose them as a

solution. If the actor playing Ernie thinks that that “voice” isn’t convincing and thus not a viable

solution, Ernie will tap them and they will leave the circle and be silent. Do this until only one

voice and thus only one solution remains.

The solution your participants come to might not be what happens in the play, but that doesn’t

mean it’s wrong. This exercise is very useful for highlighting the emotions a character or person

faces when in a conflict or position of oppression, and in Medal in the Drawer it can expose a

characters motivations and options in various scenes.

15

Tin Can

Skipping Rope

Marbles

Covenant Page/Union Jack

Hammer and Chisel

Scarf

Projector/Magic Lantern

Headstones

Sweet Jar

Bag of game

Coins and notes

Ball of wool

Needles

Drums

Masks

Cases for Guns

Rifles

Scarf

2 Drums

Guns

Mini Union Jack

Black Bouquet of flowers

Scarf

Map

16

Bible

Rosary Beads

Bench

Blanket

Carving Knife

Irish tricolour

Green flag with Harp, disguised as Coverlet

Guns

Telegram

Vase of flowers

Bike

Telegrams

Photograph

5 flowers

3 Blankets

Bench

Stretch

Doxy Mask

Head Stones

17

“I Didn’t Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier” by Morton Harvey

Ten million soldiers to the war have gone,

Who may never return again.

Ten million mothers' hearts must break,

For the ones who died in vain.

Head bowed down in sorrowin her lonely years,

I heard a mother murmur thro' her tears:

Chorus:

I didn’t raise my boy to be a soldier,

I brought him up to be my pride and joy,

Who dares to put a musket on his shoulder,

To shoot some other mother’s darling boy?

Let nations arbitrate their future troubles,

It’s time to lay the sword and gun away,

There’d be no war today,

If mothers all would say,

I didn’t raise my boy to be a soldier.

(Chorus)

What victory can cheer a mother’s heart,

When she looks at her blighted home?

What victory can bring her back,

All she cared to call her own?

Let each mother answer in the year to

be,

Remember that my boy belongs to me!

(Chorus)

18

“I Dreamt I Slept in Marble Halls” by Michael Balfe, performed by Julie Bishop

I dreamt that I dwelt in marble halls,

With vassals and serfs at my side,

And of all who assembled within those walls,

That I was the hope and the pride.

I had riches too great to count, could boast

Of a high ancestral name;

But I also dreamt, which pleased me most,

That you lov'd me still the same...

That you lov'd me, you lov'd me still the same,

That you lov'd me, you lov'd me still the same.

I dreamt that suitors sought my hand;

That knights upon bended knee,

And with vows no maiden heart could withstand,

They pledg'd their faith to me;

And I dreamt that one of that noble host

Came forth my hand to claim.

But I also dreamt, which charmed me most,

That you lov'd me still the same...

That you lov'd me, you lov'd me still the same,

That you lov'd me, you lov'd me still the same.

19

“Your King and Country Want You (We don’t want to lose you) by Helen Clarke

Verse 1:

We've watched you playing cricket And every kind of game

At football, golf and polo, You men have made your name,

But now your country calls you To play your part in war,

And no matter what befalls you, We shall love you all the more,

So come and join the forces As your fathers did before.

Refrain (to be sung after each verse):

Oh! we don't want to lose you but we think you ought to go

For your King and Country both need you so;

We shall want you and miss you but with all our might and main

We shall cheer you, thank you, kiss (bless) you When you come back again.

Chorus (to be sung after each refrain):

Oh! we don't want to lose you but we think you ought to go

For your King and Country both need you so;

We shall want you and miss you but with all our might and main

We shall cheer you, thank you, kiss (bless) you When you come back again.

Verse 2:

We want you from all quarters So, help us, South and North

We want you in your thousands, From Falmouth to the Forth,

You'll never find us fail you When you are in distress,

So, answer when we hail you, And let your word be "Yes"

And so your name, in years to come Each mother's son shall bless.

20

Encore Verse:

It's easy for us women (people) To stay at home and shout,

But remember there's a duty To the men who first went out.

The odds against that handful Were nearly four to one,

And we cannot rest until It's man for man, and gun for gun!

And every woman's (body's) duty Is to see that duty done!

21

Marieke-by Elly Stone

Ay, Marieke, Marieke

The Flanders sun burns the sky

Since you are gone

Ay, Marieke, Marieke

In Flanders field the poppies die

Since you are gone

Zonder liefde, warme liefde

Waait de wind de stomme wind

Zonder leifde, warme liefde

Weent de zee de grijze zee

Zonder liefde, warme leifde

Lijdt het licht het donk're licht

En schuurt het zand o ver mijn land

Mijn platte land mijn Vlanderland

Ay, Marieke, Marieke

The stars look down, so soon, so soon

The day is done

Ay, Marieke, Marieke

The Flanders moon won't light your way

The day is done

Zonder liefde, warme liefde

Waait de wind c'est fini

Zonder liefde, warme liefde

Weent de zee déjà fini

Zonder liefde, warme liefde

En schuurt het zand over mijn land

Mijn platte land mijn Vlanderland

Ay, Marieke, Marieke

The bells have rung, the echoes sound

The day is gone

Ay, Marieke, Marieke

In Flanders field the echoes sound

The day is gone

Zonder liefde, warme liefde

Lacht duivel de zwarte duivel

Zonder liefde, warme liefde

Brandt mijn hart mijn oude hart

Zonder lifde, warme liefde

Sterft de zomer de droeve zomer

En schuurt het zand over mijn land

Mijn platte land mijn Vlanderland

Ay, Marieke, Marieke

Come back again, come back again

The day is gone

22

Augusto Boal, The Rainbow of Desire, (London: Routledge, 1995)

Beat by beat, Bomb and Shield, (2013, Beat by Beat press) http://www.bbbpress.com/2013/11/drama-game-bomb-and-shield/

Robert J. Landy and David T. Montgomery, Theatre for Change, (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012)

Viola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater, (Illionois: Northwestern University Press, 1999)

Viola Spolin, Theater Games for the Classroom: A Teacher’s Handbook, (Illinois: Northwestern University Press, 1986)

Stuffforactors, “Stand, Sit, Kneel” Improv Game, http://stuffforactors.com/gpage.html

Historylearningsite.co.uk, Home Rule and Ireland, (2013) <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/home_rule_and_ireland.htm>

Thomas Hennessey, A History of Northern Ireland 1920-1996, (Dublin: Gill and Macmillan, 1997)

Steven Moore, The Irish on the Somme, (Belfast: LOCAL PRESS LTD, 2005)