A savage folly inspired by the
myth of El Dorado
Teacher’s Resource Pack
Contents
Introduction
3
Information on Told by an Idiot
4
Heads Will Roll credits and tour dates
5
Synopsis
6
Classroom exercise 1: Reflecting on the production
7
Historical Context: The myth of El Dorado
8
Classroom exercise 2: Devising without language, part 1 —using movement
10
Classroom exercise 3: Warm up exercises for ensembles
11
Historical context: Aguirre, The Wrath of God
14
Classroom exercise 2: Devising without language, part 2 —using puppetry
16
A Day in the Life of an Assistant Director
17
Historical Context: The rise and fall of Eldorado
19
Context: The story of the Golden Man
20
Classroom exercise 5: Mixing different eras and timescales
21
Bibliography & links
25
Introduction
The resources, research and information in this study
pack are intended to enhance your understanding of
Heads Will Roll and to provide you with the materials to
assist students in both the practical study of this text
and in gaining a deeper understanding of this exciting
new play. This includes historical and cultural context,
production photographs, discussion points and exercises
that have been devised to unpack the play's themes
and stylistic devices.
In line with the national curriculum, Heads Will Roll
would be a suitable live theatre production for analysis. It
will also provide an invaluable resource for students
who are focusing on devised, collaborative theatre,
ensemble work, music theatre and puppetry.
Heads Will Roll tackles the challenges of researching,
presenting and understanding social, historical and
cultural issues in an accessible and creative way. The play
will provoke students to ask pertinent questions and
think critically.
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to
get in touch with Amanda Castro on 020 7407 4123
or at [email protected]
Photographer: Manuel Harlan.
3
"We don't stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing"
George Bernard Shaw
Founded in 1993, Told by an idiot has established an international reputation for its comic, innovative and startlingly original productions, revelling in a style of
theatre that is bigger than life. Recent collaborators include the National Theatre, the Barbican, the RSC and the National Theatres of Scotland and Wales.
Our participation programme is called Taught by an Idiot. Our Taught by an Idiot participation opportunities mirror our work on stage. They are anarchic,
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practitioner we can work with you to create a bespoke Idiot workshop for your students tailored to your teaching objectives.
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Created in line with curriculum requirements with cross-curriculum links with
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To discuss an idea, project or workshop, please contact us on:
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4
Credits & tour details
WORLD PREMIERE
A co-production between Told by an Idiot and Theatre Royal Plymouth
Heads Will Roll
A savage folly inspired by the myth of Eldorado
Written by Told by an Idiot
Paul Hunter
Director
Alicia Martel
Composer & Performer
Michael Vale
Set & Costume Designer
Andrea Pelaez
Choreographer & Performer
Joe Price
Lighting Designer
Merce Ribot
Performer
Almudena Adalia
Assistant Director
Patricia Rodriguez
Performer
TOURDATES
Theatre Royal, Plymouth (6 - 22 October 2016)
Birmingham Rep (1 - 5 November 2016)
Liverpool Everyman Theatre (8 - 12 November 2016)
Bay Theatre, Weymouth College, Dorset (15 November 2016)
Crediton Arts Centre, Devon (17 November 2016)
Brentor Village Hall, Devon (19 November 2016)
Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, Dorset (23 November 2016)
Bridport Arts Centre, Dorset (25 November 2016)
West Stafford Village Hall, Dorset (26 November 2016)
Toller Porcorum Village Hall, Dorset (27 November 2016)
Talaton Parish Hall, Devon (18 November 2016)
5
Scene by Scene Synopsis
1. The Classroom (part 1):
A primary school teacher tells her class the myth of
'The Golden Man'. The class acts it out.
2. The Rise And Fall Of Eldorado (part 1)/ The
Spanish Conquistadors, (part 1):
We see the BBC producers/writers meeting to discuss
plans for the show—a soap opera called 'Eldorado.'
A voice over of a child begins, describing the historical
events of the Spanish setting sail for the new world. We
see the Conquistadors on their quest, attacked by
indigenous tribes and suffering from illness.
