ICARUS TEACHER RESOURCE PACK FOR TEACHERS WORKING WITH PUPILS IN YEARS 4 - 7

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ICARUSBy Katrin Lange

Translated by Purni Morell

Directed by Cressida Brown

FROM SAT 26 JAN - SUN 10 MAR 2019FOR PUPILS IN SCHOOL YEARS 4 - 7

WHERE THE WATER ENDS AND THE SKY BEGINS, THAT’S WHERE I’LL FLY.

Here, where pleasant cottages stand colourful in the friendly village and a gentle breeze

wafts through the air, children play in the square laughing and shouting - but Icarus, eldest

son of the builder Daedalus, does not play with them. He sits looking out over the sea and

thinks about his father.

His country is in turmoil. His family is falling apart. His father, far away across the sea, is

forced to work for the tyrannical King Minos. What can one boy do against injustice? Will he

save his family? Will he save his father? Will he save himself?

A bold, contemporary and playful take on the ancient myth.

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CONTENTSINTRODUCTION p. 4

ABOUT THE PLAY p. 5

MAKING THE PLAY: INTERVIEW WITH THE DIRECTOR p. 8

OVERVIEW OF DRAMA ACTIVITIES p. 10

SEQUENCE ONE: ICARUS - THE GREEK MYTH p. 11

SEQUENCE TWO: ICARUS AND FAMILY p. 16

SEQUENCE THREE: THE ISLAND OF CRETE p. 22

RESOURCES FOR ACTIVITIES p. 26

TEACHER RESOURCES

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INTRODUCTIONThis pack is for teachers bringing pupils to see Icarus in the spring of 2019.

The Unicorn production of Icarus is a new interpretation of the classic Greek myth. In Katrin Lange’s new version, Icarus is a brave, impetuous young man who wants to help his family and save the people of Crete. A child who stands up to the powerful King Minos and challenges his father to do the right thing, Icarus questions what he is told to believe and pursues the truth.

The play also explores the tension between nature and the human-made world, the urban environment and the power of natural phenomena that we cannot control.

The classroom activities are designed to support and extend the pupils’ visit to the theatre and offer teachers ways to explore the themes in the play, before and after a visit. The activities use drama and storytelling as ways of investigating ideas relevant to the play and supporting teachers in meeting National Curriculum requirements:

‘All pupils should be enabled to participate in and gain knowledge, skills and understanding associated with the artistic practice of drama. Pupils should be able to adopt, create and sustain a range of roles, responding appropriately to others in role. They should have opportunities to improvise, devise and script drama for one another and a range of audiences, as well as to rehearse, refine, share and respond thoughtfully to drama and theatre performances.’ National Curriculum

The resources also include contextual detail about the myth, with historical information that will help connect your visit to the play with history around the Ancient Greeks.

Resources offer links at KS2 and KS3 to the National Curriculum: to English through the development of spoken word and creative writing, and to PSHE learning.

TEACHER RESOURCES

CPD - FRIDAY 30 NOV, 10AM - 4PMThere will be a free teacher CPD day for Icarus where teachers can find out more about the show and gain practical experience of the accompanying scheme of work before running it with students. To book this or find out more, email schools@unicorntheatre.com.

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ABOUT THE PLAYThe Unicorn production of Icarus is a reinterpretation of the classic Greek myth for the 21st century. Icarus is a bold and brave boy, who follows his father to Crete and the court of the powerful King Minos, where he ends up saving the people of Crete from a catastrophic natural disaster.

The play begins in mainland Greece, where Icarus and his family live.

Under the wide blue sky, near the sea, where trees and shrubs grow tall, and flowers bloom in tiny gardens - here, where fruits ripen and vegetables thrive, where pleasant cottages stand colourful in the friendly village and a gentle breeze wafts through the air, children play in the square laughing and shouting - but Icarus, oldest son of the builder Daedalus, does not play with them. He sits looking out over the sea and thinks about his father.

Icarus’ father Daedalus left the family many months ago to look for work. At first he wrote to them and sent money home, but now his letters have stopped and Icarus’ mother is struggling to feed her children, Icarus and his four younger siblings.

Icarus wants to go and find out what has happened to his father. He tells his mother that he needs money to buy a ticket to travel to Crete – the place where his father’s last letter was sent from. He knows that something must have happened to him; he wouldn’t just stop writing or sending money home, so something must be wrong.

His mother doesn’t want Icarus to go. She thinks he is too young and the journey too dangerous, but Icarus insists, saying he will stowaway if he has to, so she reluctantly agrees. She gives him money for the ticket, as well as the jumper she has been knitting and another to give to his father when he finds him. And so Icarus buys his ticket and sets off across the sea for Crete.

The sea seems endless, grey in the haze – where does the water end and the sky begin – and all around is a Nothing that is Everything.

Seagulls fly overhead.

Only gulls soar above the ship, with their shrill cries; an albatross searches for the way. . .

When Icarus arrives at the port in Crete he is met by his father Daedalus, who is very guarded: he says nothing about why he hasn’t written, or why he can’t go home with Icarus. Instead he insists that Icarus stays with him, and warns ‘Be quiet, don’t speak so loud.’

Crete is very different from home:

The city is endless, a sea of houses. Very straight. Very grey. Very tall. No tree, no bush, no flower growing in the spaces between them, not even weeds growing between the rectangular paving stones. The beach has been covered in concrete, waves attack the stone like enemies, for the stone is the enemy of the water. And the people – the Cretans – they hasten to and fro, not looking each other in the eye, their faces fixed on something far away, something they don’t know...

TEACHER RESOURCES

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TEACHER RESOURCES

Daedalus tells his son that he is King Minos’ builder, and that Icarus must now stay with him in Crete and become his pupil and assistant. Daedalus explains he is not building colourful houses as he did back home, but that the King is paying him to build a labyrinth:

A house in which there are hundreds of ways but no way out. Stairs into nothing, walls blocking your way, false doorways, a crypt, you go around and around in circles, and sometimes, far in the distance you might catch a glimmer of daylight, like hope, but you’ll never reach it. It’s the deepest darkness of the darkest winter night. You can never find the way back.

Icarus asks whether the labyrinth is a game, and Daedalus tells him it is a prison, where the King keeps a beast - a monster.

Daedalus takes Icarus to meet King Minos, the King of Crete.

