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EDUCATION PACK

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EDUCATION PACK

Contents:

Introduction and key information

Characters

Zambia and The Luangwa

Poaching in South Luangwa

SLCS, Born Free and High Five

Creative Team

Cast

Production History

Sample Essays

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Introduction Snared is a new play presented in a multimedia style, live action fused with filmed footage and authentic testimony in an issue based drama that is intended to be both shocking and deeply affecting. A bush camp in Africa. A white hunter has been captured by an Anti-Poaching Unit. Bound by his own snares, he is placed on stage with a female environmentalist working with the Anti Poaching Unit. As the hunter desperately pleads for his life, conflicting issues surrounding conservation, population expansion and the impact of commercial tourism are personalised in a presentational mix of edgy, taut drama set against shocking images and film footage interspersed with character interaction that is bleak but also often uncomfortably comic. Key information: Genre – Issue based drama – conservation/population expansion/tourism Style – Mixed media – naturalistic acting set against authentic projected filmed inserts Target audience – universal but particularly appropriate for younger audiences studying Drama, English, Geography, Citizenship Tech/design – naturalistic setting, bush camp in Africa with filmed inserts projected onto a back cloth of “old bed sheets hung between two mopane trees” Rating 12A: occasional strong language and violent images. Running time - 60 minutes Created and produced by Tim Marriott Written by Floyd Toulet Directed by Nicholas Collett Creative Consultant: Manny Mvula Additional material: Alex Mackwood & Oceane Slipper Designed by Sophie Millns Costume by Lucy Tomkins Realisation: Laura Neal Lighting by Paul Turner All AV created by Matt Derbyshire of Smokescreen Visuals (www.smokescreenvisuals.co.uk)

SNARED is produced by Perf@ECT and Smokescreen visuals in partnership with Eastbourne College and The Under Ground Theatre, Eastbourne

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CHARACTERS: RUDI COETZE (Philip Poole)

Single minded. Arrogant. Marginalized. Rudi is a white South African poacher who justifies his actions in ways only he fully understands. A trap was set and sprung and he has finally been apprehended - violently apprehended. Injured and frightened, Rudi has been forced to take cover from a terrifying storm in an isolated bush camp. He must be considered a cornered animal, prepared to do whatever it takes to escape capture. Rudi sees the worst in everyone - including himself. EMILY HART (Suzanne Procter)

Driven. Ambitious. Confident. Emily is a white English woman who operates an under-resourced and over-worked anti poaching unit in Zambia. She has finally captured a poacher who represents everything that is wrong in the environment she works so hard to protect. However, while she may dislike or even hate Rudi, a small part of her may also worry that he is vulnerable to criticsim as a direct result of her actions. The nearby storm and bad weather only hinders her route to civilisation and safety. MANGANI BWEME (Manny Mvula)

Motivated. Committed. Frustrated. Mangani is a black Zambian man who has invested 12 years of his life working as a ranger for Emily's anti poaching unit. He has done everything he understood she wanted him to do - and more. He is intelligent but not educated, likeable but guarded and understands that the environment is crucial to the future of his country. However, frustration and bitterness may be starting to affect his judgement. Mangani is always dealing with the actions of others and could be seen as the personification of Zambia. While Rudi and Emily have the opportunity to escape from the approaching storm, Mangani is ultimately left to face it.

