Hello, my name is Ms. Grant.

I'm so glad that you've decided to learn with me today.

We're in the modern text first study unit and our modern text is ""Leave Taking"." Today we're gonna consider why this play is considered a classic of the canon, and we're gonna learn what Winsome Pinnock thinks about the relevance of her play when it was first produced in the 1980s and its continuing relevance now.

I'm gonna be your support and guide as we work through today's lesson together.

I can't wait to hear all of your fantastic ideas.

Let's get started.

By the end of today's lesson, you're going to be able to explain the cultural importance of Winsome Pinnock's ""Leave Taking"." When it can consider some words that Winsome Pinnock wrote about her play when she heard that it was going to be revived in 2018.

And we're gonna think about why it was so important in 1987 when it was first written and performed, and why it continues to be relevant today.

There are some key words which are gonna help us unlock our learning today.

They are canon, a collection of influential significant texts each considered representative of their time, period.

Revive.

If you revive a play, you create a new production of it.

Migrate.

When you relocate from one country to another.

Universal.

If something in a text is universal, then audiences regardless of time period or circumstance can relate to it.

Windrush scandal.

When many citizens who had migrated to Britain between 1948 and 1973 were facing deportation under a discriminatory immigration system.

We're gonna reference these key words throughout our lesson and they're gonna help us achieve our objective.

Our lesson outline for today, we're gonna start off by looking at "Leave Taking" why it was so important when it was first produced in 1987.

So it's past and why it continues to be relevant today, it's present.

And in our second learning cycle, we're gonna look at the idea that "Leave Taking" is considered a classic of the canon.

Let's start off with "Leave Taking" past and present.

Here is what Winsome Pinnock said about the most recent revival of "Leave Taking" in 2018.

She wrote, I hadn't read "Leave Taking" for several years when Madani Younis, Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre told me that he wanted to revive the play as part of the theatre's 2018 season.

He said that he and the Bush's creative team considered the play a classic of the canon of work by black British playwrights and they felt it still remained relevant.

Enid's predicament, the plight of many immigrants, regardless of where they come from, caught between two worlds, reaching out for life in a new country, haunted by memories of what she has left behind.

I'd like you to discuss why did Younis want to revive the play? Pause the video and discuss this question using Winsome Pinnock's words to guide your discussion.

Pause the video now.

Beautiful discussions there looking at Pinnock's words about her own play and starting to understand why the revival in 2018 was so important.

So you can see here that Pinnock says, or recalls that Modani Younis said he considered the play a classic of the canon of work by black British playwrights, and that they felt it still remained relevant.

So Younis revived it for two reasons.

First, he considers it part of the canon.

So really important work representative of what was happening in 1980s Britain.

But secondly, he sees the ideas explored as relevant to a 21st century audience too.

So this balance between past and present is what makes "Leave Taking" one of the reasons why "Leave Taking" is such an important play and why Younis wanted to revive it.

Now, he also says that Enid's predicament, the plight of many immigrants regardless of where they come from, caught between two worlds, reaching out for life in a new country, haunted by memories of what she's left behind.

For Younis, that was a really important part of why the play was so relevant to 21st century audiences.

I'd like you to discuss, consider scene one and two of the play.

How does Pinnock establish Younis's predicament of being caught between two worlds? Pause the video and discuss this question now.

Some lovely discussions there showing off your fantastic knowledge of the first two scenes of "Leave Taking" and starting to think, well, how does Pinnock establish Enid's predicament, her difficulty in being caught between two worlds? You might have said the play is set in London, but begins with Enid consulting Mai, an obeah woman.

So it's really nice to think about why is it so important where the play is set, but also how it begins.

So starting to think about some dramatic devices that Pinnock is employing, setting and structure in order to explore Enid's predicament or establishing this predicament that she's caught between two worlds.

So it's set in London, but she's consulting Mai, an obeah woman, which we know is a Caribbean tradition.

So she's thinking about traditions that are found in Jamaica and why that's so important to her.

Now, Enid wants to hide her life in Jamaica from her daughter, but Viv wants to know more.

And lots of you thought about the character of Viv saying, I'd like to visit the West Indies.

Dell doesn't seem so interested, but Enid certainly is not opening up about her life in Jamaica.

Enid is still in contact with her family in Jamaica, and she worries about them.

So the reason that she visits Mai is because she's asking whether her sister is lying about how ill their mother is.

So even though she's in London and she's trying to to establish her life and she tries to hide some of her life in Jamaica from her daughters, her family in Jamaica is still very much on her mind.

Finally, Enid faces racial discrimination making her feel like an outsider even though she's a citizen.