3. The Classroom (part 2)
The students greet some new visitors from England
and discuss the discovery of America by the
Conquistadors.
4. The Spanish Conquistadors (part 2):
The Conquistadors reach the Andes. A fruit and
vegetable puppet version of the beginning of the
Herzog film 'Aguirre, Wrath of God' takes place,
showing a trail of conquistadors and slaves marching
in search of El Dorado.
5. The Rise and Fall of El Dorado (part
2):
The recording of the theme tune for the soap opera has
arrived, called 'When You Go Away'. It is just before the
first transmission of the soap opera – we see the very
first scene from the first episode of the show.
6. The Rise and Fall of Eldorado (part 3)/ The
Spanish Conquistadors (part 3):
The programme is in disarray the producer (Merce) is
very angry. Andrea reveals that she went on holiday to
the Amazon jungle and experienced a Shamanic dance
which was supposed to bring good fortune. Patricia
suggests that they try it.
Meanwhile, in South America conquistadors discover the
golden lake. The General orders that they drain it with
buckets. Finally they find a trinket in one of the buckets but it is not gold.
8. The Rise and Fall of Eldorado (part 4)/ The
Spanish Conquistadors (part 4):
We switch between scenes of the BBC executives taking
part in the shamanic ritual, which gets increasingly more
wild and out of control, and the Conquistadors, drifting
on their raft and starving to death. In desperation, they
turn on the horse, who has been playing the piano, and
slaughter it. Ravenous, they eat it.
9. The Infant enters:
A 7 year old boy comes through the audience, and onto
the stage, dressed head to foot as if he has stepped out of
a Velasquez painting. The cast are stunned and treat him
with reverence.
6
Classroom Exercise 1: Reflecting on the production
Use this exercise to get your students responding to
work that they have seen onstage. This tool enables
students to respond to any piece or dance, theatre or
live performance that they have seen.
Curriculum links: Drama, Art & Design, Music
Length of exercise: 15-20 minutes
Space needed: Can be done in the classroom
Materials needed: Flipchart paper and pens
Organize the class into groups of 4 or 5 and give each group a large
sheet of paper and some pens. Write the name of the production on the
whiteboard, then assign each group an area of the production to explore
including:
Set and staging
Music and sound
Directing
Acting
Costume
Themes of the play
Each group should write their chosen area of the production as
a heading on their flip chart paper. Each group then has five
minutes to brainstorm thoughts and comments around their
assigned area of the production, noting them in a spider diagram
on their flip chart paper.
After five minutes, each group must pass their paper onto the next
group and repeat this process until every group
has commented on all areas of the production listed by the class.
These sheets can then be photocopied and handed out. You could
also put the sheets up in the classroom for inspiration when
discussing the production.
7
Historical Context: The myth of El Dorado
What is El Dorado?
El Dorado (Spanish for "the golden one") is a term used to describe a mythical tribal chief of the Musica people of Colombia. As an initiation rite, it
was said that this chief covered himself with gold dust and submerged himself in Lake Guatavita.
The legend surrounding this chief evolved over time, and during the 16th and 17th centuries Europeans came to believe that an entire city existed
somewhere in the New World that contained immense wealth and treasure - a city of gold. Many Europeans searched for this mythical treasure,
losing their lives in the process. The legend of a city of gold continued to grow, and now exist as a metaphor for any place where great wealth can be
discovered.
The search to find Eldorado: Draining Lake Guatavita
Through the years a number of explorers attempted to drain Lake Guatavita in search for the gold left
behind by the mythical "golden one", including:
In 1545 the Conquistador Hernan Perez de Quesada was the first to try this, and attempted to drain
the lake using a bucket chain of labourers. After 3 months of intense work, the water level in the lake
had reduced by 3 metres and he had found approximately 3000-4000 pesos of Gold.
