I enjoyed performing in a space where a lot of obstacles popped up, due to it being in the library. The site we chose to locate our performance was quite cramped and so it was important to use the given space in the most productive way possible. Our performance conveyed a strong story line, especially as it was physical as well as vocal. We didn't just split scenes and devise sections but took the audience on a physical journey around the library. I thought the use of props and set was intelligent as we utilised books in more than one way and staged parts in a unique fashion. It was unfortunate that we didn't have a large number of audience members , especially at the start when we were having to interact with them to speak of our favourite book character. Following that was the song on the stairs, which I believe was very effective and really helped kick off the performance.The violence and intention really came across in the volume, marching and unison of the piece. I think one more rehearsal would have just clarified when people come in, as a lot of people weren't in time and forgot when to start.
One of the most successful pieces of the performance, in my opinion was when we were as an ensemble in the columns near the computers. Such simple lighting made it very effective and the passion in the synchronised lines made it come to life. I feel like it went very quickly and was rushed-but that might possible be because we were used to running it through and getting it blocked. Manny's section of the text really challenged all of us as actors to help him out and prompt his further lines. Once I got up to say my part of the line, Manny had moved onto the wrong line and so I said the beginning for him. Thankfully he continued into the rest of his monologue. I was aware that other people also helped him out and it just pleased me that everyone had each other's backs.
I was very surprised that not one person laughed throughout the whole performance as we had rehearsed several times and still managed to smile and certain lines. There were comical parts in the play that should of had a greater reaction but I guess people felt too dependent on each other to give out a mutual reaction. An audience will always be different and will always react differently so it's just down to the right time and people to get the best responses.
The devised book part, after Ernesto's speech seemed very rushed to me. A lot of people were getting through their line quickly and it put me off so when it was my turn I switched my line but luckily it was a synonym of the original word that I messed up. I've realised that if i'm not in the moment or even a bit anxious (no matter how big of the part in a performance) I find it easy to trip up on a line even though I know it back to front.
In rehearsals the transitions were clean and polished but once it came to having an actual audience that weren't familiar with the space, it caused some confusion on where to go and what the best spot to watch would be. It's a major disadvantage that most of the library space is packed ; it was hard for the audience to see some parts but it also worked to our advantage of being an intimate space where light and sound could clearly be seen or heard.
In conclusion, the final scene of our play was the strongest and most visually striking. We ended with two meaningful stories ,which I felt really had an impact of some of the people in the audience. That bit included the most thoughtful gestures and movement to emphasise its reason.Various Brechtian techniques were imputed at that time and worked effectively with our concept.
From some of the feedback -
Wednesday 9 December 2015
Protest Evaluation
It was all so worth it! All the hours we spent in the library and time outside of school to try and figure out a creative way for a theme we were uncertain on, paid off. So far we've done so many directed plays that it was refreshing to devise a piece that relied on our own innovative ideas. I have no idea why but me and a majority of the other actors were exhausted and drained after only 20 minutes of performance but I guess it meant we were doing something right.
Throughout the performance we had a persistent high level of audience interaction and thankfully many people were wanting to get involved with our piece. People were willing to talk to me and my group while still being in character. Honestly it was challenging because people would do anything it took to try and make me corpse my character and so I did manage to laugh at certain points. However we received a lot of great reactions at the peaks of our performance when we weren't being in the moment. A lot of people seemed to sympathise with my character and go along the idea of helping me, while others just tried to distract me.
It did take a lot of time for the audience to come in and when my group were coming to the point of a dramatic climate such as the argument and whenever we managed to get a few people they were rushing off to get somewhere. I guess the main positive for groups performing in the cafeteria was that the majority of people were there , whereas we had to wait for people to pass through.A problem that I individually experienced was some people didn't understand I was included in the 'immigrant group' due to the fact that I wondered about to talk to people and came to the other actors when I was supposed to. We had set times and points when we thought it would be best to create a chaotic scene.