So lots of people referencing the end of scene two where Del becomes incredibly angry with Enid for well, Del believes that she's hiding from the idea that Enid faces racial discrimination and that her daughter's face racial discrimination.

And Enid doesn't seem to want to explore that, whereas Del faces that with a bit more clarity.

And this racial discrimination will make her feel like an outsider even though she's a citizen.

So lots of different ways in which scenes one and two really establish the idea that Enid is caught between two worlds, caught between London, where she's trying to establish her life and Jamaica where she began her life.

A check for understanding.

Why does Younis consider Pinnocks "Leave Taking" a classic of the canon of work by black British playwrights? Pause the video and select your responses after reading through them.

Pause the video now.

Well done if you selected B, Enid's experiences could be considered representative of the time period, and D, Pinnock's work remains influential.

Now I'd like you to read two paragraphs of Pinnock's introduction to "Leave Taking".

We read one paragraph together earlier in this learning cycle.

You can find this introduction, the two paragraphs that I'd like you to read in the additional materials of this lesson.

Or if you have the NHB edition of "Leave Taking", you can read pages 4 and 5, starting from "as a schoolgirl I thought I was going to be an actress" to "she comes to have an influence on them all." So you're gonna find those two paragraphs that I'd like you to read either in the additional materials or in your own copy of "Leave Taking".

Now as you read, I'd like you to answer these six questions.

One, what was Pinnock told about her desire to become an actress? Two, why did Pinnock want to make Enid the heroine of the play? Three, why did Pinnock write specifically about a Black British experience? Four, Pinnock states that she had to cut "Leave Taking" down because of the theatre's limited budget.

What did this allow her to do? Five, how does Pinnock define writing? What might she mean by this? Six, Pinnock ended up fascinated by the character of Enid.

Why? So you're gonna find your copy of the two paragraphs that I'd like you to read, either in the additional materials or on page 4 and 5 of your own copy of "Leave Taking".

And I'd like you to pause the video, read through those two paragraphs, and as you read, answer these six questions.

Pause the video and complete the task now.

Beautiful to see people reading through Pinnock's introduction so carefully and learning lots, lots more about what it meant her to write, "Leave Taking" how she feels about this now, and also what she feels about writing.

We know that Pinnock is a prolific writer.

She cares very deeply about it, very deeply about the form.

And so learning what she thinks about writing will be so important, especially to those of you who are interested in becoming writers yourselves.

You might have said in answer to some of our questions, one, what was Pinnock told by her desire to become an actress? Pinnock was told that she was a good actress by both her headteacher and her university, but that she wouldn't be cast in many plays because she's black.

So looking here at some of the racist attitudes that Pinnock experienced in her career.

Two, why did Pinnock want to make Enid the heroine of the play? Well, Pinnock determined to make Enid the heroine 'cause she'd never seen a character who had what might be thought of as a lowly job in a lead role.

So you can see that Pinnock is an ambitious and a creative writer and really thinking of pushing the forms. So thinking, I haven't seen this before, so I'm gonna do it.

Really taking the control of this art form and thinking, what can I do within it that is exciting, that is new.

Three, why did Pinnock write specifically about a Black British experience? Well, Pinnock felt that producers seemed to think that the experience of Black Americans and Black British people was the same.

Both these experiences are distinct she argues and Pinnock was interested in the specificity of the Black British experience.

So again, just like selecting her heroine, she was thinking, how can I push this form and how can I make people really understand the importance and the significance of the Black British experience? Four, Pinnock states she had to cut "Leave Taking" down because of the theatre's limited budget.

And what did this allow her to do? Well, Pinnock says that this allowed her to develop Enid's relationship with her daughters more.

So it must have been quite difficult for Pinnock to look at her play, which she probably thought was pretty good and think, I've got to cut this down, not because I want to, but because the theatre is asking me to and because of their limited budget.

But actually she feels that that became a real strength of the play because it allowed her to develop Enid's relationship with her daughters more.

And as we read through this play we'll see how rich that relationship really is.

Five, how does Pinnock define writing and what might she mean by this? Well, Pinnock defines writing as an exploration, the pursuit of the answer to an unanswerable question.

She might mean that literature which explores certain ideas doesn't come to define these ideas, but instead deepens your understanding and perhaps even adds more complexity.

So it's a really beautiful discussion or exploration of what writing might mean.

And I know in lots of different subjects, often there's a correct answer, and English can sometimes feel frustrating because there is no correct answer.

It's an exploration.

But Pinnock is saying that this is an exciting part and means that you can really explore complexity within English literature.

So it's the pursuit of the answer to the unanswerable question.

And six, Pinnock ended up fascinated by the character of Enid.

Why? Pinnock says she was fascinated by Enid's relationship with England, her daughters and herself.