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ZAMBIA AND THE LUANGWA

Background to Zambia: Zambia - acknowledged as the Real Africa - is a large country with a relatively low density of people and a rich wildlife population. Rivers, swamps, lakes and varied vegetation create unique habitats for wildlife. Shaped like a butterfly spreading its wings in the heart of Africa, Zambia is a fascinating and exciting country. Culturally rich, with 73 languages, Zambia's people are its greatest delight. Divided administratively into 9 provinces, it is bordered by Angola to the west, the Democratic Republic of Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north west, Malawi to the east, Mozambique to the south east, Zimbabwe and Botswana to the south and Namibia to the south east. Zambia has 19 National Parks and 34 Game Management Areas comprising approximately 30% of the country. The best known of these is the South Luangwa National Park that forms part of the Great Rift Valley system that bisects the eastern part of the African continent. The impressive Muchinga escarpment forms the western boundary and to the east lies the scenic Luangwa River. Proclaimed in 1972, the total area of the Park is 3500 square miles (9050 sq.km). The perennial Luangwa River, which eventually flows into the Zambezi, meanders along the eastern border, changing courses frequently and creating a series of oxbow lakes that provide water throughout the long dry season and account for the high density of resident mammal and bird species found in the Park. Over 100 mammal species occur in the National Park and surrounding Game Management Area. The diverse an d highly productive woodland and floodplain supports a large and varied population of herbivores, and this in turn supports a large number of carnivores. The common herbivores include impala, puku, common waterbuck, buffalo, greater kudu and bushbuck. Other herbivores that can be seen range from the massive eland to the tiny sharpe's grysbok as well as small numbers of common reedbuck, roan and lichtenstein's Hartebeest. Two sub-species endemic to the valley are Thornicroft's giraffe and cookson's wildebeest - the latter confined mainly to the northern sector of the Park. Crawshay's zebra is a sub-species of the plains or burchell's zebra that is common in the park but it also occurs in southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique.

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The park is home to one of the largest concentrations of hippo in Africa, and the numbers of nile crocodiles is also remarkable. Several mammals, elephant in particular, are comparatively smaller than related species in other parts of Africa.

Pod of hippopotamuses in the park. Hippo, giraffe and impala also fall into this category and the reason for this remains a mystery. On the other hand, Cookson's wildebeest is somewhat larger than other wildebeest. South Luangwa is also characterized by having a large number of elephants born without tusks due to a genetic anomaly, 38% are tuskless. The dramatic increase was the result of heavy poaching, sparing the cows and bulls without tusks. South Luangwa is a paradise for ornithologists and bird enthusiasts and out of Zambia's 700 species of birds, over 450 have been recorded in and around the Park. The area is particularly rich in raptors and includes four species of vulture, various large eagles, smaller goshawks and sparrow hawks and a wide variety of owls including the amazing Pel's fishing Owl, a rare and often difficult to find species. Botanically the park is very rich in tree, shrub and flower species including several interesting orchids that flower at certain times of the year.

Mopane woodland in South Luangwa The park contains a number of archaeological and historic sites such as petrified forests that are approximately 150-250 million years old, as well as several remains of old settlements (pottery shards, colourful Portuguese trading beads and 50 000 year-old stone age tools and sites).

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A History of Poaching in South Luangwa

More than 60% of Zambia's population lives in rural areas and derive their livelihood from the natural resources surrounding them. A countrywide increase in human population has resulted in an increased demand for land and subsequently direct conflict between animals and people. Experience has demonstrated that bush-meat poaching often starts in the villages with local people although it is driven by the wealthier, normally urban population. In the Luangwa Valley, there has been a steady increase in human population in relation to the increase in tourism and potential job opportunities. This has resulted in large development in the Game Management Area and consequently an increase in demand and supply of bush-meat. Increased demand also comes from nearby neighbouring towns and larger cities such as the capital, Lusaka. During the 1970's and 1980's Zambia lost the majority of its elephant population and all of its rhino to poaching. However to date, the elephant population has started increasing as a result of increased and improved law enforcement.

