Lesson plan
Henceforward...
The play Henceforward... is the first comedy in which Alan Ayckbourn includes elements of science fiction. It concerns Jerome, a composer, who develops a plan to persuade his estranged wife Corinna that his home life is sufficiently stable for her to allow their daughter to stay with him. The plan involves both an actress and a gynoid (the female equivalent of an android). Henceforward... was Ayckbourn's thirty-fourth full-length play. It was first performed at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough in 1987. It received its West End premiere at the Vaudeville Theatre on the Strand, London in October 1988. The cast in Scarborough and London included Ian McKellen (who was knighted in 1990, becoming Sir Ian McKellen) as Jerome, Jane Asher as Corinna, Emma Chambers as Geain aged 13, Serena Evans as Zoe, Robin Herford as Lupus, Suzy Newman as Rita, and Michael Simkins as Mervyn. This production won the 1989 Best Comedy category at the Evening Standard Awards for London theatre.
Article summary
The play Henceforward... is the first comedy in which Alan Ayckbourn includes elements of science fiction. It concerns Jerome, a composer, who develops a plan to persuade his estranged wife Corinna that his home life is sufficiently stable for her to allow their daughter to stay with him. The plan involves both an actress and a gynoid (the female equivalent of an android). Henceforward... was Ayckbourn's thirty-fourth full-length play. It was first performed at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough in 1987. It received its West End premiere at the Vaudeville Theatre on the Strand, London in October 1988. The cast in Scarborough and London included Ian McKellen (who was knighted in 1990, becoming Sir Ian McKellen) as Jerome, Jane Asher as Corinna, Emma Chambers as Geain aged 13, Serena Evans as Zoe, Robin Herford as Lupus, Suzy Newman as Rita, and Michael Simkins as Mervyn. This production won the 1989 Best Comedy category at the Evening Standard Awards for London theatre.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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