Enid and Brod have both travelled from Jamaica.

This is a physical journey, but it is also psychological.

That is these characters have had to explore their identities in a new, yet also familiar culture.

Both these characters were brought up celebrating British culture as Jamaica was Colonised by the British.

And Enid is an incredibly rich character, and I remember the first time that I read "Leave Taking" the first couple of scenes I thought she's holding back.

She's not giving all of herself.

We can see that she's suppressing quite a lot of her characteristics, her ideas, and so she becomes a fascinating character because there's a bit of mystery there.

And as the play develops, you will see that we learn much more about the character of Enid.

We're gonna move on to our second learning cycle now.

We're going to look at "Leave Taking" and consider why it is a classic of the canon.

Here's what Pinnock says of audience's responses to "Leave Taking".

She says, "Leave Taking" has been produced four times.

The 2018 Bush production will be its fifth production since 1987.

Years after the play was produced at the National Theatre in 1994 I was told that it was the first play written by a black British woman to have been produced there.

I also learned that it was the first time that a black woman writer and director, Paulette Randall had worked together in the same venue.

After the first performances of the play at the Liverpool Playhouse Studio, women from different cultural backgrounds collared me to say, that's my story, I'm Enid or that's my mam.

She's just like Enid.

I'd like you to discuss in what ways was the National Theatre Revival groundbreaking? Look at the details that Pinnock reveals in this paragraph again from her introduction to the play.

Pause the video and discuss this question in what ways was the National Theatre Revival groundbreaking? Pause the video now.

Well done for that really careful reading of its production history of "Leave Taking".

So lots of you focused on this idea that it was the first play written by a black British woman to have been produced there.

And Pinnock also learned it was the first time that a black woman writer and director Paulette Randall had worked together in the same venue.

So the revival was groundbreaking because it was the first play written by a black British woman.

Plus the first time a black woman director and writer had worked there together.

And Pinnock only learned this years after this was produced.

Now, Pinnock's Enid is a unique character, but in what ways is she also universal? This is one of our key words for the lesson.

So universal meaning no matter, no matter the time period or the culture, that ideas in a certain text will be relatable by lots of different people.

So I'd like you to discuss this question.

Pinnock's Enid is a unique character, but in what ways is she also universal? Pause the video and discuss this question now.

Lovely discussions there.

Focusing on the final section of this paragraph where Pinnock reveals what it was like when "Leave Taking" has been revived or when it has been performed.

So you focus at the end of this paragraph because Pinnock recalls women from different cultural backgrounds collaring her.

So catching up to her and saying, I must say to you, that's my story.

I'm Enid, or that's my mam, she's just like Enid.

So audiences really connect with the character of Enid feeling that her story is also their story or perhaps equalities of their own mum in her.

So Enid, as we say, she's a unique character, but there are ways in which we can connect to her and which the ideas she explores, that she expresses, that she seems to represent they can be universal.

Pinnock continues, she says, the young woman who wrote "Leave Taking", remember she wrote it when she was just twenty-three.

It was her first full-length play.

So the young woman who wrote "Leave Taking" had no idea that a generation who were very young children who hadn't been born when it was first produced would feel that the place still speaks to their experience.

I hope it will connect with new audiences in the same way.

Some of the speeches feel as though they were written recently.

Brod's words about having to seek naturalisation after thinking of himself as a British citizen for his whole lifer echo words spoken 30 years later by victims of the 2018 Windrush scandal, a misnomer considering it involves migrants from diverse backgrounds and not just the Caribbean.

Let's have a look at some of these complex words in a little bit more detail.

So we've got naturalisation.

This means making someone a legal citizen of a country that they were not born in.

So you'll remember in scene two, Brod is very angry about the process of naturalisation because he's lived in London for over 30 years and thinks of himself as a British citizen.

And he's angry that he's been sent a letter where he's called an alien and he has to pay 50 Pounds in order to become a legal citizen of a country that he was not born in.

Now, misnomer means inaccurate.

And here, Pinnock is talking about the Windrush scandal.

And she's saying that in some ways, calling the Windrush scandal the Windrush scandal is a misnomer because it suggests that just migrants who migrated from the Caribbean were affected by the discriminatory migration system, which saw many migrants who had moved to Britain in the 1950s, '60s and '70s.

So post-war, it suggests that just those from the Caribbean were affected, but actually this discriminatory migration system affected lots and lots of migrants from many, many different cultures.

Now I'd like you to discuss why might Brod's dialogue in scene two seem particularly relevant to 21st century audiences, despite it being about 1980s Britain.

I'd like you to pause the video, look at Pinnock's words about why the play continues to be relevant, particularly through the character of Brod.

Pause the video and discuss this question now.

