Everybody's Talking About Jamie (ATOM Study Guide)

★★★★★ 'A joyous, life-affirming Billy Elliot' – The Independent

★★★★★ 'A burst of joy' – Time Out

★★★★★ 'This fizzing musical is a blast of fresh air' – The Times

Jamie is sixteen and lives on a council estate in Sheffield. Jamie doesn't quite fit in. Jamie is terrified about the future. Jamie is going to be a sensation. Supported by his brilliant loving mum and surrounded by his friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies and steps out of the darkness, into the spotlight. Inspired by a true story, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is the new award-winning five-star hit musical for today. Winner of three WhatsOnStage Awards including Best New Musical and nominated for five Olivier Awards, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie was filmed live at the Apollo Theatre in London's Shaftesbury Avenue especially for cinemas.

Curriculum Links

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is suitable for secondary students in Years 9–12. In Years 9 and 10, the film is a recommended resource to teach subjects in the following learning areas:

• English
• Health and Physical Education
• The Arts

In Years 11 and 12, the film is a recommended resource to teach:

• Drama
• English
• Health and Human Development 
• Media
• Theatre Studies

The film can be used to teach the following Australian Curriculum general capabilities:

• Ethical Understanding
• Literacy
• Personal and Social Capability

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie provides opportunities for students to learn about:

• teenage identity and belonging and the factors that shape these;
• a range of different types of sexual orientation and gender identities;
• the experiences and challenges faced by young people who identify as LGBTQI+;
• the implications of attitudes and behaviours such as prejudice, discrimination and harassment on individuals;
• the importance of positive and respectful relationships.

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie can also be used to assist schools in building supportive school environments and as such, may also be used in the teaching of pastoral care programs at Years 9–12. It is important that students are provided with strategies to support their learning about themselves and others. Students with well-developed social and emotional skills find it easier to manage themselves, relate to others, develop resilience and a sense of self. Within this frame of reference, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie provides opportunities for students to learn the following:

• Self-awareness: the ability to recognise and understand their own emotions, values and strengths, have a realistic assessment of their own abilities and a well-grounded sense of self-esteem and self-confidence.
• Self-management: the ability to manage their emotions and behaviour, persevere in overcoming obstacles, set personal and academic goals, develop self-discipline, resilience, adaptability and initiative.
• Social awareness: the ability to perceive and understand other people’s emotions and viewpoints, show understanding and empathy for others, identify the strengths of team members, define and accept individual and group roles and responsibilities, be of service to others.
• Social management: the ability to form positive relationships, manage and influence the emotions and moods of others, cooperate and communicate effectively with others, work in teams, build leadership skills, make decisions, resolve conflict and resist inappropriate social pressure.

The study guide activities promote student engagement and active participation via individual reflection, class discussions and small group activities and teamwork. The activities do not have to be undertaken in the sequence in which they appear in the guide and it is not necessary for students to complete all the activities to appreciate the performance. Multiple activities are provided to allow teachers to select those which will best suit the demands of the subject and the needs of the students. In completing the tasks, students will have demonstrated the ability to:

• engage in detailed analysis of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie;
• analyse the representation of ideas and issues in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie;
• discuss the social and cultural values embodied in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and draw comparisons between the world created in the production and past and current contexts;
• develop and justify their own interpretations of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie;
• create a wide range of texts, make presentations and contribute actively to class and small group discussions. Teachers should preview Everybody’s Talking About Jamie prior to using the musical as a curriculum resource.

Everybody's Talking About Jamie contains mature themes and strong language.