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The honorary rangers system in Zambia has historically supported the former National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS), now the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA). In 1997, ZAWA began its transition from a fully funded government body to a para-statal organization which was accompanied by attendant internal teething problems. With increasing poaching becoming a significant problem, concerned safari operators and individuals saw a need to complement and supplement the work being done by ZAWA, they agreed to fund a handful of scouts who could respond quickly to poaching incidents. Before 2003, SLCS scouts were known as RATZ (Rapid Action Team, Zambia) and worked informally. In July 2003, it became obvious that there was a need to incorporate the RATZ Unit within a legal framework under the ZAWA Act in order to formalize operations. The South Luangwa Conservation Society was thus formed and now works under a Board of Trustees. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed with ZAWA and also with the Kakumbi Community Resource Board with whom the village scouts have a contract of employment. Initially SLCS focused primarily on law enforcement but over the years has identified gaps and a need for certain programs in the area, these include human wildlife conflict mitigation, sensitization campaigns, education and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. Since its registration in 2003, SLCS is now considered an important component for conservation activities in Luangwa.

Snared is set in a bush camp deep in the heart of South Luangwa National Park and aims to raise awareness, recruit members and funds for three major charitable organisations who work in partnership in the region: The South Luangwa Conservation Society, The Born free Foundation and The High Five Club.

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www.sclszambia.org The South Luangwa Conservation Society (SLCS) is a non-profit community based organisation committed to the conservation and preservation of the local wildlife and natural resources in Luangwa and at the same time ensuring and encouraging community development amongst local populations. Set up in 2003, SLCS now plays an important role in conservation within the Luangwa valley. SLCS relies entirely on donations from members and grant applications and ensures 100% of donations goes directly towards conservation activities.

www.bornfree.org.uk

The Born Free Foundation helps fund South Luangwa Conservation Society's (SLCS) anti-poaching and de-snaring activities. From small beginnings, the Born Free Foundation has grown into a global force for wildlife. But a personal passion for wild animals and desire for positive change remain at our heart. Described by The Times as ‘Big enough to make a difference, but small enough to care,’ Born Free is not a big anonymous organisation, but a family of like-minded people who share the same goals. The Foundation works to prevent individual animal suffering,

www.highfiveclub.co.uk

The High Five Club supports the SLCS in their efforts to provide elephant proof granaries in the Mnkhanya area. The High Five Club is a registered charity whose prime source of funding is a group of compassionate individuals who each donate £5 every month to be collectively used to fund a poverty alleviation project in the developing world. Individually, each of us may be unable to afford to make a dramatic impact on the quality of life of people across the globe, but when we join forces, we can make a substantial, positive difference. That is the aim of the High Five Club. To change lives, £5 at a time.

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CREATIVE TEAM Tim Marriott (Producer) Tim Marriott trained at the Webber Douglas after University and had a wide a varied acting career, including seven series of the BBC comedy The Brittas Empire. As a director he was worked as an assistant to a National Theatre director, associate at Theatre Clwyd in north Wales and artistic director of Top Drawer, MMG Theatreworks and HtO Productions. He is currently Director of Drama at Eastbourne College, running three in-house venues. From Eastbourne he has produced a number of professional shows under the banner of Perfatect Productions, including The Six Sided Man with Company Gavin Robertson and Spitfire Solo with Nicholas Collett. His own play about Peter Cook, Pete & Me, played two London theatres, the New End in Hampstead and The Landor Theatre to 5* reviews. Nicholas Collett (Director) Trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School after university. Nicholas is co-founder of Third Party with whom he has, since 1994, performed in and produced 14 tours of classic plays around the UK, Germany and the Lebanon. In 2008/9 they co-produced The False Servant with French company BordCadre, playing in UK, Paris and Northern France. Most recently he completed a run in the title role of 'The Tragicall History of Dr. Faustus' at The New Diorama Theatre, London. Other work includes 'The Hobbit' (Queen's Theatre, West End), The Borrowers (UK No 1 Tour and West Yorkshire Playhouse) and a season for the RSC at the Barbican. He has appeared in repertory in over 40 productions in Ipswich, Jersey, Birmingham, Coventry, Basingstoke and Liverpool. He toured with and was Associate Director of the Medieval Players. As a director of New Farnham Rep he helped to produce their initial season of work in 2000. In between he has directed and played Dame in many pantomimes, appeared in lots of television commercials and several plays on Radio 4. He is currently touring his one man show, Spitfire Solo Floyd Toulet (Writer) Originally from South Africa, Floyd is an experienced advertising and web copy writer and designer. He has written extensively for film and television and is senior writer at Creative Studios. Prior to writing for the stage, he spent eighteen years copywriting for many of London’s premier advertising agencies. As well as commercials for television and radio, Floyd has written scripts for presenters including Paul McKenna and Fiona Bruce. SNARED is the first of a number of productions that Floyd is developing with Tim Marriott.