They stand before Minos and his daughter Ariadne, who are both wearing golden masks. Daedalus tells King Minos that he wants to return home as soon as he has finished building the maze. The King refuses, saying he must remain in Crete, where his next job will be to build him a tower. Angry, Icarus stands up to the King and speaks up for his father, insisting that Minos lets Daedalus return to his family who are starving and need him. The King is furious at Icarus’ boldness and is about to have him taken away by guards when Ariadne steps in and asks to have Icarus for herself; she says that she wants to punish him for her own amusement.

Alone with Icarus, Ariadne removes her mask and explains that the King, her father, has locked her brother away in the maze. She asks Icarus to get the plans for the maze from his father Daedalus so that they can rescue her brother. Icarus agrees to do what he can. Then Ariadne tells him to scream so that the guards outside her door think he’s being punished, and then urges him to escape.

Icarus returns to his father and asks him for the plans to his maze. His father says that the plans have been destroyed, but when he describes the layout of the maze Icarus realises that the pattern of the jumper his mother gave him is exactly the same: she has knitted the plans for the maze into the jumpers.

Icarus journeys into the maze where he finds the Minotaur (Minos’ son and Ariadne’s brother). Hidden in the darkness Icarus makes out a strange creature: part bird, part oak tree, part dragonfly. The Minotaur tells him that he was locked in the maze by his father because he tried to warn of a terrible flood that was coming that would destroy Crete. King Minos didn’t want the people of Crete to hear about the flood, saying he didn’t want to cause panic amongst his people, so locked his son up in order to silence him. The Minotaur warns Icarus that the volcano that will cause the flood is very close to erupting and that he must warn the people of Crete to run for the hills. He tells Icarus that the animals who told him about the danger have already left and are safe high in the hills; it is only the humans who refuse to listen.

Icarus rushes back to King Minos and urges him to warn his people about the flood. King Minos still denies what the Minotaur says is true, but adds that if disaster does strike then he has ordered Daedalus to build him a tower so he can climb up into it and save himself when the flood arrives.

Icarus threatens to tell everyone, but King Minos has him arrested and put in a prison.

Ariadne visits Icarus in prison, who urges her to shout out and warn the people of Crete about the

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TEACHER RESOURCES

flood, but her voice doesn’t reach far enough. Then Icarus explains he has left the unravelled wool from the jumper in the maze so she should be able to find her way in to visit her brother and then guide him out.

That evening, Daedalus comes to Icarus in prison. He has made two sets of wings for Icarus and himself to escape the prison and Crete. Daedalus warns Icarus not to fly too close to the sun and together they escape. But as they fly over the city, Icarus knows that first he must warn the people of Crete of the coming natural disaster. Instead of flying home, he flies low over the city so that his voice will carry. But his voice alone is too quiet. Daedalus, seeing what his son is doing, joins him, and together they fly over Crete calling out to the people, who finally hear, understand and flee the city.

They turn north to fly home, but Icarus, full of delight for what he has done, soars higher and higher into the sky. He flies too high, his wings fail and he tumbles down into the sea.

In despair, Daedalus wants to follow his son into the sea, but he realises his wife and four other children need him, so he turns and flies home alone to see his wife, and break the news that their son is dead.

The play ends with Icarus deep under the sea: the creatures of the deep come to Icarus’ aid, swimming towards him, to pick him up and carry him home.

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MAKING THE PLAY INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR CRESSIDA BROWNWHY DID YOU WANT TO DIRECT ICARUS?

I’ve always been fascinated by the myth of Icarus because there’s something so extraordinary about a boy flying so close to the sun. Historically, Icarus has been about hubris – or to translate for modern times, he had an ‘arrogance’ about him. He has often been portrayed as swaggering, overconfident and someone whose downfall is thinking that he is untouchable. When I read the play I was surprised and delighted that this version really celebrated him facing his fears: being brave enough to jump and daring enough to become a hero and sacrifice himself. I think in the current climate we really need to be re-evaluating those who are prepared to stand forward and put themselves on the line. It’s a timely choice to make by the writer.

The second reason I wanted to direct the play is that it involves Icarus flying too close to the sun and plunging into the deep, dark ocean, so the theatrical challenge of how I’m going to do that is obviously a thrilling one.

THE GREEK MYTHS HAVE BEEN TOLD IN DIFFERENT WAYS FOR EACH NEW GENERATION. WHAT DOES THIS VERSION OF THE STORY FOCUS ON?

There’s a lot about the relationship between the parents; historically the story has focused on Icarus’ father Daedalus, who is the inventor, but this version starts with the mother and what she feels about her husband being absent, and the family being in a desperate situation. They need Daedalus to come home. In a way, I see this play being about the reconciliation of the two parents, and the relationship between them and their son.

Siblings are also really prominent: Icarus has four siblings that are dependent on him during his father’s absence. When he travels to find his father, he meets Minos’ daughter Ariadne, who he joins forces with and undertakes a subsequent adventure. It becomes a question of what you would do for your siblings – Icarus breaks into the maze in order to talk to Ariadne’s abused and neglected brother, the Minotaur.

The play doesn’t shy away from darkness either. Set against the backdrop of two very different places, with poverty at home and tyranny under Minos, I think it also allows us to explore really deeply what those raw emotions of being in a family are. I think that will be relevant and exciting.

The play highlights the relationships between family: between father and son, father and daughter, father and mother and sister and brother. Even though it’s a classic Greek tale, it is something that can capture a young audience’s imagination, because essentially the story is about a boy trying to make sense of his own world.

TEACHER RESOURCES

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Daedalus, Icarus’ father, is a prisoner in Crete, and although he’s not been put in a physical prison, he’s been ordered not to go home by King Minos. Daedalaus is a prisoner of fear, he needs his son, Icarus, to convince him to leave. This makes Icarus the hero: he takes control and goes beyond his fears in order to reconcile his family. In the original story Icarus is always a bit of a disappointment because he creates problems for his father. Whereas here it shows what it is to have the tenacity to stand up for yourself and your family’s rights or situation.

There’s a phrase repeated throughout the play: “Do you always believe everything people tell you?” It’s about always questioning who your source of information is, and being critical enough to figure out whether a story is real or not. It’s a play about a boy, an ordinary boy, trying to make sense of his world and his home life.

THE MINOTAUR IN THIS VERSION IS NOT HALF-MAN, HALF-BULL AS IN THE ORIGINAL STORY. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT HIM?