In 1580 a business entrepreneur called Antonio de Sepulveda tried a different tactic and tasked 8,000
labourers to cut a notch deep into the rim of the lake. This managed to reduce the water level by 20
metres, before it collapsed, killing many of the labourers he had employed. He recovered
approximately 12,000 pesos, some of which he sent to the King of Spain, but de Sepulveda himself
ultimately died a poor man.
In 1988 a group of London contracts called the Company of the Exploitation of the lagoon of Guatavita
dug a tunnel that emerged in the centre of the lake. This managed to drain the lake down to a depth of
4 feet of mud and slime, making it impossible to explore. Even worse, the mud dried in the slime, setting like concrete and sealing any potential treasure off. Eventually only £500 worth of gold was
found (some of which was donated to the British Museum) and the company went bankrupt.
In 1965 the Colombian government designated the lake as a protected area, making it illegal to attempt to drain the lake.
Rehearsal shots of a scene in which the Conquistadors drain Lake Guatavita
8
Historical Context: The myth of El Dorado
The search to find Eldorado: Sir Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh was a member of the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England and a writer, politician
and explorer who made a number of trips to South American in search of El Dorado.
After hearing rumours about a city of Gold, and keen to get back into the good books of the Queen (he
had been arrested and sent to the Tower of London after secretly marrying one of the Queen's ladiesin-waiting) he travelled to what is now Guyana and eastern Venezuela in search of fortune. Despite
the fact there is no evidence to suggest Sir Raleigh found anything, he returned to England and
published a book called The Discovery of Guiana, an account of his voyage in which he made a lot of
exaggerated claims about what he had discovered. During his second trip in 1617 he sent his son,
Walt Raleigh, with an expedition up the Orinoco River whilst he stayed behind at base camp. The
expedition was a disaster and Walt Raleigh was killed in a battle with Spaniards. Raleigh returned to
England, where Elizabeth's successor King James ordered him to be executed for disobeying orders to
avoid conflict with the Spanish.
Glossary
The New World: a name used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas.
Conquistadors: a term used to refer to soldiers and explorers of the Spanish empire and Portuguese Empire. During the 16th, 17th and 18th
Centuries Conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, Oceania, Africa and Asia, conquering territory and colonizing much of the
world for Spain and Portugal.
9
Classroom Exercise 2
Devising without language: using movement
Curriculum links: Drama, Dance
Length of exercise: 30 minutes
Space needed: School hall or open space
Materials needed: None
In groups of 3 – 5, ask students to create a 5-minute scene of
a long, epic journey completely without words. They can
choose any kind of story you want – they can recreate the
tale of the Conquistadors in South America, use another
well-known story or make up one from scratch. The scene
can be serious or funny, and the group can use a maximum
of two props.
Central to the Told by an Idiot style is a focus on
physicality and on using movement and gesture to convey
story and character. This is especially important in Heads
Will Roll, where the multi-lingual nature of the
production and the cast mean the company needed to find
various imaginative ways of conveying this to the
audience without using the English language.
Ask the students to present their scenes to one another and lead a
discussion on each scene. How did the group convey the story
without using language and how this effect a) their individual
performances and b) how the story came across to the audience?
Is there anything they felt could not be conveyed without words?
Special online content
Watch the cast of Heads Will Roll rehearse a movement sequence of the Conquistadors draining the lake for Gold:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-za35QJqL0&feature=youtu.be
10
Classroom Exercise 3: Warm up exercises for ensembles
All of Told by an Idiot's work focuses on building a strong ensemble of
performers who work together closely. The following games and exercises will
help encourage the teamwork and collaboration that is essential in
building a strong ensemble.
11
Classroom Exercise 3: Warm up exercises for ensembles
GAME ONE -Number game
GAME THREE: Partner exercise
Stand in a circle. As a group, try to count to 20. No one is allowed
1. In pairs, take a tennis ball and place it between your foreheads.
to speak at the same time, and no one can say two numbers
consecutively. You must also avoid allocating particular numbers to
particular people, or establishing a certain pattern or order.
This one is harder than it sounds!
2. Move around the space, being careful not to drop the ball. No one
should be leading the movement; you should each decide together,
silently, where to move next.