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CAST

Manny Mvula (Technical consultant also appearing as Mangani) Manny was formerly a Zambian safari guide, Anti-Poaching Unit operative and teacher. Since coming to the UK to study at Manchester University he has worked extensively in education as a senior lecturer in animal management and sustainable tourism. Manny is a founder member of the conservation and poverty alleviation charity The High Five Club (www.highfiveclub.co.uk) and partner in the responsible tourism consultancy (Tribal Voice Communications, www.tribal-voice.co.uk) Suzanne Procter (Emily) Suzanne trained at Hertfordshire Theatre School. Her theatre work includes Regional theatre, several National Tours, various pantomimes and she has also produced and starred in several award winning fringe plays. Other highlights in Suzanne’s varied career include roles in the BBC dramas Jekyll (opposite James Nesbitt), Blackpool (opposite David Morrisey), Casualty and Doctors as well as lead roles in various audio drama series. Philip Poole (Rudi) Philip trained at the Italia Conti and appeared on TV in Thomas and Sarah and was a regular in Grange Hill, progressing out of long trousers and into the Technicolour Dreamcoat as Joseph for Bill Kenwright. West End theatre included the long running 42nd Street before stepping out of theatre for a career break. Phil has recently returned to acting and played the title role in Macbeth for EODS Productions this summer and has recently been filming The City of The Dead with for JumpStart Productions.

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HISTORY OF THE PRODUCTION

Snared began life with an A level Drama class at Eastbourne College Four very able students, Alexander Mackwood, Oceane Slipper, Sophie Millns and Lucy Tomkins, wanted to take on and deliver a dynamic piece of drama which not only would allow them the chance to develop their skills but make a meaningful impression on its audience. Given the group consisted of two actors, a set designer and a costume designer, they needed something that gave them range and scope for all their disciplines to be assessed. During their other studies they had attended a lecture on conservation issues in Africa given by Manny Mvula. This made a lasting impression on them and we began to examine the possibility of staging something that could encapsulate some of the arguments involved whilst remaining theatrically engaging and challenging. Eight weeks later we presented the first 25 minute version of Snared as an A level exam piece. The response from examiner and audience alike was hugely enthusiastic and they achieved full marks and a standing ovation.

It was obvious that this piece had more going for it than most student devised productions, so we began to develop the piece further as a professional piece of theatre. However, it became obvious that we needed expert input so we approached a South African writer, Floyd Toulet to help us. He redrafted the script superbly, lending not just an authentic ‘voice’, professional craft and depth of knowledge, but also rounding and shaping the characters. Several drafts winged their way electronically between us. I also brought in online film maker Matt Derbyshire of Smokescreen Visuals to help us strengthen the visual element, sourcing and filming a variety of ‘inserts’ to draw the audience into the African setting and also provide commentary, atmosphere, factual information and background.

The Under Ground Theatre is a 145 seat theatre under the library in Eastbourne, which hosts a programme of professional music and drama throughout the year. They came on board very early under the enlightened directorship of Jude Gooding and offered to host the first performances. I engaged Phil Poole and Suzanne Procter to play ‘Rudi’ and ‘Emily’ but there was only ever one ‘Mangani’ and the extraordinarily versatile Manny Mvula agreed to play the character who introduces and comments on the play, as well as provide expert guidance on factual and technical matters. Nicholas Collett took on the role of director providing excellent guidance, objectivity, wise counsel and fine detail. The first few performances in September 2012 were tremendously well received and provoked intense discussion at post performance talk backs, which we were able to draw from to further develop the performance for the spring 2013 tour.

