FR HA L’Enfant Mascara, Simon Boulerice (2016)

First, the students read ‘L'enfant Mascara’, a story by Quebec author Simon Boulerice, written in 2016 and inspired by real events that took place in Oxnard, California : on 12 February 2008 at E.O Green Junior High School in Oxnard, California, 15-year-old Larry King was murdered. One of his classmates, Brandon, shot him twice after King asked him to be his Valentine. They studied the play, focusing on the topics of trans-identity and transphobia on the one hand, and the mixture of languages (French, Quebecois, English) on the other hand. 

The class then went to the Bateau Feu theatre in Dunkirk, where a theatrical performance adapted from the story was staged. The show was put together with the help of two groups of teenagers from France and Quebec. At the end of the show, the students meet one of the actors, Simon Dusart, who will help them write and direct their own show. 

Finally, the students were divided into 9 groups. Each group chose to work on a topic from the book and/or the show and a form of production : Videos: what you liked in the book/show, promotion of the book/show, a work/show about adolescence (3 minutes)

Posters: a book / a topical show, identity (gender, family, professional...), staging (acting / dance, costumes, sets, lighting, sound/music, objects)

Filmed theatrical sketch of a chapter from the book (1 minute)

Filmed choreography (dance + choice of song or text) of a chapter from the book (1 minute)

Comic strip based on a chapter from the book

The students read and studied a contemporary work in their mother tongue about transidentity and transphobia, saw a theatrical adaptation and discussed the play with an actor. They also developed their knowledge of English thanks to the many English expressions used in both the story and the performance. Finally, each group produced its production in English and then presented it to the whole class