3. Find a moment of stillness, then see if you can move again without
anyone leading.
4. See if you can sit on the floor and come up again.
GAME TWO: Starting and Stopping
Ask the group to walk round the room silently, making sure they
use all available space in the room and that they change the
direction they are walking in regularly. The group must find a
time, spontaneously and together as a group, where they all come
to a stop at the same time. Then, they must find a time where they all
start walking again, without speaking or signalling to each other
but through watching, observing, and sensing the group
dynamic. The aim is to be able to all stop and start as one group
without there being any clear leader.
5. Add some conversation - talk about what you did last night or earlier today (something not too taxing!)
Special online content
You can find clips of the cast warming up here:
https://youtu.be/od6uh6D2eMc
https://youtu.be/lSEKR_GxWqI
https://youtu.be/TXl5bFkgLmw
12
Classroom Exercise 3: Warm up exercises for ensembles
GAME FOUR: Layer Game
1. Ask your pupils to stand in a circle, with their hand up.
2. The teacher starts by looking at someone and saying their name. The person the teacher just called must lower their hand
and continue by saying someone else's name. Keep going until everyone's name has been said once, with the teacher's name as the last
to be called. Ask everyone to remember what names they called out and in what order, and ask them to repeat the sequence a few
times until everyone is comfortable with it. This is your first layer.
3. Try repeating this layer but without people putting their hands up, just from memory. Once you have repeated the
sequence a few times and everyone is comfortable with it, you can add another layer.
4. Give one pupil a ball. That person must look at someone and throw the ball to them. The person who has caught the ball
must then throw the ball to someone else, and on and on until everyone has caught and thrown the ball once, making sure the
person who started the sequence gets the ball at the end. Repeat this sequence until everyone remembers it and is comfortable
with it - this is your second layer.
5. The big challenge now is to put the two layers together and see if everyone can focus on both layers at once! Start with the
names and once you have established a rhythm, add the ball sequence and see if the group can do both at once without
getting confused or lost. Often this will be tricky enough for groups who are new to the game. If your group are doing well
you can add further layers.
6. Ideas for other layers include: walking towards someone else in the circle, looking at someone and clapping towards
them, looking at someone and saying the name of a country, etc.
7. Always create a new layer and get reasonably comfortable with it before layering them up together one by one. See how
many layers your group can do at once!
13
Historical Context: Aguirre, The Wrath of God
Heads Will Roll, like many Told by an Idiot productions, takes inspiration from a number of different sources and influences. One of these is the
German film director Werner Herzog and in particular his film Aguirre: The Wrath of God. The plot of this film is loosely based on a real Spanish
Conquistador named Lope de Aguirre.
The real Aguirre
Lope de Aguirre was born in Gipuzkoa in Northern Spain who became known for his violence and cruelty - he
was nicknamed "El Loco" ("the madman") and called himself "the Wrath of God, Prince of Freedom, King of
Terra Firme".
Aguirre, along with his daughter, joined an expedition to find El Dorado in 1560 in South America with 300
fellow Spaniards and hundreds of natives, led by Pedro de Ursua. The mission was extremely difficult and a
year into the expedition, Aguirre took part in the overthrow and killing of Ursua and placed Fernando de
Guzman in charge, a man who Aguirre could control and manipulate.
He and his men declared themselves a new Kingdom of Peru, independent from Spain, and captured Margarita
Island off the coast of Venezuela, killing many innocent people. Aguirre, however, became increasingly
paranoid and killed many of his companions, including Guzman, eventually ordering the execution of every
member of the expedition with noble blood. Down to 150 men, Aguirre moved to the town of Barquisimeto,
where he found himself surrounded by Spanish forces loyal to the King. His men deserted him, leaving him
alone with his daughter. Surrounded, Aguirre decided to kill his daughter, "because someone that I loved so
much should not come to be bedded by uncouth people". He was captured and shot to death; his body was
cut into pieces, with different pieces sent to nearby towns as a warning.