Some beautiful discussions there, looking at some complex vocabulary, including some of that key from the beginning of today's lesson, including the Windrush scandal, and starting to understand why "Leave Taking" was so important to the 1980s, but also why continues to be relevant now.

So Brod's anger at the British Government's treatment of him might resonate with the public because of Windrush.

So Brod's plight was echoed in media footage of real people whose citizenship was wrongly questioned.

And that moment might feel really powerful in performance.

It would've felt really powerful in late 1980s when it was first performed, but also for audiences now.

A check for understanding.

Why does Pinnock's "Leave Taking"" remain relevant to 21st century audiences.

Is it A, its production in 1994 was groundbreaking.

B, it is about the Windrush scandal.

C, its characters are universal as well as unique.

Or D, it is about migration.

Pause the video and select your response now.

Well done if you selected C, its characters are universal as well as unique.

Now I'd like you to create a mind map around the question below.

Why is "Leave Taking" a classic in the canon of work by Black British playwrights? So you can see the first note has been added for you.

It says The story is representative of 1980s Britain.

I'd like you to use all the learning from learning cycle one and learning cycle two and continue creating that mind map.

Pause the video and start that mind map now.

Beautiful mind maps being created there, gathering together all of the knowledge from learning cycle one and learning cycle two, thinking about the play, the play script itself, but also about Pinnock, some autobiographical details there, details that she noted when the play was first produced, and also how audiences have responded to "Leave Taking".

Here are some ideas you might have had.

So the exploration of migrants experiences remain relevant.

Audiences recognise the character of Enid and themselves, or those they know.

It was groundbreaking in its production at the National Theatre in 1994.

The choice of heroin is groundbreaking, being a Black British female cleaner.

The play is about the Black British experience rather than equating it with the Black American experience.

Well done having a think about this question and using all of those different details that we have looked at in the first two learning cycles in order to understand why "Leave Taking" is a classic in the canon of work by black British playwrights.

Now a single paragraph outline is a way of planning for an essay question, and a single paragraph outline contains a topic sentence, which we write in full sentences.

Bullet pointed supporting detail from the text in note form and a concluding sentence, which we also write in full sentences.

Now I'd like you to complete the single paragraph outline which answers this question, why is "Leave Taking" classic in the canon of work by Black British playwrights? You can see we have our topic sentence.

Arguably, Pinnock's "Leave Taking"" is a classic in the canon of work by Black British playwrights.

And our concluding sentence.

Ultimately, Pinnock's play spoke to its audiences when it was first performed in the 1980s and continues to speak to its audiences now.

It is representative, yet relevant.

What we don't have is our supporting detail, and that's what you are going to fill in in this task.

Of course, your mind map is gonna be incredibly useful here.

And all of those fantastic ideas you came up with are going to support you when you complete this task.

So I'd like you to pause the video now and complete the single paragraph outline, which answers the question, why is "Leave Taking" a classic in the canon of work by Black British playwrights? Pause the video and complete the task now.

Fantastic to see people fill in that supporting detail so that they have a really, really strong single paragraph outline in answer to the question about "Leave Taking" and it's being a classic in the canon.

Here's some ideas that you might have had.

So you might have said, it evokes the experience of migrants in 1980s Britain and Pinnock writes "the plight of many migrants regardless of where they come from, caught between two worlds." And it was really nice to see lots of people using some of Pinnock's words in their evidence for their single paragraph outline.

Now, this evocation of migrant experiences even more powerful following the Windrush scandal.

For example, Brod's anger in scene two.

And it was nice to see people connecting context to the text itself and quoting from Brod in scene two.

Three, the characters of Black British characters, the idea of Black British experience being different to Black American experiences had not been fully established, so Pinnock is groundbreaking.

So really thinking about why Pinnock herself really pushed the form and pushed audiences to understand the Black British experience rather than equating it with the Black American experience.

And finally, not just the characters, but also the production history itself is groundbreaking.

And some people referencing the National Theatre production in 1994.

So again, really nice to think about the production history of a play.

A play is a play.

It's performed on stage, they're revived.

So it's always interesting to think about that production history when you are considering the text itself.

Well done for creating such strong single paragraph outlines in answer to our question about Pinnock's "Leave Taking"" and it being a classic of the canon.

In summary, "Leave Taking" is considered a classic in the canon of Black British plays.

Having a Black British female cleaner as the heroine was groundbreaking.

Pinnock wanted to explore the unique Black British experience in her writing.

One of the reasons that "Leave Taking" is universal is that the character of Enid seems to resonate particularly with audiences.

The play remains relevant, especially because of the Windrush scandal.

I've so enjoyed hearing all of your fantastic ideas in today's lesson, and I look forward to seeing you next time.