The Minotaur might not be the Minotaur which you remember from the myth. He’s presented by King Minos as something dangerous, disgusting and scary and something to be avoided, just as he is in the original myth. But he’s also the abandoned and mistreated brother. I think that it’s about creating fear – he’s a fearful, scary creature at the beginning, however Icarus learns how he has been mistreated and abused. It links back to that idea of ‘Do you always believe everything that people tell you?’. In the end, the Minotaur is actually the saviour of the city.

The Minotaur also represents the natural world; he is made up of lots of different parts of nature. Conversely, King Minos represents the man-made world; the urban environment of concrete, power and greed. The play explores the dynamic between that man-made world and the natural world and the need to listen to what the natural world is telling us. It is Icarus who forces his father to listen to the Minotaur, the natural world, and act accordingly.

THE ENDING IS QUITE SURPRISING - HOW WILL YOU APPROACH STAGING THE FINAL SEQUENCE?

Yes, there is a very surreal bit at the end. There are dolphins and octopuses and a kind of comic piece as Icarus descends into the depths of the sea, which is going to be very exciting to stage.

It is an extraordinary, wonderful challenge for a director, actors and set designer: first we fly too near to the sun, then we descend with Icarus into the ocean, where he meets dolphins and octopuses that sing him along home. I think that’s the magic of theatre. It’s going to become epic by the end. I imagine at the end that we’re going to use sound design, lighting and the set to really make the audience feel like they are in the sky and then in the ocean with Icarus. It will feel immersive and it will feel very magical.

TEACHER RESOURCES

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DRAMA ACTIVITIESTEACHER RESOURCES

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES:The drama activities in this pack are designed to give teachers ideas and strategies for work in the classroom through which to explore the characters, themes and setting of the play before and after a visit. They extend the imaginative reach of the play and allow children to give shape to their own thoughts, feelings and understanding in drama form.

Our teacher resources and CPD support teachers in embedding drama in their curriculum planning. Working through drama allows children to explore things that matter to them within a fictional context, draw on their prior knowledge and apply it to new situations, develop language as they give expression to new understandings and develop emotional intelligence and critical thinking as they explore things from multiple perspectives. Drama enables children to take responsibility, make decisions, solve problems and explore possibilities.

OVERVIEWIn this section there are three separate drama sequences for teachers to work through with their classes. They are designed to be run in order, before the visit to the Unicorn to see the show.

Sequence One explores the original Icarus myth which the Unicorn production is based on.

Sequence Two introduces the characters of Icarus and his mother and the family situation at the start of the story.

Sequence Three focuses on Icarus’ father, Daedalus, who has gone to work for King Minos on a secret project on the island of Crete.

The sequences are not structured into discrete lesson plans, as the time which teachers have available and the context in which they are working in varies widely. Instead, the sequences are flexible and can be divided up in a way that is appropriate for each group.

Attending the accompanying teacher CPD day at the Unicorn on Friday 30th November (10am - 4pm) will be a useful opportunity to work out how the sequences work in practice and to experience how each activity relates to and informs the next.

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TEACHER RESOURCES

SEQUENCE ONE

ICARUS: THE GREEK MYTH AIMSTo explore what it is about the idea of flying that appeals to human beings.

To explore the original myth of Icarus, introducing the key themes and unpacking the moral of the story.

To discover more about the characters and the choices they make at specific moments in the narrative.

RESOURCESStory Whoosh (resource one), role on the wall outlines (resource two), artist interpretations of the Icarus myth which may be found online.

STRATEGIESGuided visualisation, Story Whoosh, paired improvisations, ‘listening hand’, reflective discussion, role on the wall, group discussion.

INTRODUCTIONThe Unicorn production of Icarus is a retelling of the original myth and contains some significant deviations. This sequence introduces the original version of the story and gives the children the opportunity to explore it through drama, identifying the key themes and what the moral of the story might be. In the original, Icarus is so overwhelmed by the experience of flying that he forgets the advice his father gives him about not flying too close to the sun. His impulsive nature leads to his downfall. In the Unicorn production, Icarus and the other characters are presented quite differently – this will be explored in the following sequences.

Exploring the original myth will enable you to introduce some of the themes of the Unicorn production and prepare children for the new version they are coming to see. It also allows the class to reflect on why the Greek myths are continually retold and adapted, and (once they have seen the show) to explore how and why the writer might have decided to make their version different to the original.

This sequence includes a ‘Story Whoosh’ to introduce the class to the original Icarus myth. A Story Whoosh is a way of acting out a story with the whole class allowing you to see the narrative line, action and characters in broad brushstrokes. It is designed to be an inclusive and accessible activity in which all the children contribute to telling the story. The teacher takes an active role as narrator/director and supports the children in the creation of the images.

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TEACHER RESOURCES

STAGE ONE: FLIGHTOpening discussion - ‘as free as a bird’

• Begin by explaining that you are going to explore the Greek myth of Icarus, and that an important element of the story is human beings’ fascination with flight. Nowadays, it’s common for people to fly in aeroplanes, but this is a relatively recent invention – the Wright Brothers are commonly accepted to have engineered the first flight in 1903, and before then humans spent a lot of time and energy trying to invent ways to fly.

• Ask the class:- Have you ever imagined what it might be like to fly like a bird? - What words can you think of to describe what flying might feel like?- Have you heard the phrase ‘as free as a bird’? What does that phrase mean to you?

Guided visualisation

• Ask the children to find a space in the room, lie down and close their eyes.

• Now ask them to imagine that they are standing on the top of a mountain; they can see small clouds below them, and the sky and more clouds above them. Talk them through the following visualisation:

Imagine that you have wings. You take a step and launch off into the sky where you swoop and glide. You flap your wings and you go higher and higher, the soft wind catches under your wings and body and keeps you floating in air. You know that your wings will carry you, so you set off over the mountain, the fields, the tiny villages below you. Try flying a little lower and follow the path of a river as it makes its way out towards the open sea. Now turn back and climb higher, flying towards the mountain. You can see the spot where you took off, fly back towards it and land softly back on the mountain.

• When you have finished the visualisation, ask the children to sit up where they are and ask them:

- What did it feel like to (imagine you could) fly? - What words would you use to describe the experience of flying? - What could you see from your ‘bird’s eye view’?- What is it about flying that has fascinated humans for so long?

For an extension, you could return to the question of humans’ early attempts to fly, researching the different inventions there have been over the years. These links (https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1691-a-progression-of-flight-timeline and https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/300-wings-and-lift) from the Science Learning Hub may provide useful context and starting points for discussion.