It did take a lot of time for the audience to come in and when my group were coming to the point of a dramatic climate such as the argument and whenever we managed to get a few people they were rushing off to get somewhere. I guess the main positive for groups performing in the cafeteria was that the majority of people were there , whereas we had to wait for people to pass through.A problem that I individually experienced was some people didn't understand I was included in the 'immigrant group' due to the fact that I wondered about to talk to people and came to the other actors when I was supposed to. We had set times and points when we thought it would be best to create a chaotic scene.
Malala
Taliban restrictions:
From the age of eight, females were not allowed to be in direct contact with males other than a close "blood relative", husband, or in-law .Other restrictions were:
- Women should not appear in the streets without a blood relative or without wearing a burqa
- Women should not wear high-heeled shoes as no man should hear a woman’s footsteps lest it excite him
- Women must not speak loudly in public as no stranger should hear a woman's voice
- All ground and first floor residential windows should be painted over or screened to prevent women being visible from the street
- Photographing or filming of women was banned as was displaying pictures of females in newspapers, books, shops or the home
- The modification of any place names that included the word "women". For example, "women's garden" was renamed "spring garden".
- Women were forbidden to appear on the balconies of their apartments or houses
- Ban on women's presence on radio, television or at public gatherings of any kind.
"Religious education is for the afterlife, and the education we receive at this school is for this life."
- Ziauddin, 12, Pakistani student
Monologue
You know when you’re ready to tell someone
a piece of bad news and have gone through every possible scenario in your head
of how you badly they might respond to the situation-well it wasn’t like that
at all. After having told my children that our local library was coming to a close,
the house just seemed a lot livelier. The only sort of reaction I got out of
them was a shrug and a puzzled face from George- and even that wasn’t intended
because it took my son time to comprehend that the library wasn’t an actual
myth. I mean I didn’t understand, I was sure at least Jenny was a bookworm.
She’d manage to take out 8 books a week! But then in the end she just admitted
she used it as free bragging rights to insist she knew more about the rainbow
magic fairies than her friends did. I guess they cared less and I more than I
thought I would. But that’s not even the problem. How was I going to pay for
all my children’s resources if I’m the only parent in the house. I’m going to
have to save up on one of those iPod screens aren’t I? Or one of those- what do
you call them-..kindles. All my life, I’ve tried to bring up my kids without
having to rely on the evolution of technology and what do they do-shut down its
ancestor of knowledge. I’m telling you, if Dickens knew about this, he would
not be pleased.
I was given the circumstances of a single mother with two children and had to use it as my stimulus to write a monologue in relation to the closing down of libraries. I mention two children, one a 6 year old girl and the other a ten year old boy/ I researched the types of books that a girl of that age might enjoy and went through best-sellers, popular suggestions etc. One of those books was the 'Rainbow Magic Fairies' book series, which I thought would be perfect for a younger girl. In addition I was aware of the book series as it was very popular when I was a child.
Brechtian Techniques
Verfrumdungseffekt/ The V Effect/ Distancing/Alienation/De-familiarisation-The actual term translates closely to distancing, not physically like proxemics but mentally so that the audience doesn't feel connected to what they're viewing. This initially causes the audience to question everything they don't understand or don't have the answer to. This technique is very useful when it comes to highlighting a particular point in the piece to emphasise its significance, It doesn't have to be done in an obvious way but it could mean that the particular section is perhaps more heavily lit, slowed down, frozen,just a way to attract more attention to the intended piece. In other case the weird is exaggerated as a way of alienating by making the familiar look strange to make the audience look twice at the situation. I personally think Brechtian techniques have the strength of subverting expectations as the actors are free to play around with the methods and technicality of fulfilling and leaving the hows and whys up to the audience. Of course they have the intentions and ideas for those themes but they aren't obvious and revealed in the performance. De-familiarisation is just another way to remind the audience that in reality they are watching a piece of theatre and are there to enjoy themselves but to question and be inspired by, rather than empathise with. In specific areas the director may decide to spotlight a gesture someone is carrying out; therefore find a way of changing it. For example an important line could be altered through tone, volume or pitch. Alienation gives an audience member enough time to examine and rethink the in-the-moment performance. Bertolt Brecht avoids emotional investment without killing the interest and engagement of the audience. I feel like a lot of Brechtian work is utilised in plays with a parable as it's an exciting way to inspect some crucial topics of social ad political work.
