Siobhan
Christopher's teacher, Siobhan, narrates part of the play (from a recent UK tour of Gielgud theatre production)
Siobhan is Christopher's teacher. Christopher talks to her about his problems and she reads the note book in which Christopher records his investigation and writes his stories. She is very encouraging and gives him advice about what he should and shouldn't do.
She acts as an interesting Any use of staging that adds to the drama of a performance. as sometimes she can narrate a scene as she reads from Christopher's book, other times she can appear as a calming voice in Christopher's head to guide him through a difficult situation.
| How is Siobhan like this? | Evidence | Analysis | |
| Encouraging | Siobhan offers Christopher encouragement as he is writing his book. | "But you can still be very proud because what you've written so far is just, well it's great." | We see that Siobhan is a very encouraging teacher and wants Christopher to feel proud of his achievements. She eventually encourages him to turn his book into a play to perform at school. |
| Calming | When Christopher is trying to navigate the London Underground Siobhan appears as a calming voice in Christopher's head, helping him to cope with the challenge. | "In your head imagine a big red line across the floor. It starts at your feet and goes through the tunnel. And walk along the line. And count the rhythm in your head because that helps doesn鈥檛 it?" | Siobhan helps Christopher stay calm through this difficult situation by reminding him of strategies that they must have discussed in class. This also shows that Siobhan knows Christopher well because she relates the problem to rhythm which must be something Christopher can use to make things easier for himself. |
| Dramatic device | Siobhan acts as a dramatic device - she is a narrator or a voice in Christopher's head. This means that the action can move location and time rapidly and fluidly. Sometimes she can also be Christopher's voice as she reads from his book. | "Sometimes when I want to be on my own I get into the airing cupboard and slide in beside the boiler and pull the door closed behind me and sit there and think for hours and it makes me feel very calm." | Siobhan is reading from Christopher's book and so is acting as his voice and giving the audience an insight into some of his behaviours. This means that all of this information about Christopher can come from a variety of places, not just from him. |
| Encouraging | |
|---|---|
| How is Siobhan like this? | Siobhan offers Christopher encouragement as he is writing his book. |
| Evidence | "But you can still be very proud because what you've written so far is just, well it's great." |
| Analysis | We see that Siobhan is a very encouraging teacher and wants Christopher to feel proud of his achievements. She eventually encourages him to turn his book into a play to perform at school. |
| Calming | |
|---|---|
| How is Siobhan like this? | When Christopher is trying to navigate the London Underground Siobhan appears as a calming voice in Christopher's head, helping him to cope with the challenge. |
| Evidence | "In your head imagine a big red line across the floor. It starts at your feet and goes through the tunnel. And walk along the line. And count the rhythm in your head because that helps doesn鈥檛 it?" |
| Analysis | Siobhan helps Christopher stay calm through this difficult situation by reminding him of strategies that they must have discussed in class. This also shows that Siobhan knows Christopher well because she relates the problem to rhythm which must be something Christopher can use to make things easier for himself. |
| Dramatic device | |
|---|---|
| How is Siobhan like this? | Siobhan acts as a dramatic device - she is a narrator or a voice in Christopher's head. This means that the action can move location and time rapidly and fluidly. Sometimes she can also be Christopher's voice as she reads from his book. |
| Evidence | "Sometimes when I want to be on my own I get into the airing cupboard and slide in beside the boiler and pull the door closed behind me and sit there and think for hours and it makes me feel very calm." |
| Analysis | Siobhan is reading from Christopher's book and so is acting as his voice and giving the audience an insight into some of his behaviours. This means that all of this information about Christopher can come from a variety of places, not just from him. |