Image: Lope de Aguirre
14
Historical Context: Aguirre, The Wrath of God
The film
A group of Spanish conquistadors and a hundred Indian slaves are on an expedition in search of El Dorado. Reaching the
end of their supplies, the leader of the expedition, Gonzalo Pizarro, orders a group of forty men to scout ahead on rafts and
tells them if they do not return to the rest of the group within one week with news, they will be considered lost. Pedro de
Ursua becomes the commander of the smaller group of men with Lope de Aguirre as his second in command. As the end of
the week, Ursua plans to head back to the main party but Aguirre leads a mutiny against him, telling the men that riches
await them ahead. He appoints Fernando de Guzman as the leader but he is leader in name only; Aguirre becomes the true
leader, and is violent and oppressive. The expedition continues on a single raft - both Ursua and Guzman are killed and
several of the men die fighting when they attack a village. The men begin to starve, and start to hallucinate things,
including a wooden ship perched at the top of a tall tree. The raft is attacked again and the remaining soldiers are killed.
Aguirre is left alone, and the raft becomes overtaken by monkeys. In his final speech, Aguirre shouts: "I, the Wrath of God,
will marry my own daughter and with her I will found the purest dynasty the world has ever seen. Together, we shall rule
this entire continent. We shall endure. I am the Wrath of God! Who else is with me?"
Poster for the film
The process of making the film - a brutal quest of its own
The process of making Aguirre: The Wrath of God was a difficult and arduous one for both cast and crew. Director Herzog clashes repeatedly with his
leading actor Klaus Kinski, who was notorious for his short temper and violent outbursts. Kinski's tantrums terrified the crew and the local natives
wor ing on the film, who offered to kill him as a favour to Herzog (he rejected the offer). On one occasion, irritated by the noise coming from a hut on
set, Kinki fired three gunshots at it, blowing off the tip off one extra's finger.
Shooting took place in the Peruvian Rainforest on a low budget. The cast and crew climbed up mountains, cut through heavy vines in the jungle, and road
treacherous river rapids on rafts. At one point a flood covered the film set in several feet of water, destroying all the rafts built for the film. However, once
the film was released it received critical acclaim, with several critics hailing it a masterpiece.
15
Classroom exercise 2
Devising without language: using puppetry
Curriculum links: Drama, Dance, Art & Design
Length of exercise: 30 minutes
Space needed: Can be done in classroom
Materials needed: Selection of fruit & veg, toothpicks and skewers
Another way in which the cast members attempted to tell a story without using language is through scenes using puppets made out of fruit and
vegetables. Presenting your group with a selection of fruit and veg (useful items include lemons, blueberries, broccoli, corn on the cob, leeks,
cabbage or lettuce, grapes, potatoes, green beans and bananas), ask each student to make a character our of fruit and veg. These can be made
very simply and do not require any skill in puppet making – the key is in being able to give your puppet characterization rather than in what it
looks like. Eyes can be added by attaching blueberries and arms/legs can be added by attaching green beans.
Ask them to play around with their puppets, how they can move and, crucially, how they can express emotion or status through their puppets.
Then, putting them into groups please ask them to recreate the scenes they first created using movement (see Classroom exercise 2).
Special online content
You can see clips of the cast experimenting with different fruit and veg puppets here:
https://youtu.be/qxiBhJLxOBk
https://youtu.be/v82aappasU4
https://youtu.be/wQA_oM8B034
https://youtu.be/goxGl4JFFNA
16
A Day in the Life of an Assistant Director
Almudena Adalia
Special online content:
You can find Almu's online rehearsal diary here: http://www.toldbyanidiot.org/productions/heads-will-roll/rehearsaldiary
How did it come about? I met Paul Hunter nearly a year ago, when he interviewed me to be his assistant in a
previous Told by an Idiot production, 'Get Happy'. He was looking for a person who could speak Spanish to help him
with a performer/musician who was brought from Spain. I am Spanish, so that was easy for meI got the job
eventually and it was an incredible experience, a dream for an emerging Director who is interested in devising work
that is physical and playful.