Epic theatre breaks the fourth wall-an imaginary wall between actors and audience which keeps them as observers. They are active members throughout of the theatrical experience as they are kept thinking throughout, not switching off. Brecht encouraged actors to get dressed on stage into any costume for the audience to see.
Placards-
: Taken from BBC Bitesize
Spass- This translates as 'fun'. The whole point and purpose of theatre, without the intentions of educating, is to entertain people! Even if the message itself is serious Brecht realised that comedy could be an excellent way of engaging the audience and forcing them to think about issues. Spass is a method to break tension whenever felt that the audience are falling into the routine of emotional connection. Examples of spass could be: a comic song, slapstick or a stand-up routine. It’s ‘silliness’ in effect but often makes strong social comment in the way it’s used in the treatment of a serious subject.
Gestus- Gestus captures a moment or attitude rather than delving into emotion. Brecht and his actors studied photographs of the plays in rehearsal to ensure each moment worked effectively. Could the audience tell by the actor’s gestures alone what was happening in the scene? Brecht referred to characters by archetypal names such as 'The Soldier' or 'The Girl' ,similar to the time of melodrama when you stuck to one stock character and summed them up with a general name everyone would respond to.
Class exercises
Moody objects.
In this exercise we explored the combination on physicality and emotion in a weird way. It followed the idea of alienation that the spectators shouldn't be emotionally engaged with what they're watching; that job is made much easier if what they're watching is deemed as abnormal.Examples that we were given to embody were: an angry , a sexy chair and so on. By juxtaposing the two concepts, you make the audience question what's in front of them. People are free to have several interpretations and different perspectives, that way it can be personal or open to judgement. Unlike a piece of plot which you find in dramatic theatre, you aren't lead to the answer and are made to answer your own enquiries individually.
Pregnant Woman+ Capitalist Man.
The core production of Brechtian work comes from the exploration of social class, hierarchy and political issues. Through this element of devising , actors create bold caricature-like characters that represent their social ideologies through the use of their bodies. We're all aware of social stereotypes but this can be practical in Brechtian work, where we're already familiar with certain figures.Physicality should instantly reflect some basic background information and insight into an epic character's life.It should be achieved ina simplistic way as the characters are constantly in and out of the piece.
The pregnant woman carried out the line of 'how will I provide?' and the capitalist man- 'am I meant to care when reacting to the statement-the factories are closing down.Actor, as predicted, went with similar characteristics such as wide, spread apart legs; a cigar, a stuck out stomach and chin for the capitalist man to indicate his superior upper class.
In this exercise we explored the combination on physicality and emotion in a weird way. It followed the idea of alienation that the spectators shouldn't be emotionally engaged with what they're watching; that job is made much easier if what they're watching is deemed as abnormal.Examples that we were given to embody were: an angry , a sexy chair and so on. By juxtaposing the two concepts, you make the audience question what's in front of them. People are free to have several interpretations and different perspectives, that way it can be personal or open to judgement. Unlike a piece of plot which you find in dramatic theatre, you aren't lead to the answer and are made to answer your own enquiries individually.
Pregnant Woman+ Capitalist Man.
The core production of Brechtian work comes from the exploration of social class, hierarchy and political issues. Through this element of devising , actors create bold caricature-like characters that represent their social ideologies through the use of their bodies. We're all aware of social stereotypes but this can be practical in Brechtian work, where we're already familiar with certain figures.Physicality should instantly reflect some basic background information and insight into an epic character's life.It should be achieved ina simplistic way as the characters are constantly in and out of the piece.