Snared has been a tough journey – getting the balance right between drama and documentary, between the various arguments and issues and trying to represent interested parties fairly has been challenging, but we don’t pretend to offer a definitive work – the issues are too complex for that – but we do hope to stimulate discussion, raise awareness and hopefully, recruit new members to the charities whose work we are highlighting.

Further information can be found and feedback left at www.snaredblog.com

Tim Marriott (Producer)

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SAMPLE ESSAY

Explain how two or more performers affected the audience by working together at particular moments in one live production that you have seen and

assess the success of the performers’ collaboration.

I attended Smokescreen Productions’ ‘Snared’ at The Under Ground Theatre, Eastbourne on Thursday 20th September 2012. This issue-based drama was made up of the cast of Philip Poole (playing Rudi), Suzanne Procter (playing Emily) and Manny Mvula (playing Mangani), and explored the arguments surrounding poaching, in particular the use of snares to capture endangered animals. The script itself was conceived by Tim Marriot and written by Floyd Toulet, and used multimedia alongside naturalistic dialogue to powerfully convey an impacting story, with a fierce underlying message.

Throughout the play, the main focus was primarily on Rudi, the captive prisoner, and Emily, the captor, as they verbally wrestle with one another to justify their arguments, for and against hunting. Tempers flare and tension rises, as the play builds to a sudden and dramatic climax, which leaves the audience stunned and forces them to reflect upon the issues at hand, yet perhaps in a way they had never done so before.

The opening scene of the play, and second piece of live action, continues directly after a video (back projection), showcasing a snared elephant calf being killed by a poacher who is subsequently pounced upon by a ranger and a woman, and is a great example of the whole cast working together to affect the audience. The sharp, bright lights rise and seconds later Poole is thrown viciously across the stage by Mvula, who screams at him in high pitched tones, great tension in his voice, and beats him with the butt of the rifle. Procter who is directly behind, gun in hand and visibly distressed, shouts to Mvula “no, not like this, we need him prosecuted…”, This is an incredibly explosive entrance and works immediately in securing the audience’s attention. The loud dynamics were hard-hitting, breaking the silence in the intimate studio space and instantaneously adding a fast pace to the piece, which threw the audience directly into the unfolding scene. This chaotic start, built by the cast created a sudden feeling that the action on stage was now relevant to us, and thus it was effective in isolating the audience from the theatre itself and including us within the panorama. Their ability to work together in this scene was very clear, apparently spontaneously overlapping lines, creating a real sense of urgency and believability, registering violence in sharp choreographed movement and evident trust between them as Mvula kicks the ground hard just beside Poole’s head, with Poole whipping his head back, curving his spine and wailing in instant, perfectly timed response.

The carefully staged blocking of the characters across the small studio space, instantly informed the audience of the sense of a power struggle between all three people. Whilst Poole lay battered at the foot of a tree (stage right), Mvula towered over him, eyes wide and piercing, in accompaniment with the snarling mouth and heavy breathing through the nose. Mvula was obviously incensed and whilst he maintained his threatening presence over Poole, Procter was standing stage left, hiding behind the defence of her handgun, pleading with Mvula for calm. Her staccato movements indicated her distress at this moment and also gave the impression that despite working with the black Zambian ranger, she felt frightened to intervene physically. This collaboration between the three actors, created a picture on stage clearly displaying the

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levels and presence of supremacy at that particular moment. Mvula used his body to showcase the power he had over the life of Poole, and this echoes the question of a poacher’s right to take the lives of animals, endangered or not and introduces one of the central debates over, as Procter’s character Emily put it, “the sanctity of life”.

