Now I knew how to play a child, I could demonstrate the physicality of Eddie and Mickey by using gestures. Both used very different body movements to the other. Mickey was confident and powerful compared to Eddie who was intimidated by Mickey and preferred to go along with anything that Mickey said. Mickey was upfront, and didn’t shy away when being spoken to by a stranger. It is he, who wants to be blood brothers and he isn’t afraid of the sight of blood as he joins hands with Eddie. Mickey is jovial and jokes around a lot. He is constantly fiddling with his jumper and scuffing his shoes. He does this when he knows he’s been naughty.

In small groups or 4 or 5 we created a short drama to go with a piece of music on the Blood Brothers CD. “There’s a few bob in your pocket and you’ve got good friends, And it seems that summer’s never coming to an end, Young, free innocent, you haven’t got a care, Apart from deciding what clothes you’re gonna wear.” This piece of drama shows how the children’s relationships change towards each other in the period between adolescence and adulthood. The play starts off with the children playing in the fair ground, in time to the music, they shoot rifles, win prizes and swing each other round. All of them are laughing and hugging each other, which shows they are having a fantastic time.

They are just fifteen. As the lyrics unfold the drama continues… “you’re friends are with you to talk away the night, Or until Mr Wong turns off the chippy light. Then there’s always the corner, and the street lamps glare, An’ another hour to spend with your friends, with her, To share your last cigarette and your secret dream, At the midnight hour, at seventeen” In this scene we see how Linda’s and Mickey’s relationship changes. I play Linda. I show how my thought of Mickey are developing by being close to him the whole time, finding excuses to touch him, for example, helping him light his cigarette, or shoving him jovially. The scene changes into a beach scene.

We see Linda, Mickey, and Eddie as if at the beach. Linda takes a picture of Mickey and Eddie, arms around each other, camping it up for the camera but eventually giving good open smiles. Mickey taking a picture of Eddie and Linda, with Eddie down on one knee kissing her hand, and Eddie, taking a picture of Mickey and Linda. All is very happy ands everyone is smiling and joking. It ends with the narrator taking a group photo of them all laughing, “And only if the three of them could stay like that forever, And if only we could predict no changes in the weather, And only if we didn’t live in life, as well as dreams, And only if we could stop and be forever, just eighteen.”

The remaining part of the afternoon was spent devising a short scripted performance on a scene from the book. We discussed the parallels and issues regarding guns (for example) as much as the physicality of playing children and adults. I played Linda in the children’s scene. It showed how guns were always an issue in Mickey’s life and how they naturally came into everyday games. Here, the guns aren’t dangerous and are used as a toy, to broaden a child’s imagination but the irony behind the scene is evident as the audience (through subtext) can see how his life will map out.