Why did Winsome Pinnock write ‘Leave Taking’ and how do audiences respond to it?
I can explain why Winsome Pinnock’s ‘Leave Taking’ and how audiences respond to it.
Why did Winsome Pinnock write ‘Leave Taking’ and how do audiences respond to it?
I can explain why Winsome Pinnock’s ‘Leave Taking’ and how audiences respond to it.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- ‘Leave Taking’ is considered a classic in the canon of Black British playwrights.
- Having a Black British female cleaner as the heroine was groundbreaking.
- Pinnock wanted to explore the unique Black British experience in her writing.
- One reason that ‘Leave Taking’ is universal is that the character of Enid seems to resonate particularly with audiences.
- The play remains relevant because of the Windrush scandal.
Keywords
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.
The Windrush scandal - When many citizens who had migrated to Britain between 1948 and 1973 were facing deportation under a discriminatory immigration system.
Common misconception
Each production of a play is the same because the play's script is always the same.
The production of a play is always unique. The choice of director, producer, theatre, cast and the nature of its audiences all contribute.
Equipment
You need access to a copy of Winsome Pinnock's 'Leave Taking' published by Nick Hern Books. There are also additional materials which should be downloaded.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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