A few months later, the producer asked me to join the company again for the new production 'Heads will Roll'. I was
completely thrilled. It's a special production for me, not only because of the opportunity of working with Paul
Hunter and the company again, but also because of the Spanish/South American background of the play and the
Spanish/ Colombian cast.
What do I do? I love being in the rehearsal room and participating with the Director, Designer and the cast, in the
creative process. Paul works by prompting improvisations from the cast, rather than from a solid script. That gives a
great amount of freedom to create. Everything is possible in a Told by an Idiot rehearsal room!
My role within Heads Will Roll is multifaceted. I am also a translator and a puppetry consultant. It makes me really
happy, because I have a wonderful insight into the project.
I try to arrive to the rehearsal room before 10.00 am to have time to have a coffee. Charlotte, our wonderful stage
manager, is always there already. Her role is so important to get the show on the road. She makes sure everything is
ready for rehearsals and takes care of any need or any issue we can have. She will eventually learn Spanish! Same as
Paul!
Almudena, pictured right
17
A Day in the Life of an Assistant Director
Almudena Adalia
Once cast and Director arrive, we do our warm up that normally involves physical and vocal warm up. Paul loves doing games. In the afternoon we always play a
ball game. We are getting really good at it! This in a very important part of the work to settle everyone into the room, and to provide our bodies and minds with the
freshness and alertness that is conducive to creativity.
Every day, the rehearsal room and director will have different needs. My role is essentially meeting those needs and to facilitate the work and the people making it.
That involves:
- Research on relevant events for the show
- Scene transcription, script updating, recording videos: As the piece is being devised, the scenes have been created through improvisation. As these
improvisations become more refined, we record them and then I transcribe them into a script. I keep track of everything that happens. I am not alone doing this,
Charlotte is doing it with me as well. She focuses on the technical aspects, props and stage arrangements. I focus more on the storyboard
- Note taking/prop buying: this could be for props required for certain scenes. If Charlotte has to leave the room then I'll make sure she gets the additional notes
for the creative team that are not yet full time in the room i.e. sound, costume, lights etc.
- Creative input and standing in for actors: Paul creates a very open rehearsal room, where everyone has space to share ideas and offer solutions. I'm happy to
step in for folk if they're out of the room for whatever reason and Paul wishes to work on a scene. I feel free, not shy or nervous, if I have an idea or a proposal I
want to share with the team. Nothing is wrong in the rehearsal room. Everything is about trying things out and see whether they work or not.
-Space arranging: The environment is crucial to creative flow. We need to keep the space tidy, available for everyone and ready to go!
-I am also a Spanish translator. Heads will Roll is mainly, but not only, inspired by some Spanish events and Colombian myths. The cast is Spanish and Colombian.
For Paul it was quite important to keep these elements and language on stage. That gives the play a real cultural insight and allows us to shift between English and
Spanish languages. For me, this is a rich characteristic of the play. As I am Spanish too, I keep the script updated with translations and I translate to Paul when
Alicia, our wonderful musician/performer, has been brought directly from Spain. She is the only one who doesn't live in the U.K, and her English isn't perfect. I am
her personal translator. It's being a wonderful experience for me and I am gaining a new skill. It means that I have to focus on everything that is happening.
-I am a puppetry practitioner myself. Paul was interested in having some unusual puppetry in the play. This involves a scene with vegetables, inspired by the
opening scene of the film 'Aguirre, wrath of God'. Paul asked me to lead this. It's a great experience to create a scene for the play and make vegetable puppets. The
first step was casting vegetables. Then we made the puppets and then we started playing with them till we finally developed the sequence.
18
Historical Context: The rise and fall of Eldorado
Throughout Heads Will Roll, a parallel narrative runs through of a group of TV executives making
the doomed soap opera, Eldorado. Eldorado was the real name of a British soap opera created by
the BBC in the early 1990s, set in a fictional Spanish town of Los Barcos. The soap focused on the
lives of British and European expats living in the town and was an attempt to be a glamorous
counterpart to Australian soaps like Home and Away and Neighbours.
