A case of law and order

English students at Pipers Corner took on the roles of Witness, Defendant, Lawyer, Judge and Jury member this week when they participated in a mock trial based on the JB Priestley play “An Inspector Calls” - a text they are studying as part of their English GCSE.

Priestley’s play is a three-act drama, which takes place on a single night in April 1912, focusing on the prosperous upper middle-class Birling family. The family is visited by a man calling himself Inspector Goole, who questions them about the suicide of a young working-class woman, Eva Smith (also known as Daisy Renton). The family is interrogated and revealed to have been responsible for the young woman's exploitation, abandonment and social ruin, effectively leading to her death.

The task of the girls in the mock trial was to use the play script as the basis for a trial of the Birling family members, alongside Sheila Birling’s fiancé, Gerald Croft. Each girl took on a role and prepared for the trial, using their knowledge of the play from lessons. For the defendants this included the presentation of their side of the story on the stand.

The lawyers for the prosecution, along with the lawyers for the defence, questioned each of the defendants in turn, under the watchful eye of the Judge and several Jury members. Also present in court were girls playing the parts of Inspector Goole, the victim, Eva Smith and even the playwright himself, JB Priestley.

The exercise was a fantastic way for the girls to really get to the heart of the story. It provided them with an opportunity explore the characters in greater depth and gain a real sense of the messages Priestley was trying to get across through the drama - chiefly what he saw as the grave consequences of social inequality in Britain at the time.

At the end of the session it was the Jury’s responsibility to say whether they found any of the characters guilty of the manslaughter of Eva Smith. In the case of this Jury they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict as each member had their own point of view on who could be held accountable. Nevertheless, it was a thought-provoking lesson for the girls which really brought the study of this piece of theatre to life.