The pregnant woman carried out the line of 'how will I provide?' and the capitalist man- 'am I meant to care when reacting to the statement-the factories are closing down.Actor, as predicted, went with similar characteristics such as wide, spread apart legs; a cigar, a stuck out stomach and chin for the capitalist man to indicate his superior upper class.
Sunday 22 November 2015
Research
The core evidence of our protest, being political, of course came from media and newspapers. A story we kept coming across was the subject of Aylan, the boy who drowned trying to escape war-torn Syria. So we went back to the news articles and kept the subject as a theme for our performance. Our actual point of protest was to allow more migrants into our country. The image went viral on social media and piled pressure on European leaders.
Justin Forsyth, CEO of Save the Children, said: “This tragic image of a little boy who’s lost his life fleeing Syria is shocking and is a reminder of the dangers children and families are taking in search of a better life. This child’s plight should concentrate minds and force the EU to come together and agree to a plan to tackle the refugee crisis.” ^We took this quote as proof of our views and made my character from it- A woman desiring a better life for her child and in need of food, water and stable shelter.
'The world has been captivated by images of Aylan Kurdi, a Syrian toddler who drowned this week while fleeing war-torn Syria. The 3 year old died during the dangerous boat journey from Turkey to Greece, as did his 5 year old brother, Galip, and his mother. Nine others on the boat also perished.
Justin Forsyth, CEO of Save the Children, said: “This tragic image of a little boy who’s lost his life fleeing Syria is shocking and is a reminder of the dangers children and families are taking in search of a better life. This child’s plight should concentrate minds and force the EU to come together and agree to a plan to tackle the refugee crisis.” ^We took this quote as proof of our views and made my character from it- A woman desiring a better life for her child and in need of food, water and stable shelter.
The UK isn’t the largest EU port of call for migrants.
And despite all the talk about “Polish plumbers” and Ukip leader Nigel Farage’s call to leave the EU to “regain control” over the country’s borders, most people vying to settle in Britain come from outside the trading bloc. The top two arriving nationalities are in fact Chinese and Indian.
Plan for Political Protest
 |
| ^Our Desk Sign |
The theme of our protest is immigration. It’s revolved around the idea of a strict boarder control and harsh policies which play to an advantage of the UK however doesn’t help other people from outside of it. We want it to be located at the top of the stairs before the main doors, that way we’ll grab a lot of people’s attention going to and from the building. The barriers are used as a property to create the barriers of the border control next to the patrol officers. We also want to use it as a display for posters signs and facts to help back up our piece. The montage/ poster collage is in black and white with a striking red sprayed sign-‘let more in’. This refers to our principal point of allowing more people beyond the border into the UK as life is a bigger challenge is some areas and doesn’t provide as many facilities or development. The very centre on either side of the fencing is where the table/desk stands for border patrol. This is the space where Delainey and Gabriel stand to decide whether a person should or shouldn’t be allowed to move on. In a way and to some extent they are allowed to pick out racial stereotypes and question people’s nationality to play with the idea of restricted placement within Britain. I’ve made a poster which is a key of symbols to indicate the authority of different people. As actors we get to choose and judge people or randomly pick out one of the three. Obviously anyone labelled with the red cross ( an unwanted outsider ) will get a harsher reaction and impertinent approach to them. This way we get to cause a bit of trouble and chaos which will help the audience question the matter.
We will hang these posters up on bins and barriers for the audience to find an easy way of understanding why we've categorised them with symbols.
Costume:
I'm going to keep to the script of 'please sir/miss i'm very hungry. do you have any water/food you'd offer me? Please I have a young child...'
Delainey and Gabriel: As evident in the picture both of them dressed up as boarder control. However we decided to add a twist with Gabriel and make it a bit more meaningful as the same role. Delainey stuck to the more recognisable costume as an interrogating security guard/ boarder patrol. Her attire consisted of dark colours, a puffy jacket, a megaphone with which facts and insults could be addressed and a security badge. Gabriel got hold of a yellow jumpsuit and blue gloves to cover the idea of someone who is in a place of infection. The infection being those with red crosses or my character: the immigrants.
