Description

Great Artists Assembly – Key Stage I

Great Artists Assembly. This script is one of the Famous People Series based on the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements, comparing aspects of life in different periods. This list of ‘greats’ includes:

• • • Queens –  Elizabeth I and Victoria (now available)
    • Explorers – Christopher Columbus and Neil Armstrong
    • Inventors – William Caxton and Tim Berners-Lee
    • Painters –  Pieter Bruegel the Elder and LS Lowry (as per this script)
    • Women:          (i) In Civil Rights – Rosa Parks and Emily Davison &

(ii) Nurses – Mary Seacole and/or Florence Nightingale and Edith       Cavell (now available)

The choice of these individuals has obviously been driven by National Curriculum ‘suggestions’. I am happy to write on alternative individuals, as per my ‘write on request’ service – so please drop me a line on sue@oldsite.plays-r-ussell.com if you need a script that has not yet been written!

Bruegel and Lowry Script

(As explained above, I am happy to write an alternative script for different painters should teachers decide to go with a different choice e.g. Vincent Van Gogh – just drop me a line on sue@oldsite.plays-r-ussell.com)

Cast Size – 30 – easily adaptable up or down

Duration – around 10 – 15 minutes depending on time spent on children’s own artwork. (There is a section of the script dedicated to children showing and describing their own work – this section can be omitted thus reducing duration to around 5 – 10 minutes)

Great Artists Assembly Sample Script

(Narrator walks over to Bruegel and Lowry and admires their work)

Narrator:         Wow! What amazing works of art!

Bruegel:          You think so? This one’s called Peasant Wedding Feast.

(Narrator holds painting up, showing both cast and audience)

Child 11:         (To Bruegel) Oh, Miss (pointing at Teacher) told us that was one of your most famous ones!

Bruegel:          And did Miss tell you how I got to paint it?

(Whole class shakes their head; Teacher looks a little uncomfortable)

Bruegel:          Oh well! Let me tell you now! I had to disguise myself as a peasant

Child 12:         Why?

Bruegel:          Oh so that I could see what it was like …. being a peasant!

Child 13:         And what was it like – being a peasant?

Bruegel:          Well, I try to show that in my paintings.

Teacher:          You see, children. Up to this time, only kings and queens and people with lots of money were painted.

Narrator:         Lucky for us Bruegel came along – and showed us how the poor people lived!

(Bruegel goes back to work at his easel)

(Lowry looks up from his work, and stands up)

Lowry:             So did I!

Narrator:         Pardon?

Lowry:             I also showed what it was like to be a worker!

(Narrator walks over and holds up Lowry painting, to show cast and audience)

Child 14:         (To Teacher) That’s like the pictures you showed us, Miss!

Teacher:          Quite so!

Child 15:         They show us how people lived in the industrial cities of England.

Child 16:         Smoking factories

Child 17:         Long streets

Child 18:         Long people!

Narrator:         Pardon?

Child 19:         Oh, he means – the people look a bit like matchstick men!

Lowry:             (Laughing) That was my style!