Epic Theatre/Verfremdungseffekt

Epic Theatre uses a mode of theatre that utilises gestus. One of the main features of epic theatre was for the audince to always be aware that they were always watching a play, a technique that was called the alienation effect (Verfremdungseffekt) Which as quoted: "Prevents the audience from losing itself passivley and completely created by the actor, and which consequently leads the audience to be a consciously critical observer". Brechts overall idea was to make sure the audience fet detatched from the play so they would become immersed within the fictionality of the play or feel emotionally attached to any of the characters. Brecht would highlight the idea of not becoming drawn into the fictional reality of the play by doing things like having the entire theatre lit up with normal lighting and having the soundmen and background people visible on stage. Brecht would also have the people wearing their own choice of clothes instead of having the dressed in black, making them even more visible. The V effect is achieved by the way the actor "never acts as if there were a fourth wall besides the 3 that surround him." This way the audience can no longer have the illusion of being an unseen spectator at an event that is really taking place. In other words the direct use of the audience in epic theatre is a way of shattering a stage "illusion" and generating the V effect. Brecht's use of the V effect is to make sure the audience are not fully immersed within the world of the play, due to the idea that Brecht wanted the audience to ask questions and become critical of themselves.

Helene Weigel on Epic Theatre

Character Choices

During one excercise we were given given character names and occupations. Once given these names (my "name" was Cedric Horehore") we each individually had to interpret character physicality and voice based only on the name of the character. This helped my personally understand how Brecht presented his characters to his audience. During this excercise I learned that by making big character choices with physicality and voice, they help amplify the character's personality to the audience, for example I decided to make my characters walk very rigid, stiff and quick to express that he is a formal person, but also someone who is always in a rush and quite busy. I also gave the character a very forced grotesque smile to communicate that his smile is more of a formality rather than a reflection of his personality or how he feels, and that in fact, he is probably a unplesant man. I also realised that Brecht uses names to reflect character so that the audience do not have to figure out the character and therefore do not connect to the character itself.

Gestus

Gestus is an acting technique that was developed by Brecht that uses a combination of gesture and attitude to present a character without  having to go too in depth to the characters emotions. We used and example of Gest in class to help clarify how it works. We had 2 scenes. The first scene I had to walk on stage as a soldier. I did this by walking very rigid and by taking carefully placed step. Once I got infront of the audience I saluted then walked back in the same way. The salute was the gesture that made the audience figure out I was a soldier without me having to say a word. The second scene had me repeat the same walk. This time "Dead Bodies" (other students) were placed on the floor. As I made the same journey, this time I had to kick the bodies as I walked, then I saluted as normal then walked off stage. This was then the attitude, as the audience managed to pick up that my character was someone who does not care about war due to the fact that I kicked the dead bodies As I walked past. Gestus reveals a specific aspects of a character: rather that his subconscious or other psychological aspects. Gestus makes visible a character's social relations and the casuality of his/her behaviour.

Video on Greece Finincial Crisis

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18115664

Response to "The Price"

The Price

When reading this play through for the first time, it initially makes no sense. None at all. Its almost off putting. The conversation goes from reading glasses to dead babies and its quite hard to follow. But this is a play that is very smartly written that raises issues without you even realising (For example, the play mentions greek currency as a refrence to the financial crisis, which I did not realise until a classmate raised the point). The play sparks many questions when analysed properly with out making it directly obvious that the play is more or less a political and social commentary. The play is appropriately set in a supermarket (considering the play is centered around money, and material objects) Some of the issues/questions asked were : 

• Are we obsessed with money?
• How much are we willing to pay for things?
• How have we got to this point?
• Does money always reflect value?
• The objectification of children
• The importantce of material things
• Being unable to meet financial demands

I think the tounge in cheek manner that the play is presented in makes the play slightly hard to understanb but im glad I had to read it a second time. As it is well worth the read.

Bertolt's Breakout

WW1 Medical Station

At age 16, well into his years of puberty, he didnt have to worry too much about trivial things such as bad hair day's or spots breaking out. No. The one thing that did break out, much to the dismay of many civillians all around the world was the First World war. Brecht was initially enthusiastic about war. Though this quickly changed due to him seeing his classmates "swallowed by the army". Upon daddy's reccomendation he managed to avoid the army by applying for an additional medical course at Munich University, in which he managed to enrol in 1917. There he managed to study drama with Arthur Kutscher, a
 historian of literarure and researcher of drama. Arthur is primarily known for working with and inspiring playwrights such as Peter Hacks, Klabund, Hanns Johst and Erich Muhsam. Although he is mainly responsible for inspiring Brecht's admiration for dramatist and cabaret star Frank Wedekind (who would be seen as a major factor to the development of  Epic theatre), he was also said to have been "bitterly critical" of Brechts work. July 1916 is when Brecht began writing newspaper articles under the name 'Bert Brecht'. Brecht did not manage to escape the clutches of the army as he was drafted into service in the autumn of 1918, though he was only sent back to Augsburg where he worked at a medical clinic. And even then he only stayed there for a month as the war ended soon after. Got pretty lucky if you ask me. 

Bertolt's Beginnings

When beginning this blog, I was thinking where to start, then it hit me. Being someone who is often told and fully believes in the phrase "Simple is just as effective as technical" (kinda made that up on the spot) I decided where else better to start, than the history of the main man himself, Bertolt Brecht. Bertolt had a rather unspectacular upbringing. A script did not fall from the sky when he was 9 years old, inspiring him to write for the better of humanity, nor did he decide to write socialist plays on the back of a truck while escaping from the Allied Forces of WW1. No. Bertolt Brecht was born in Augsburg, Bavaria to a protestant mother and a catholic father (who had to be persuaded to have a protestant wedding). While his father became a directing manager for the paper mill he worked at in 1914, his mother was making sure Brecht knew the Bible. Whether he enjoyed this as a child or not I am uncertain, But what both Him and I both are certain of is that that familiarity with the bible would have an impact on his writing during his life. He also drew direct inspiration from his mother, as from her came the came the "dangerous image of the self-denying woman" that recurs in his drama. Though he claimed he was from a background of poverty Brecht lived quite comfortably middle class. Going to a normal school in Augsburg, where he would meet a lifelong creative partner in Caspar (no not the ghost) Neher . Neher is quite a pivotal asset to Brecht as he designed many sets for him and helped establish the very distinctive iconography for Brecht's "Epic Theatre"

Rebel