We used illustrated some of our research into the posters. We were already aware of the story of the drowned boy who was washed up on a beach. Even though it was very disturbing we decided to include the explicit image around the school of the migrant crisis.
Nazi Book Burning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHzM1gXaiVo :I watched a documentary on youtube 'Nazi Book Burning' which was published by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
"Where books are burned, in the end people will be burned" -Heinrich Heine, 1821, German poet
-Books represent humanity at its best and its worst. To burn books is simply a fundamental repression of ideas.
I've been taught in many different history lessons by passionate teachers, both from english and polish school that the main aim and reason to why knowledge was abolished for people other than Germans was it was a threat to their system. Educated people and those with professions such as doctors, lawyers, businessmen, politicians were murdered for being a possibility to build defence against the Nazis and form any sort of way that would clash with Hitler's ideologies. We know knowledge is a power and those with the most have a chance of change for the better. Hitler would prioritise his own aryan race, mind wash them into thinking and believing anything he wanted. The opposite of this of course was to annihilate businesses and educated forces from the enemy, a majority of people and minorities. There was a focus of targeting the Jewish and others such as the black, disabled, homosexual etc.. A major strike that took place on behalf of the Nazis was on 1st April 1933 where one of the first boycotts took place on Jewish Businesses. Books that were considered dangerous by the Nazis were burnt. For example:
80/90 thousand volumes were burnt. For week afterwards books were confiscated from libraries, bookshops and from private collections.
“Reading is not an end to itself, but a means to an end.” - Adolf Hitler, from Mein Kampf
The Nazi Book Burnings were a campaign conducted by the German Student Union to ceremonially burn books in Nazi Germany and Austria in the 1930s. The books targeted for burning were those viewed as being subversive or as representing ideologies opposed to Nazism. These included books written by Jewish, pacifist, classical liberal, anarchist, socialist, and communist authors, among others.
-Books represent humanity at its best and its worst. To burn books is simply a fundamental repression of ideas.
I've been taught in many different history lessons by passionate teachers, both from english and polish school that the main aim and reason to why knowledge was abolished for people other than Germans was it was a threat to their system. Educated people and those with professions such as doctors, lawyers, businessmen, politicians were murdered for being a possibility to build defence against the Nazis and form any sort of way that would clash with Hitler's ideologies. We know knowledge is a power and those with the most have a chance of change for the better. Hitler would prioritise his own aryan race, mind wash them into thinking and believing anything he wanted. The opposite of this of course was to annihilate businesses and educated forces from the enemy, a majority of people and minorities. There was a focus of targeting the Jewish and others such as the black, disabled, homosexual etc.. A major strike that took place on behalf of the Nazis was on 1st April 1933 where one of the first boycotts took place on Jewish Businesses. Books that were considered dangerous by the Nazis were burnt. For example:
 |
| This book written by the German author Erich Maria Remarque was burnt as it was deemed dangerous to the German Party. |
80/90 thousand volumes were burnt. For week afterwards books were confiscated from libraries, bookshops and from private collections.
The Nazi Book Burnings were a campaign conducted by the German Student Union to ceremonially burn books in Nazi Germany and Austria in the 1930s. The books targeted for burning were those viewed as being subversive or as representing ideologies opposed to Nazism. These included books written by Jewish, pacifist, classical liberal, anarchist, socialist, and communist authors, among others.
Transcripts
Transcript from Oscar- 17 year old Student
Discussing the subject of closing libraries:
Me: How do you feel about the fact that libraries are closing down?
O: Libraries are and were an instrumental institution for my families. My parents are quick readers , my dad sometimes manages to read four of five books in a day and my grandparents were teachers who saw it as a fundamental resource. I feel sad that with libraries closing down, future generations will not have the same access as us or our parents to such wealths of knowledge.
Me: Do you feel it's an essential or communities to have a library near by?
