Drama: Footprints

Footprints, provided by the Association for Science Education (ASE) focuses around the science of genetics. The play was commissioned by British Association of the Advancement of Science (BA) and developed by the Amoeba Theatre Company.

It was premiered at the National Portrait Gallery in March 2002.

Alongside the script, Amoeba have produced background resource material to complement the theatre production. The material offers an introduction to:

*The terms DNA, genes, and the genome project
*Genetic mutation and inherited genetic disorders
*Ethical and moral questions surrounding genetic screening
*What genetics can tell us about our identity and issues of race

The play may be:

*Performed as an introduction to variation.
*Used as a stimulus for students' creative writing. Taking on the role of one of the characters, write a diary page reflecting on some of the events that occurred in the play.
*Followed-up with structured research. Students highlight scientific terms in the text, and select two or three of these to follow-up. The outcome should be a few sentences explaining the term to a younger pupil. Display all the explanations together with illustrations.