STAGE TWO: THE ORIGINAL MYTH OF ICARUS - STORY WHOOSH• Explain that the production the class are going to see or have seen at the Unicorn is a new version

of the story of Icarus, written very recently, but that you are going to start by exploring the original Greek myth. Discuss how Greek myths are continually retold and adapted and often used as inspiration by artists, poets, filmmakers etc. If the class are familiar with Greek mythology, you could extend the discussion to think about why these ancient stories are still of interest and

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TEACHER RESOURCES

relevance today. Explain that looking at the original myth will enable us to think about how and why the Unicorn production is different.

• Briefly find out what the children know already about the myth of Icarus - some may know it well, others not at all. Establish that it doesn’t matter either way, and that this activity is about finding a shared version of the myth that they can work on together (they are re-told so many times and in different ways that people will probably have slightly different versions).

• Before you begin the Story Whoosh make sure the children are familiar with these concepts:

- Apprentice/Pupil- Architect- Inventor- Mechanic- Sculptor- Labyrinth- Maze

• You could also look at images of inventions, buildings, engineering and sculptures from ancient Greece.

• Run the Story Whoosh of the myth of Icarus (resource one). Read each moment of the Story Whoosh out and, with each word in bold, ask children in order around the circle to come into the middle and form an image showing what is happening. When you say ‘Whoosh!’, that group of actors is whooshed back into their places in the circle, and the next children in turn will act out the next episode in the story. Continue in this way until the story is finished.

Reflective discussion

• Discuss the version of the story you have just acted out, asking the children to decide:

- What they think the story is about- Why Icarus doesn’t follow his father’s advice- How they would describe Icarus and Daedalus- What they think the moral or lesson of the story is

STAGE THREE: PAIRED IMPROVISATIONSExplain that now the children know what the main events of the story are, they are going to imagine some of the conversations that took place between characters.

a) Daedalus and King Minos

• Move the class into pairs and ask them to choose who will play King Minos and who will play Daedalus. Explain that they are going to improvise the scene in which King Minos tells Daedalus about the job he wants him to do.

• Remind them that:

- King Minos wants Daedalus to build a labyrinth: one so complex that if a person were to enter, they would never find their way out.

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TEACHER RESOURCES

- King Minos will insist that Daedalus keeps the plans for the labyrinth secret from everyone – even his family.- Daedalus is a master inventor and architect, but he has never built an underground labyrinth before. What questions will he ask about the job he is being asked to do? What will he say when King Minos says he needs to keep the plans secret?

• In their improvisations, they can decide whether King Minos tells Daedalus about the Minotaur. Minos doesn’t have to answer Daedalus’ questions; they can choose how much the King tells him.

• When you have recapped, ask the pairs to stand up and take up a still image of Daedalus in front of the King which shows their status in relation to one another. Ask them to think about how their contrasting status might affect their body language and the way they speak to one another.

• Hear some of the improvisations by using the ‘listening hand’ technique: when you hold your hand above a pair it will serve as a microphone, so that the rest of the class can listen to what is being said. The pair can either start their improvisation from the beginning, or carry on the discussion from where they have got up to. When you move your hand away, that is the signal for the pair to finish their improvisation.

b) Icarus and Daedalus

• Now ask the pairs to improvise the scene between Daedalus and Icarus just as they are about to fly away from their prison in the tower. Ask them to consider:

- Does Daedalus say anything to Icarus about how to fly with the wings?- What does Daedalus say to Icarus about what he must do and why it is important? - How will he make sure that Icarus has heard and understood?- How does Icarus respond?

• Remind the children what is at stake: what will happen if Icarus flies too low close to the sea, or high and too close to the sun?

• Again, use the listening hand to hear and see the pairs’ improvisations.

STAGE FOUR: ROLE ON THE WALL• Create a role on the wall outline of Icarus and Daedalus (resource two) and fill the figures with all

the words and phrases you can think of to describe them.

• Make sure you record everything that people say, even if not everyone agrees - this is your collective perception of the characters at this point in time. You can discuss the contradictions that have been expressed and why children might view them in different ways.

STAGE FIVE: VERSIONS OF THE STORY• Discuss again with the class that when they come to the Unicorn they are going to see a very

new version of the myth of Icarus, written for children in modern times, and that this version may present the characters quite differently. Reflect on the way that the story has captured the imagination of artists and storytellers for centuries.

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TEACHER RESOURCES

• Put the children in small groups and give them each two images that artists have created to show the story of Icarus. Ask them to look at the images and think about how Icarus and Daedalus have been depicted.

- How do the paintings differ? - What do you think the artists wanted to show about the story and what happened to Icarus?

Some images we used are:

Landscape with the Fall of Icarus by Pieter Bruegel the Elder: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landscape_with_the_Fall_of_Icarus#/media/File:Pieter_Bruegel_de_Oude_-_De_val_van_Icarus.jpg

17th century relief of Daedalus and Icarus with a Cretan labyrinth in the Musée Antoine Vivenel: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%27The_Fall_of_Icarus%27,_17th_century,_Mus%C3%A9e_Antoine_Vivenel.JPG

Icarus by Henri Matisse: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/337069

The Fall of Icarus by Peter Paul Rubens: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rubens,_Peter_Paul_-_The_Fall_of_Icarus.jpg

The Fall of Icarus by Marc Chagall: https://arthive.com/artists/13619~Marc_Chagall/works/224804~The_Fall_Of_Icarus

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SEQUENCE TWO

ICARUS AND FAMILY

AIMSTo enable children to think from within the character of Icarus and explore why he will not ‘just believe whatever he is told’.

To explore Icarus’ mother’s perspective on whether she should tell her son the truth and whether she should allow him to follow his father to Crete.

To begin to reflect on how the character of Icarus in this new version of the story might feel different to the way he is presented in the original myth.

RESOURCESImages of Greek islands, handwritten letter from Daedalus (resource three), role on the wall outline (resource two), pencils and paper.

STRATEGIESStop/Go, still images, thought tracking, teacher in role, paired improvisations, role on the wall, letter writing in role.

INTRODUCTIONThis sequence explores the beginning of the Unicorn’s production, setting up the context of the story and introducing the key characters. It allows children to discover what kind of boy Icarus is in this version of the story: what preoccupies him and then drives him to action at the start of the play.