O: Libraries now more than before allow us to access different cultures, even with the internet age, the content of books is much more trusted and for some it is a necessary place in their community. i find it hard to imagine a community without such direct access to reference materials, be it Shakespeare or a Travel Guide, both of which are necessary to understand a culture and the likes of which are rarely on the internet with such a high level of quality.
Me: Did libraries play a major part in your education and childhood?
O: Over the last 17 years I have been a weekly member of our local library-taking out a book every week. My parents even attempted to use eBooks, but were disgusted by the flimsy screens and limited practicality.Our library remains to have a huge range of books in many languages and it seems hard to imagine swapping to anything else.
A short conversation from my 5 year old sister Nicola, also on the same topic.
Me: Hey Nicki. I'm going to ask you some questions on the topic of libraries. Are you ready?
N: I know libraries.
Me:That's great!
N:They do lots of books.
Me: Where do you get the books you bring home to read from?
N: From School.
Me: Do you go to the library as a school to get those books?
N:Yes
me: All the together?
N:Yes. And we all read in the library
Me: alright. What's your reaction to libraries closing down? (rephrase) How do you feel about libraries closing?
N: Sad.
Me: Why are you sad?
N:Because...because, when they're closing- I think I feel really sad because then I will not read and then I will not have books to read.
Me: Where do you think we will get those books from if we can't get them from a library?
N: A different place.
Me: What place?
N: Mexico
*Olivia's laughing*
Me: Do you prefer to read books or read through the phone?
N: Books.
Me: What are your favourite types of books?
N: Princess books!
...
Conversation with my Mum, Agnieszka, aged 33
Born and raised in the country side in Southern Poland.
Me: Try your best to answer the questions in english please.
A: I'm not answering your questions in english!
Me: But then it'll take me longer to translate. Okay, carrying on.
What are your views on our local library?
A:The one's close to us are terrible. It depends where, in what region you live in. There are definitely higher quality books in better areas; you have a greater selection..
Me: What's your opinion on the shutting down of libraries?
A:I'd be extremely dissatisfied ..because I believe a book is a book! It's nice to go to a library, take your child to view the different books and choose something their selves.
Me: How will different generations cope in a few years time without the access of libraries?
A: I suppose they're already all use to technology and a different kind of world that it won't make much of a difference to them.
Me: Love it. What memories do you have from your childhood with libraries or the internet?
A:*laughing*-
We had no libraries or internet! ... There were none, i'm telling you the truth. In my time we had none.
Me: So how did you access information?
A: We could borrow books from our school.
Me: Did you go often?
A: Do you want me to tell you the truth? You went often to the library due to the fact if you borrowed a certain amount of books in a month you'd get points in a particular subject.
Me:-So you were a 'nerd'?
A: Yeah, well the teacher then realised students were only taking out books for that reason.
Me:Did you read a lot?
A: No, not much.
Me: Well thank you
Discussing the subject of closing libraries:
Me: How do you feel about the fact that libraries are closing down?
O: Libraries are and were an instrumental institution for my families. My parents are quick readers , my dad sometimes manages to read four of five books in a day and my grandparents were teachers who saw it as a fundamental resource. I feel sad that with libraries closing down, future generations will not have the same access as us or our parents to such wealths of knowledge.
Me: Do you feel it's an essential or communities to have a library near by?
O: Libraries now more than before allow us to access different cultures, even with the internet age, the content of books is much more trusted and for some it is a necessary place in their community. i find it hard to imagine a community without such direct access to reference materials, be it Shakespeare or a Travel Guide, both of which are necessary to understand a culture and the likes of which are rarely on the internet with such a high level of quality.
Me: Did libraries play a major part in your education and childhood?
O: Over the last 17 years I have been a weekly member of our local library-taking out a book every week. My parents even attempted to use eBooks, but were disgusted by the flimsy screens and limited practicality.Our library remains to have a huge range of books in many languages and it seems hard to imagine swapping to anything else.
A short conversation from my 5 year old sister Nicola, also on the same topic.
Me: Hey Nicki. I'm going to ask you some questions on the topic of libraries. Are you ready?
N: I know libraries.
