The Classroom
The programme begins in the classroom where the context of the drama and the roles the young people will take on are established. Young people learn that they will enter into a future world where people are governed by The Realm, but that within this there are citizens who follow a different way of life. This different way of life encompasses a collective philosophy where everyone is responsible for everyone else and it is known as The Circle. The young people enter into the story as members of The Circle and watch an address by The Chancellor of The Realm. They also receive the mark of The Circle on the palm of their hands.
A character called Scarlett enters into the classroom and is surprised to find them there, she questions why they aren’t at the meeting place and finding that they know nothing of this, ‘reminds’ them that they are supposed to be at their first Circle meeting – an important rite of passage that brings them fully into The Circle.
The young people travel to the hall, which is set as a run down urban street.
The Hall
Once at the location for the meeting Scarlett finds that there is no-one to meet them and as they wait for other Circle members to arrive she teaches The Circle promise to the young people and talks further about the responsibilities and rewards of being with The Circle. As she does so, a man enters and tells her that the other Circle members will not be coming as there is a protest against The Circle meetings and Realm officers have closed off the roads to protect The Circle community. He is abusive towards Scarlett and the gathered children and through his actions it becomes obvious that he holds extreme and prejudiced views.
Obviously upset by what has happened Scarlett voices her frustrations, stating that she wished that she could take action to stop the behaviour she has just experienced. As she speaks with the young people, she becomes aware that they are being watched by a mysterious figure. He joins in the conversation from the fringes, pushing Scarlett’s sense of grievance. He invites her and the children to join him to travel to a secret meeting place and from out of the walls he pulls a series of tunnels through which the young people climb into the ‘inner sanctum’ of The Arc.
Once there, the mysterious figure encourages Scarlett to reflect on other occasions where she has been unhappy or has felt oppressed. She shares these events and through a mixture of charm and subtle manipulation he reshapes her memories so that she sees The Realm and all that it stands to be entirely responsible for all the ills of her life. He then introduces Scarlett and the young people to his ‘wave of injustice’, a collection of newspaper cuttings and images which further illustrate his perspective. They are encouraged to explore these and to reflect on what image they project of The Circle to citizens of The Realm Once he is convinced that he has won Scarlett over, he enroles her within The Arc, a group that he says are fighting for the rights of The Circle. He reveals himself to be Fawkes, a name he has taken for himself, but not his real identity. The young people swear an oath of allegiance alongside Scarlett and are warned to keep the group’s existence a secret.
Break
The young people rejoin Scarlett and Fawkes in the secret meeting place and watch as Fawkes dresses her in an Arc uniform. He then leaves. Enthused by her new Arc status, Scarlett immediately sets to work (with the young people’s help) devising the ways in which they can begin to change things for The Circle. Fawkes reappears with a bag – from his actions it is obvious that it contains something of great significance. He refers to it as ‘a single decisive act’ and ‘a bloody nose’. He is not happy with the young people and Scarlett’s suggestions saying that they do not go far enough. He berates Scarlett for her lack of commitment and questions how serious she is in fighting for their cause. Desperate to regain her position in his favours, Scarlett says she is prepared to do whatever it takes and is coerced into taking a bag. They are interrupted by a siren which signals that The Arc is being raided. Fawkes immediately ‘abandons ship’, shortly followed by Scarlett.
An Officer of The Realm soon enters the secret meeting place. He introduces himself as a fellow Circle member and explains that they are not in trouble as it is obvious that they have been caught up in a situation not of their making. It becomes apparent to him that both Fawkes and Scarlett are still at large and he issues a warning about the bag. The Officer then begins to unpick the things that the young people have been told and shown by Fawkes and presents a different perspective. He challenges Fawkes’ extreme point of view and tells the young people that Fawkes has previous ‘form’ in brainwashing young people like Scarlett. He asks for their help in understanding how he operates. Scarlett re-enters, but she is now without the bag. Confronted by the officer it is apparent that Fawkes’ influence has taken hold and she is resistant to any suggestion that she has been manipulated, refusing to tell him the whereabouts of the bag. The young people hotseat her, to convince her of Fawkes’ true motives. They are asked to speculate what is in the bag and to outline the potential consequences of Scarlett carrying out Fawkes’ ‘single decisive act’. Eventually she is convinced and reveals that she has put the bag in a nearby dustbin, unsure of what she should do with it.
The drama ends with the Officer of The Realm thanking their young people for their invaluable help and leaving with Scarlett. Out of role, the young people then learn that with Scarlett’s help, Fawkes was later captured. She herself went on to channel her energies into working with a youth group where young people from The Realm and The Circle came together to learn about one another and to spend time together doing activities.
The young people are then left with a final question to consider and teachers are directed towards the online resources.