This creation of an intense and dangerous mood continued to be built as the characters began interacting verbally with one another. The style in which Poole retorted and spat his responses (in a convincing South African accent) to both Mvula and Procter, depicted him early on as having a fighting and ruthless personality like that of a wild animal. In addition, whilst Procter was pleading with Mvula, there was nevertheless a sense of authority and tenacity in her voice that evidently demonstrated her hatred of Poole, and so clearly set out her morals. Mvula spoke with purpose, noticeably louder and very emotively i.e. the slight quivers in his voice, which would cause the audience to ask more about his role later on and question his motives as well.

This early introduction to each character in a state of discomfort and commotion was able to effectively reveal a lot about each character to the audience and the actors portrayed this well in both the physical and verbal qualities. It caused us as an audience to begin to question the ideas and motives of both Poole and Procter in particular, before they were even officially addressed in the play and this made the proceeding events of the play ever more impactful.

The final moments of the play were also incredibly tightly played, the actors working well together in affecting the mindset of the audience, causing them to intently question their own morals and ponder upon the hard-hitting message of this gritty issue-based drama. The closing stages involved Procter standing over a helpless Poole as she placed a gun to his head, her hands trembling erratically as her finger twitched against the trigger. It was as if the whole play had been leading to this moment, and this was emphasised by the low level lighting which had reduced through the play down to a tight circle of attention that ensured the two figures remained the primary focus of the audience. This helped to increase the intensity of the moment, in which the physicalisation and characterisation of both actors clearly demonstrated the balance of power i.e. the victim and the executioner. Procter donned a blank and emotionless stare as she fumbled with the gun in her hands and whilst there was an obvious discomfort about her, there was also a disturbing sense of calm in the way she stood, looming over the back of Poole, of which the audience had not seen before in her character. Poole on the other hand was tense throughout his body, upright on his knees he knelt with his hands bound together, in a position of grovelling, begging for his life. This sombre set up of merciless killing by both actors collaboratively caused the creation of a dilemma for the audience, wrestling with themselves between whom to feel sympathy for, and this greatly contributed to the power of this moment.

As the scene progressed, the build up of tension in the audience was taken further by the dialogue between the two characters. Both actors worked together in exhibiting a convincing emotive performance of which revealed more about their characters and at the same time caused the audience greater discomfort. As Procter presses the pistol to Poole’s temple, the poacher whimpers, “Please don’t do this” and this sudden emotional breakdown in his character was depicted in the way Poole began to sob and then weep violently down towards the ground. It was the first time the audience saw him as being truly vulnerable because despite his predicament his scheming nature had allowed him to manipulate and influence Procter throughout the play. Yet in this moment he is begging for mercy, and his rapid transition from

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apprehension to utter fear was displayed clearly to the audience in the way Poole’s face and body were exposed directly to the audience.

Soon after, Procter unexpectedly lowers the pistol and begins to untie Poole from the tree. At this moment the atmosphere is still extremely intense and it is in such moments where the use of an intimate studio space to stage the production is at its most effective as the audience remained gripped in disbelief at the unfolding events. Poole is dismayed, almost in a dream-like state and Procter then speaks a few sentences. She maintained a reasonably slow tempo to increase the effect of shock felt throughout the audience. She then waited a few moments, prolonging the tension, until she said, “I believe in life, Mr. de Beers. Even yours.” The way in which she delivered the line, with purpose and control, made it resounding for the audience, particularly following the events that happened next.

‘Snared’ ends with Poole viciously attacking and brutally murdering Procter after she releases him and spares his life. He pounces upon her from behind and uses the snare to strangle her ferociously. Poole donned a snaring face with wide, hungry eyes in the moments before attacking and the way in which the two actors collaboratively staged the murder was very effective in that we did not get to see Procter’s face, only the last struggling kicks of her legs, which made the moment sobering and hard-hitting. Once more the trust and control between the two actors was clearly evident making their performance all the more believable and shocking, deeply affecting the audience.