The activities provide some background information about Icarus’ family situation and what has happened before the story starts. His father has gone away for work, his mother is struggling to make ends meet and, as the eldest child, Icarus feels an increasing sense of responsibility. By exploring the relationship between Icarus and his mother at this difficult time, children will be able to consider both of their perspectives and think about whether it is right for Icarus’ mother to tell him the truth: that the letters have stopped arriving from his father. Stepping into the world of the play and engaging with the situation the family find themselves in will help children to have a meaningful engagement and a live connection with what they see on stage in the theatre.

The teacher in role activity asks the children to consider whether Icarus’ mother should let him follow his father to Crete – the dilemma which she faces at the start of the play. It also alludes to the ominous situation for Daedalus over in Crete, which will be explored further in the next sequence.

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STAGE ONE: ICARUS’ CHILDHOODSetting the context – the boy’s dream

• Tell your class the following information:

The production you are going to see at the Unicorn starts with a boy called Icarus, who lives in a flat in London, with his mother and his sister.

His father has had to go away for work and this has been difficult for the family. They are short of money and his mother worries about paying the bills. With his father working away, his mother out at work and his sister old enough to go out alone, the boy sits by the window, watching the birds as they fly past, wishing he could go out and play. The boy begins to daydream about being somewhere else, somewhere far away and very different to where he is now… we are now going to explore the story that he imagines.

The place the boy imagines feels very different to a city like London. It’s a place near the sea, ‘where trees and shrubs grow tall, and flowers bloom in tiny gardens, where fruits ripen and vegetables thrive, where pleasant cottages stand colourful in the friendly village and a gentle breeze wafts through the air.’ (extract from the opening of the play)

As a child, the Icarus in our story loved to play outside with the other children in the village and his brothers and sisters. He was a very curious boy, always wanting to find things out for himself and discover how things work – how to attract birds with seeds, how to make a fishing net to catch fish in the rockpools, how to work out which stones were best for skimming across the waves.

• Show the class images of the kind of place in which we imagine Icarus might have grown up, and ask them to imagine what it might be like to live in a place like this, where people spend a lot of time outside, enjoying nature.

- What type of things might children here do for fun? - What sort of games might they play? - Where would they spend their time when not at school?

• Write down or remember their ideas so that you can use these in your game of Stop/Go next.

Stop/Go – Icarus’ childhood

• Ask the class to walk silently around the room, filling all the space and finding an even pace that is not too quick or too slow. Practice stopping very still as a whole class when you say ‘stop’ and then walking around again when you say ‘go’.

• Explain that we are now going to imagine some of the things Icarus would do as a child and that this time when you say ‘stop’ they will freeze as Icarus, or as a group of children, and take up a still image of what you describe:

In pairs: skimming stones into the seaSolo: picking fruit from the trees and eating itSolo: lying on the grass looking up at the clouds for images – a cloud that looks like a sheep or asailing shipGroups of 5: playing hide and seek in the orchards Solo: collecting shells on the beach

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Add in some of the ideas they came up with in your initial discussion.

• Explain that, just like in the original myth, Icarus’ father, Daedalus, was an architect, builder and inventor, and that as Icarus was growing up Daedalus taught his son all about his work. Now continue to play the game and add some images of the things Icarus liked to do with his father:

Pairs: Daedalus showing Icarus how to draw architecture plansPairs: Daedalus fixing his invention for a water wheelPairs: Daedalus showing him how to use a chisel and small hammer for sculpting stonePairs: Daedalus and Icarus working out the time by measuring shadows on a sundial

• Discuss what you think Icarus enjoyed most about his life as a young child. Draw out ideas about freedom, a carefree childhood, playing outside and his relationship with his father.

Icarus sits alone

• Explain that Icarus’ father, Daedalus, has left home to work on an Island over the sea. There is no more work at home and they need the money. He has been gone almost a year and this has been difficult for the family. Daedalus sends money home when he can, but Icarus’ mother struggles to pay the bills and often seems stressed or worried. They are unsure when he will return. Icarus does not play with the younger children as he used to, instead he spends most of his time sitting on the rocks, looking out to sea.

• Read the following text from the opening of the play:

Under the wide blue sky, near the sea, where the trees and shrubs grow tall, and flowers bloom in tiny gardens – here, where fruits ripen and vegetables thrive, where pleasant cottages stand colourful in the friendly village and a gentle breeze wafts through the air, children play, laughing and shouting – but Icarus, eldest son of the builder, Daedalus, does not play. He sits, looking out over the sea, and thinks about his father.

• Ask for a volunteer to take up an image of Icarus sitting on a rock looking out to sea. Ask the rest of the class:

- What might he be thinking? - Why might he have stopped playing in the way he used to? - How might life be different with his father away? - What might his worries be?

• Ask for a couple of volunteers to come and stand next to Icarus and speak the thoughts that they imagine might be going through his head at this moment, as if they were him. Don’t spend too much time here though, as we will return to this image of Icarus later.

STAGE TWO: ICARUS AND HIS MOTHERIcarus’ mother - teacher in role

Explain that you are going to take on the role of Icarus’ mother and that the class will be in a collective role as her friend from the village.

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• With the class seated in front of you, ask them to imagine the friend has come to Icarus’ mother’s house. You will need to prepare the final letter from Daedalus to share with them (resource three), writing it out by hand, ideally on paper that looks appropriatelyn of the time.

• The aim of the in-role conversation is to:

a) Give the class more information about Icarus’ character: that he is young, headstrong, curious and brave. And that Icarus’ mother is worried he wants to follow his father.b) Give more context about the family’s situation - namely, that the mother is struggling financially.c) Reveal more information about Daedalus and his situation over in Crete: in particular, that he has stopped writing to her.

• The children’s role as her friend will be to hear Icarus’ mother’s concerns and offer advice as to what she should do.

• It would be helpful to have a scarf and a ball of wool and some knitting to indicate when you are in role as the mother. Use the ‘script’ below as a guide for what to say in the conversation. This is not intended to be followed in full and in this particular order, but will give you the main points for the improvisation with the children.

• Try to make the conversation as natural as possible and follow the pupils’ comments and questions to determine where the improvisation goes, so that you are following and building on what is engaging the class.

• The main point to remember is that Icarus’ mother wants to protect her children and carry on as if everything is OK, but Icarus notices things the others don’t and asks her questions. Her main motivation is not to worry her children.