Me:That's great!
N:They do lots of books.
Me: Where do you get the books you bring home to read from?
N: From School.
Me: Do you go to the library as a school to get those books?
N:Yes
me: All the together?
N:Yes. And we all read in the library
Me: alright. What's your reaction to libraries closing down? (rephrase) How do you feel about libraries closing?
N: Sad.
Me: Why are you sad?
N:Because...because, when they're closing- I think I feel really sad because then I will not read and then I will not have books to read.
Me: Where do you think we will get those books from if we can't get them from a library?
N: A different place.
Me: What place?
N: Mexico
*Olivia's laughing*
Me: Do you prefer to read books or read through the phone?
N: Books.
Me: What are your favourite types of books?
N: Princess books!
...
Conversation with my Mum, Agnieszka, aged 33
Born and raised in the country side in Southern Poland.
Me: Try your best to answer the questions in english please.
A: I'm not answering your questions in english!
Me: But then it'll take me longer to translate. Okay, carrying on.
What are your views on our local library?
A:The one's close to us are terrible. It depends where, in what region you live in. There are definitely higher quality books in better areas; you have a greater selection..
Me: What's your opinion on the shutting down of libraries?
A:I'd be extremely dissatisfied ..because I believe a book is a book! It's nice to go to a library, take your child to view the different books and choose something their selves.
Me: How will different generations cope in a few years time without the access of libraries?
A: I suppose they're already all use to technology and a different kind of world that it won't make much of a difference to them.
Me: Love it. What memories do you have from your childhood with libraries or the internet?
A:*laughing*-
We had no libraries or internet! ... There were none, i'm telling you the truth. In my time we had none.
Me: So how did you access information?
A: We could borrow books from our school.
Me: Did you go often?
A: Do you want me to tell you the truth? You went often to the library due to the fact if you borrowed a certain amount of books in a month you'd get points in a particular subject.
Me:-So you were a 'nerd'?
A: Yeah, well the teacher then realised students were only taking out books for that reason.
Me:Did you read a lot?
A: No, not much.
Me: Well thank you
The Practitioner
About Bertolt Brecht
The playwright, poet and theatre director was born in 1898 in the German town of Augsburg.
After serving as a medical orderly in the First World War and appalled by the effects of the war, he went first to Munich and then to Berlin in pursuit of a career in the theatre. That period of his life came to an end in 1933 when the Nazis came to power in Germany. Brecht fled and during this period the Nazis formally removed his citizenship, so he was a stateless citizen.
In either 1920 or 1921, Brecht took a small part in the political cabaret of the Munich comedian Carl Valentin Brecht's diaries for the next few years record numerous visits to see Valentin perform.Brecht compared Valentin to Charlie Chaplin, for his "virtually complete rejection of mimicry and cheap psychology".He learnt most from Valentin, who performed in a beer-hall. He did short sketches in which he played refractory employees, orchestral musicians or photographers, who hated their employers and made them look ridiculous. The employer was played by his partner, Liesl Karlstadt, a popular woman comedian who used to pad herself out and speak in a deep bass voice.
By the time of his death in 1956, Brecht had established the Berliner Ensemble and was regarded as one of the greatest theatrical practitioners.
As an artist, Brecht was influenced by a diverse range of writers and practitioners including Chinese theatre and Karl Marx.
His most acclaimed work is 'Mother Courage and Her Children'. Although it’s set in the 1600s, the play is relevant to contemporary society and is often regarded as one of the finest anti-war plays. Fear and Misery of the Third Reich is Brecht’s most overtly anti-fascist play. This work analyses the insidious way the Nazis came to power.
