Teaching English and Drama

The English Literature revision period is a time when knowledge, understanding and appreciation of set plays all come together, and students feel equipped to navigate the whole of a dramatic work with confidence. Yet it can also be a period when the scrutiny of past papers, the memorising of quotations, and intense focus on assessment objectives can drain the pleasure that resides in play-reading. A Methuen Drama Student Edition is the ideal resource for staving off the dip in interest that can come from over-familiarity.

Set play editions provide commentaries by specialists in the field of drama, guaranteeing up-to-the-minute scholarship, closely tailored to the assessment objectives common to all specifications. In addition, expert editors supply explanatory notes on unfamiliar words and phrases in the play-text, some of which will doubtless require revisiting in revision classes. Written in a style that is accessible for the full range of student readers, these introductions cover the major themes, theatrical techniques and production history of the featured play. At the same time, readers are urged to imagine how the play might look, sound and feel to a live audience.

GCSE editions cover the author’s life and work, the major themes, characters and contexts of the play, as well as attending closely to its dramatic language and structure. In those editions tailored to A Level specifications, teachers and students will discover a wealth of material for exploring different interpretations of the play, including carefully selected snippets from theatre reviews, extracts from critical studies and recommendations for further reading. Many editions also feature specially commissioned interviews with the play’s author, providing a unique resource for examining the play through a fresh lens and for sparking new ideas to feed into revision exercises.

Designed to stimulate, inspire and invigorate the student imagination, Methuen Drama Student Editions encourage young readers to develop the informed personal responses that distinguish successful examination answers.

There are over 100 Editions of modern and classic plays, including key English and Drama set text plays, in the series, such as Blood Brothers, A Taste of Honey, A Streetcar Named Desire, Refugee Boy and many more!