Thanks for coming round, I really need someone to talk to. Would you like a lemon tea and some almond biscuits – I haven’t got much, but the children picked lots of almonds and I had some honey left from the bees. ...You know it’s been difficult the last few months. It’s difficult for lots of people without good jobs for people here in Greece, but I haven’t told you the full story, I haven’t told anyone....It’s been months since we had a letter from Daedalus and the money has stopped coming too. I’ve not told the children, it’s better if they don’t know. He used to write every week and send money....Money is really tight… More bills seem to arrive every day and I have no way to pay them all. I don’t want the children to go without. I bought them Christmas presents that I couldn’t really afford because I want them to think everything is fine... But now I’m even more in debt.... When Daedalus was offered the job with King Minos in Crete we thought it would be the answer to all our problems. There was no work for him here after all. We didn’t know what the job was, but it paid so well, but now I’m worried about what he is doing over there....His last letter was different to the others… Can I share it with you? (see resource three)...Icarus has been asking to see the letters from Daedalus and I’ve been telling him everything is

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fine. I haven’t told him about this one, or that Daedalus has stopped sending money. Do you think I should tell him? Wouldn’t that just make things harder for him?...Icarus has always been such a headstrong and independent boy. Always so curious, ever since he was tiny… Always asking questions, wanting to know things for himself, wanting to see everything. But he’s like most young people – he can be reckless and act without thinking through the consequences. He’s very determined, and I’m sure he’s planning something…...I know if he sees the letter he will want to go and follow his father. Daedalus almost took him with him to Crete, he has been his apprentice for a while now, learning the tools of the trade.Icarus thinks things are so simple, that he can just fix things because he wants to, he doesn’t understand how complicated things are… He can’t just run away, life isn’t like that. ... I can’t let Icarus go. It’s better if he just stays here, we need him. There’s nothing he can do that will change the situation anyway. We just need to be patient and wait for Daedalus to come home....But should I show him the letter? What should I do?

Mother and son - paired conversations

• Put the class into pairs and ask them to improvise the conversation Icarus and his mother have next. First ask them to decide who will be the mother and who will be Icarus, and give them the following information about their character:

Mother – You do not want to upset Icarus or the other children, so you don’t want to tell him about the letter or that the money has stopped. Think about the advice you were given by the friend and what you might say to Icarus.

Icarus – You can see your mother is finding things hard and you don’t want to upset her, but she hasn’t shown you the recent letters from your father and you want to read them to find out how he is. You know things aren’t fine - what have you noticed that has shown you things aren’t fine? You want to know when he will be back home. You want to know the truth.

• Ask the pairs to improvise the conversation between Icarus and his mother. Remember that they are both concerned about each other, so although they may want different things, they would not want to make each other more upset.

• Hear a few of the improvisations and ask for feedback on how it feels to be Icarus in this situation and how it feels to be his mother. Why might Icarus’ mother think it is best that her children don’t know the true situation? Why might she not be doing anything to change the situation herself? What does this feel like for Icarus?

• Eventually, Icarus’ mother does tell him the truth. Ask them to go back into pairs and finish their improvisations with this new information – how does she tell him this information? How does Icarus react?

Inside and Outside – role on the wall

• Create two role on the wall figure outlines (resource two), one for Icarus and one for his mother. On

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the inside of the figures, ask the class for suggestions of things they know about the character: things they have evidence for so can say are true. Write these ideas inside the figure.

• Around the outside of the figure, write the pupils’ ideas for what version of themselves Icarus and his mother want to show to the world or those around them. How would they like to be described by others?

• Discuss the differences between the two figures – could some of these differences be connected to the character’s ages? How might being younger or older affect the way you see the world or deal with difficulty?

• Finish this activity by discussing the similarities and differences between this portrayal of the character of Icarus and the boy in the original myth explored in Sequence One.

STAGE THREE: LOOKING OVER THE SEA - A MESSAGE TO DAEDALUSIcarus looking over the sea

• Return to the image of Icarus sitting on the rocks, looking out to sea, and again ask for a volunteer to take up this image. Tell the class that Icarus sits watching the birds swoop over the sea and the fish swimming down below. He wishes he had the freedom to travel as they do. He imagines sending a message to his father through them.

- What might he want to say to his father in this message? - What is it about Icarus that means he can’t just wait for his father to return, like his mother wants him to? - Why does he keep thinking about it? - What is holding him back from acting on his impulses?

• Thought track Icarus in this moment: ask the children to take it in turns to stand next to him and speak aloud his thoughts in the first person, as if they were Icarus.

Drafting a letter

• Ask the class to find a space in the room and take up their own image of Icarus looking out over the sea.

• Ask them to try and imagine what Icarus sees, hears, thinks and feels in this moment. Hand out pencils and paper so that they can each now write a letter as Icarus to his father.

• Allow the class to choose and underline one line from their letter to read aloud. Move around the room and ask the children to read their line as you tap them on the shoulder.

What to do with the letter?

• Explain that Icarus knows he can’t send the letter to his father, but having written it down, what would he do with that letter? Hear a few ideas of what he could do with it, for example, save it somewhere secret and safe, bury it in the sand, throw it into the sea.

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SEQUENCE THREE

THE ISLAND OF CRETEAIMSTo explore the oppressive regime of King Minos and the contrast between the island of Crete and Daedalus’ home.

To understand the restraints placed on Daedalus that mean he feels that he cannot change his situation.

To consider the differences in character between Icarus (from the last sequence) and his father.

To begin to explore how the Minotaur is represented in this version of the story.

RESOURCESPencils and paper for letter writing, Daedalus’ letter.

STRATEGIESStill images, walking the space, teacher in role, thought tracking, letter writing in role.

INTRODUCTIONThis sequence explores Daedalus’ situation, away from his family, on the island of Crete. Through Daedalus, we learn that Crete is a place of fear and rumours, ruled by the cruel and ruthless King Minos. In the play, Minos is presented as an all-powerful leader who wants total control of his people.

The teacher in role activity will give the children (in role as Daedalus) an insight into how repressive King Minos’ rule is, which they will come to see in more detail when they watch the play. The activities will allow them to consider Daedalus’ position and state of mind – how he feels he has no agency or freedom to change the situation – in contrast to Icarus’ desire to take action and make things different, as explored in the previous sequence. One of the most significant moments in the play is when Icarus stands up to King Minos, and this prior exploration of the characters should provide meaningful and revealing context for this moment.