The production was beset with problems from the very beginning. The production company built
an entire village from scratch halfway up a Spanish hillside, miles away from any city making it
difficult to organize transportation for the cast, crew and for provisions.
They employed inexperienced actors with limited English skills, and soon entire scenes were included in other languages, without English
subtitles. Scenes were shot very quickly in one take, with no time on the shoot for retakes or improvements. The production went over
budget and when it was broadcast, was met with scathing reviews and declining audience figures. The show was cancelled after 156
episodes and become a major embarrassment for the BBC.
The two narratives – of the Conquistadors searching for the lost city and of a group of people making a terrible TV show, at first glance
appear to be completely different. But it soon becomes clear that there are a number of similarities between the two.
Special online content
This documentary charts the creation of Eldorado and the reasons why it failed (contains swearing):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4yRYQmMsLU
19
Context: The Myth of the Golden Man
Below is the text of the myth of the Golden Man, used as stimulus during the devising process for Heads Will Roll and recreated
during the production.
Many many years ago, in the mountains of Colombia, there was a big lake called the Guatavita. And around this lake lived
an Indigenous tribe. The chief of the tribe was called the Cacique. He fell deeply in love with a beautiful maiden of a neighbouring tribe.
Soon the Cacique grew tired of his new family, and returned to his old life of drinking, fighting, and sleeping.
The beautiful maiden fell into despair, until one day she met a young handsome warrior.
Eventually the cacique discovered their secret and took a dreadful revenge.
A great celebration was held, and the cacique offered a special meal to the beautiful Maiden, the heart of the warrior.
The Maiden realised and in horror grabbed her daughter and disappear into the lake.
The Cacique full of remorse, turned to the Shaman.
The Shaman told the Cacique that he had to take all the gold of village, paint himself gold, sail to the centre of the lake, throw the gold into
the water and dive deep down into the murkey depths to beg forgiveness from the gods.
20
Classroom exercise 5: Mixing different eras and timescales
Curriculum links: Drama, History, English Literature
Length of exercise: 20 minutes
Space needed: Can be done in classroom
Materials needed: None
Heads Will Roll moves back and forth between various parallel timelines and narratives:



The modern day classroom
The Conquistadors in the 16th – 18th Centuries
The BBC Executives in the 1990s
By moving back and forth between these different narratives the production is able to draw connections between very different stories
that share universal themes – in this case, delusion, power and the quest for an impossible goal.
In groups, ask students to discuss the different timelines and narratives present in Heads Wil Roll – what parallels can be drawn between
them and how does the production weave them together? Ask the students in groups to brainstorm other parallels that they can draw
between other stories (either real or mythical) from the past and future, and present their findings to the rest of the group – what
parallels can be drawn between past and present that can explore timeless themes?
As an extension exercise, you can ask students to start to devise a scene that weaves these different stories together – what are the
challenges of doing this?
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Bibliography and links
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Heads Will Roll:
http://www.toldbyanidiot.org/productions/heads-will-roll/
http://www.toldbyanidiot.org/productions/heads-will-roll/directornote
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The Legend of El Dorado:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Dorado
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/archaeology/el-dorado/
http://www.fodors.com/community/south-america/colombias-lake-guatavita-and-the-search-for-el-dorado.cfm
http://tairona.myzen.co.uk/index.php/history/the_legend_of_el_dorado
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/archaeology/el-dorado/
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/raleighsam/286
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20964114
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Aguirre:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEhk8v47UGY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJDuicFyJPg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RmArOczMQE
http://www.classicartfilms.com/aguirre-the-wrath-of-god-1972
http://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/the-view-from-here/human-folly-and-megalomania-werner-herzog-s-aguirre-the-wrath-of-god-22019
http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/theconquistadors/a/aguirrelope_2.htm
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Eldorado (BBC show):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4yRYQmMsLU
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eldorado_(TV_series)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3362289/Set-of-TVs-Eldorado-preserved-as-ghost-town-in-Spain.html
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