Watching this clip, produced by the National Theatre, definitely enlightened me and helped me to understand the discipline and elements of what make theatre Brechtian. The video gave clear examples from on stage of how some techniques were applied. For example, alienation came through when one of the actors used his own mouth to produce the sound effects of a bomb going off whilst being on stage for the audience to see. In some pieces of naturalistic theatre the fourth wall is gradually taken down ; i feel like in Brechtian theatre the fourth wall is completely demolished. What I mean by this is that no director choose to subtly introduce the idea during their play that it is indeed a performance and is there to be examined but automatically throw it in your face without warning that it should be analysed seriously. It's like trying to familiarise yourself with something you'd have no reason to and are meant to find the weird, the norm. I agree that for some members of the audience before understanding Brechtian techniques it can be quite disconcerting yet visually thrilling to watch. I'd say most Brechtian technique isn't applied in the acting but the blocking, staging, lights and installations.
The playwright, poet and theatre director was born in 1898 in the German town of Augsburg.
After serving as a medical orderly in the First World War and appalled by the effects of the war, he went first to Munich and then to Berlin in pursuit of a career in the theatre. That period of his life came to an end in 1933 when the Nazis came to power in Germany. Brecht fled and during this period the Nazis formally removed his citizenship, so he was a stateless citizen.
In either 1920 or 1921, Brecht took a small part in the political cabaret of the Munich comedian Carl Valentin Brecht's diaries for the next few years record numerous visits to see Valentin perform.Brecht compared Valentin to Charlie Chaplin, for his "virtually complete rejection of mimicry and cheap psychology".He learnt most from Valentin, who performed in a beer-hall. He did short sketches in which he played refractory employees, orchestral musicians or photographers, who hated their employers and made them look ridiculous. The employer was played by his partner, Liesl Karlstadt, a popular woman comedian who used to pad herself out and speak in a deep bass voice.
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| Brecht on the flute; Valentin on the tuba and Liesl Karlstadt on the left. |
By the time of his death in 1956, Brecht had established the Berliner Ensemble and was regarded as one of the greatest theatrical practitioners.
As an artist, Brecht was influenced by a diverse range of writers and practitioners including Chinese theatre and Karl Marx.
His most acclaimed work is 'Mother Courage and Her Children'. Although it’s set in the 1600s, the play is relevant to contemporary society and is often regarded as one of the finest anti-war plays. Fear and Misery of the Third Reich is Brecht’s most overtly anti-fascist play. This work analyses the insidious way the Nazis came to power.
Watching this clip, produced by the National Theatre, definitely enlightened me and helped me to understand the discipline and elements of what make theatre Brechtian. The video gave clear examples from on stage of how some techniques were applied. For example, alienation came through when one of the actors used his own mouth to produce the sound effects of a bomb going off whilst being on stage for the audience to see. In some pieces of naturalistic theatre the fourth wall is gradually taken down ; i feel like in Brechtian theatre the fourth wall is completely demolished. What I mean by this is that no director choose to subtly introduce the idea during their play that it is indeed a performance and is there to be examined but automatically throw it in your face without warning that it should be analysed seriously. It's like trying to familiarise yourself with something you'd have no reason to and are meant to find the weird, the norm. I agree that for some members of the audience before understanding Brechtian techniques it can be quite disconcerting yet visually thrilling to watch. I'd say most Brechtian technique isn't applied in the acting but the blocking, staging, lights and installations.  |
| Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children at the Olivier Theatre |
This particular video focused on the emotional aspect the audience connects with the play of 'Mother Courage and Her Child'. As we know, Brecht moves away from the idea of letting the audience feel comfortable enough to watch a piece of theatre and challenges them to reanalyse the situation with how and why something is occurring. One person mentioned how Brecht wants us to be 'affected by what's happening but in many different ways'. Honestly i'm left a bit confused because I thought the idea of emotional connection between character and audience was stripped away yet the woman states how important it is to leave enough space in a political piece where the audience can enter themselves. Although I understand the end product is for the individual to enjoy what's going on but be allowed and persuaded to view it as an examiner of why something may be. Having never watched a piece of Brechtian theatre, i'd established this quite mundane, educational history lesson in my head of what it would look like but i realised the practitioner wasn't crazy enough to filter all the elements that makes a piece of theatre so intriguing. In the end theatre should prioritise entertainment rather than it being polemical.
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