The teacher in role activity also introduces children to the idea that the Minotaur in this version of the story may not be the traditional half-bull, half-man creature that is well known from the original myth. In the script, the Minotaur is described as a creature made up of many different animal parts and elements of nature, able to communicate with all other animals. Children do not need to be given a lot of detail about the Minotaur before they come the theatre, and the play itself will find a creative way of portraying this unusual character, but it will be useful to open up the possibility that this representation of the Minotaur might not be what is expected.

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Daedalus looking out to sea

• Ask the children to imagine that across the sea from Icarus’ homeland, Daedalus is also sitting on a rock looking out to sea, thinking about home and his family. Ask for a volunteer and, with suggestions from the class, sculpt an image of Daedalus in this moment.

• Remind the class that Daedalus knows he must obey King Minos. When he agreed to build the labyrinth there were certain conditions he agreed to: he would keep the plans for the Labyrinth secret; he would not ask questions, and he would not be able to leave until his work is complete. He took an oath of secrecy and he knows his family’s lives would be at risk if he were to break the contract.

• Briefly thought track Daedalus as he looks out to sea.

• Explain that Daedalus is also thinking about when he first arrived on the island. When he stepped off the boat and felt the atmosphere in Crete, he noticed there was something different and unusual about the way the people moved around the city:

... they hasten to and fro, not looking each other in the eye, their faces fixed on something far away, something they don’t know...

Explain that he remembers feeling confused about how different this was to his homeland where people moved around with ease, relaxed, taking their time and stopping to chat to one another.

The people of Crete

• Set up a game of Stop/Go. Explain that you are going to imagine what it is like to be the citizens of Crete.

• Start by having the children walk around the space with eyes looking down, avoiding eye contact and physical contact.

• Now tell them to try making fleeting eye contact; when they pass someone, they can look up and quickly make eye contact and then look away.

• Now they should walk with eyes fixed in the distance on something far away and walk towards it, ignoring other people as they pass them – they can see them with their peripheral vision, but should not make eye contact.

• Ask the class how it felt in each of those scenarios. What type of people might move in such a way? What might they be thinking or feeling? What might Daedalus be thinking as he watches them?

Teacher in role - a citizen of Crete

• Explain that, as Daedalus walks through the streets, he is struck by the rows and rows of grey buildings in the city, and surprised to find that there are no green spaces or trees. Ask the class to close their eyes and imagine they are Daedalus, and this is what he sees:

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The city is endless, a sea of houses. Very straight. Very grey. Very tall. No tree no bush, no flower growing in the spaces between them, not even weeds growing between the rectangular paving stones. The beach has been covered in concrete and waves attack the stone like enemies.

• With the pupils’ eyes still closed, explain that as he walks around the strange city, Daedalus notices people dressed in grey uniforms, hard at work pulling tiny weeds out from between paving stones. He approaches one of the workers to ask his way back towards the palace and strikes up a conversation with them.

• With their eyes open, explain that you are going to take on the role of the worker and that they will all be in role as Daedalus. Remind them that Daedalus wants to find out more about this city that he has come to live and work in, and its King. He has already agreed to build the Labyrinth, but he doesn’t know what it is for. He has also agreed to keep the plans for it secret, and has promised he will not even tell his family about it.

• Ask the children to at first ask the way back to the palace, but then go on to find out what it’s like to live on Crete. In their role they can be curious, but they must also respect the King they have just started to work for and will keep the secret he has asked them to keep.

• In role as the worker you should show yourself as a little nervous, glancing around and speaking in a hushed tone. You will give directions back to the palace and advise Daedalus that he must find ways to blend in rather than stand out, to walk the middle ground.

• Information for the in role conversation: as with the previous teacher in role activity, this is not a script to be followed word for word, but instead a guide to help shape the conversation.

You are new to Crete? What do you think of our island? What are you doing here? ...Our job is to keep the city clean and ordered. It used to be full of beautiful – sorry… Overrun with trees and plants, but Minos has put a stop to that. Over time Minos has concreted the parks and all other green spaces, including gardens. We’ve even concreted over our own gardens. ...King Minos is a powerful ruler, and we have got used to it now. It keeps things neat and easy to keep in order. It makes sense. ...Some people protested – those who disobeyed were taken into the palace and never seen again. No one complains anymore… It is better to do what you are told and blend in with everyone else. Standing out or trying to change the situation is dangerous here. We have learned to walk the middle line - as you must do too. ...There are rumours, though… Of a mysterious creature that the king has imprisoned. But you must be careful – the king’s ears and eyes are everywhere. Don’t let anyone hear you talk of it. I will tell you what I have heard – it is very strange and made up of many different animals, plants and trees… Rumours of fins, hooves, a horse’s mane, tree branches, striped fur, wings like a swan, a blue flower, a wing like a dragonfly. But you must not disobey Minos – he is a man of great power who will do great damage to your loved ones if you upset him.

• Come out of role and briefly discuss what Daedalus has found out about Crete and King Minos.

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Daedalus sitting on the rocks

• Return to the image of Daedalus sitting on the rock looking out to sea and ask for a volunteer to take up this image.

• Ask the class what he is thinking about:

- What does he think when he thinks about home? - What does he think when he thinks about Crete? - What questions does he have? - What does he want to do?- What can he do?

• As a whole class, thought track Daedalus in this moment, listening as a whole group to some of the children’s ideas in turn.

Daedalus’ first letter home – if he could write whatever he wanted

• Now ask everyone to find a space in the room and imagine that they are Daedalus later that night, back in his room in the palace. He wants to write home and tell his wife and son everything that has happened since he arrived in Crete.

• Give the children a pencil and paper and ask them to write the letter that Daedalus would write, if he could be completely honest. What would he want to share with his nearest and dearest if could tell them truthfully what he is thinking and feeling?

• Go around the class and hear a sentence or two from everyone’s letter.

• Daedalus knows this letter can never be sent. What does he do with this letter?

Daedalus’ first letter home – the letter he does write

• As a whole class, write the letter that Daedalus does send home. Guide the class to think about things he can say: things that his wife and children might want to hear. Without lying outright, what can he say about Crete, King Minos and the job that he has been asked to do?

• There are two constraints on Daedalus: he wants to reassure his family that he is alright, so he wants to put a positive spin on the letter; he also knows that the King’s men may read his letters before they are sent back home, so he mustn’t say anything that would anger or upset the King. Remember that he has made various promises to the King.

• Discuss the difference between the letters Daedalus wrote when he didn’t censor himself and the letter he felt he could send off to his wife and children back home.

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•RESOURCE ONE

THE MYTH OF ICARUS STORY WHOOSH

This is the story of Icarus and his father Daedalus. They lived long ago in ancient Greece, where Daedalus was a gifted architect, mechanic, inventor, and sculptor. He was known throughout Greece and beyond as an expert in all these fields.

As Icarus grew he became his father’s pupil, learning all the aspects of his father’s job. His father taught him everything he knew:

• How to draw architect plans for new buildings • How to invent – here, we can see him making an instrument for studying the stars• How to use a hammer and chisel to sculpt statues that look so lifelike it almost seems as if they could

move• How to supervise a team of builders on a building site, checking that they were laying the bricks

properly.

Icarus knew that one day, he would work alongside his father.

Whoosh

At that time, there was a wealthy and powerful king, Minos, who ruled the people of Crete, which was an Island across the sea from Greece.

Minos had heard about Daedalus’ reputation and called him to Greece. Daedalus and his apprentice son Icarus said goodbye to their family, Daedalus’ wife and children (Icarus’ mother and siblings). They sailed across the sea and arrived on the Island of Crete.

Whoosh

Daedalus and Icarus entered the great throne room and there King Minos was waiting. Minos told Daedalus he wanted to speak to him alone and dismissed Icarus. Daedalus approached the king and bowed before him.

Minos told Daedalus he wanted him to build the most amazing structure - a labyrinth - under the palace’s floors.

The Labyrinth was to be the most complicated maze of tunnels, chambers and dead ends. The King told him ‘Whoever enters the maze must never be able to find their way out again.’

King Minos then told Daedalus ‘No one but you must know the plans for the Labyrinth: you cannot even tell your son, or your wife.’

Daedalus agreed, and King Minos gave him a bag of gold as the first payment, promising he would receive the same again on completion of the project.

Whoosh

And so the Labyrinth was built and at the very centre there was a chamber where King Minos imprisoned a Minotaur. The Minotaur was half man, half bull. A terrifying creature which craved for human flesh.

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Whoosh

Every year, King Minos sent young men and young women down into the Labyrinth as sacrifices for the Minotaur.

The sacrificed would wander through the corridors of the maze, but none could find their way out again.

There are hundreds of corridors but no way out. Stairs into nothing, walls blocking your way, false doorways, a crypt, you go around and around in circles, and sometimes, far in the distance you might catch a glimmer of daylight, like hope, but you’ll never reach it. It’s the deepest darkness of the darkest winter night.

They would find themselves at a dead end, or worse, in the chamber at the heart of the Labyrinth where the Minotaur lay.

Whoosh

A brave young man called Theseus thought that something must be done to stop these terrible sacrifices and so he came before King Minos and volunteered to go into the Labyrinth as one of the sacrifices. He thought he should try to kill the Minotaur and set the people free from the terror.

King Minos agreed to Theseus’ request, he thought he wouldn’t stand a chance against the Minotaur, and even if he did he would never find his way out of the Labyrinth, but would be lost forever.

What King Minos didn’t know was that his daughter Ariadne had fallen in love with Theseus and she decided she must try to help Theseus.

Whoosh

Ariadne went to Daedalus and asked for his help.

She knew that only he knew the secret of the Labyrinth and how to get out.

Daedalus gave Ariadne a ball of wool, and told her that with that Theseus could leave a trail from the entrance of the Labyrinth and find his way out.

Whoosh

Ariadne rushed off and gave the wool to Theseus.

Theseus entered the Labyrinth. He secured the wool at the entrance and unwound it as he made his way into the heart of the maze - where he came face to face with the Minotaur.

He took out his dagger, and with one blow killed the Minotaur.

Whoosh

King Minos was furious. He knew that only Daedalus knew the plans to the Labyrinth, so he must have something to do with the killing of the Minotaur. He ordered his guards to seize Daedalus and Icarus.

Then he ordered Daedalus to build a tall tower, with a prison cell at the top.

When the tower was finally built, Icarus and Daedalus were placed in the cell at the top of it.

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Whoosh

Daedalus and Icarus had been in the prison that Daedalus had built for many months. They knew that King Minos would never let them free. They longed to go home to their family.

Every day, Icarus would look out of the window across the sea towards Greece, his homeland. And he would watch the birds flying free high in the sky.

Then Daedalus the great inventor had an idea. He told to Icarus to gather up all the feathers that fell from the birds.

After many more months, when they had gathered enough, Daedalus got to work, building two amazing flying machines. Using scraps of fabric and the wax from the candles they had been allowed in their cell to stick the feathers together, he made two sets of wings.

Daedalus carefully tied the wings onto his son’s arms and back, making sure that everything was secure.

Then he turned to him and repeated what he had said many times. ‘You must not fly too low,: if you do, the wings will get heavy with water from the spray of the sea. But you must also not fly too high: if you do, the wax that holds the feathers in place will melt and the wings will fall to pieces. You must fly the middle route.’

Daedalus and Icarus both stepped onto the window ledge ready to launch themselves. Daedalus once more made sure that Icarus had remembered what he told him and Icarus said ‘I must not fly too low to the sea, and I must not fly too close to the sun. I must fly the middle route.’ And then they stepped off the window ledge and into the sky.

Whoosh

At first everything was fine, the wings worked and Daedalus and Icarus set off towards Greece, flying through the air like the birds.

But as Icarus flew through the sky he forgot what his father had said and flew higher and higher towards the sun.

Daedalus could see what his son was doing and tried to call out but he was too far away to be heard.

And then the wax on Icarus’ wings began to soften and melt. And the feather began to fall, until they could no longer hold Icarus and he began to fall towards the sea.

His father watched in horror as his son fell into the sea and was swallowed by the waves.

He could do nothing to help. He turned towards home and flew back to tell his wife, Icarus’ mother, what had happened to her son.

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RESOURCE TWO

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RESOURCE THREEDAEDALUS’ FINAL LETTER

To be handwritten on paper.

I am working every hour I can to finish the king’s project… I can’t tell you any more, and I won’t be able to write again until it is finished: the king will not allow it.

Try not to worry, I will be fine. And one day I will return to you all. I know Icarus will want to follow me, but this is no place for a child.

There are things here that are strange and unsettling. I wish I could tell you more, but I can’t. Don’t expect any more letters from me.

Your husband,

D

ICARUS A Unicorn Production

By Katrin LangeTranslated by Purni MorellDirected by Cressida BrownResource pack written by Catherine Greenwood and Ella Macfadyen