Blog Post 4: Commentary

The Brecht's techniques that we used:
- Expressionism
- Gestus
- Costumes and Makeup
- Setting and Positions
- Projection
- V-effect
One of the techniques we have used that really contributed to the V-effect was that we avoided placing emotions in the plot and constantly reminded the audience of the fact that it was only a play. For example, I was to shout out "lights, come on, faster" to the person controlling the lights when it was time to change scenes. This directly indicates to the audience that this was in the room of a theatre and purposely creating mistakes that would remind the audience of the reality outside the plot.

The costumes and makeup had contributed to the stress of expressionism of the play. Every character except the defence counsel had white paint because they were stressed to be the roles that were "out of their mind" and without common sense in the act. The white paint an dthe exaggerated eyebrow and moustache shows exaggeration and stresses the fake personalities and sarcasm of the roles.

By Rose. These photos are of the different roles in the play. The costumes show their roles. The white paint indicates that they are on the bad side of the act. Some of the makeup is to indicate gender. For example, Linda (Giri) had moustaches to indicate that she is a man in the act. 

Also, we explored the setting, lighting, and projection concepts of Brecht's techniques. We have used placed the setting to look like a courthouse. However, we did not overdressed the setting since we still wanted it to look like a empty theatre space. The lighting we used changed depending on what happens in the scene and its focus changes to directly draws the audiences attention to the main actions in the scenes. 

Photo By Rose. Setting and Lighting of the performance

We used projection to directly inform the audience of what happens in the play and how it relates to the real world. This would help the audience to not guess and waste time, instead they would just need to logically deduct the meaning of the play through already knowing what is happening. This then would allow the audience to be able to propose change to the society according to the message in the play, effectively. 

The ending message to the audience using projection. 

Reflection of our play: 

I thought that overall, the performance of our play was good. I thought that the performance of all of our roles meets a certain standard that is enough for the performance to be reasonably successful. However, I thought that we could have done better. I thought that because I was very nervous, I did not focus on exaggerating and using the techniques. This might have caused me to contribute less to delivering the message of the play to the audience. 

I thought that Jeremy, Linda, and Terry did a good job in performing their roles and using the techniques. This was shown because they were not that nervous on the outside and they were very open in their actions and expressions. However, I thought that all of us could step our exaggeration level up and create humour in the play, so that it will be more fun and vivid for the audience to enjoy. 

I also thought that since one of the audience had explained that we could have a little more props like hats to state the roles of the play and the genders of these roles better. The improvement to the stage details could be all in place if there was more time allowed and the organisation of our time was better. 

Audience feedback of the play:

We had one of the audience that had no background knowledge of the play and Brecht to watch our performance. We had asked him to describe what he thought he learned about the plot of the play an what message he received from it. It had resulted that he had mostly understood the whole plot of the play. Also, he had understood the message that we were trying to deliver. He understood that there was a powerful group trying to corrupt the government and its laws through nonsense, and ultimately understood that this was related to the situation of WWII. He said that many of our techniques such as light, setting, and projection had helped him to understand the scenes and play. Also, he thought that the expressionism and the exaggeration created humour that he thought was very interesting and attracted him to concentrate on the play more. 

Two of the Year 12 Drama students which have experience in performing theatrical pieces have stated that all of us needed a boost in our exaggeration and familiarity with the lines and the gestures. They have reflected that this could have helped the performance be better and more fun to watch. 

Applying this in other subjects: 

Firstly, we have learned to brainstorm and plan before acting. In the beginning of the unit, we have made brainstorming diagrams to help us plan what we are going to do for our performance. This has helped us organise our work and our thinking. I think that this will be very useful and important for all subjects, since everything without planning and organisation would be chaotic.

Secondly, I thought that the transfer skills that were used to transfer what we learned about Brecht's techniques to our practical performance was very useful as well. This skill would then be very useful for learning in many subjects since everything we learn have to be once used in practicals. 

Also, deeper and a more clear understanding of the global context will help us in our MYP studies. 

Task 3: Rehearsal of the Performance

In the rehearsal's, we explored the use of a range of the different Brecht's techniques and involved it in our performance.
Firstly, we all have started out acting in a very shy way, therefore, not exaggerating our actions as we needed to, and involving too much emotions in the lines. This would then cause the failure of stressing expressionism like we should through using Brecht's techniques. Therefore, slowly through getting used to exaggerating all our actions, and creating humour and sarcasm in the lines, we successfully achieved a part of the Verfrumdungseffekt purpose.
Secondly, we used costumes to help directly inform the audience of each of our roles. For example for Sonny, since he was the evil doctor of the play; we first bought a doctor's mask for him to symbolise his role to the audience. However, we all decided to wear the same base costume (black top and black pants) since overdressing would make it close to realism, and if we do this it would help remind the audience about the fact that this is the play.

Additionally, we had used lights to show the audience where to place their focus on. This would increase the impact the purpose has on the audience. For example, in the image below, the light was focused on me (defence counsel) while I was speaking.

Jeremy fixing the lights and positioning them

We created humour through using different gestures and tones in the play. This refers to the Brecht's technique of Gestus. By including this, we could successfully criticise the plot (real political situation) which was the purpose of the play. Also, through this we would gain more attention from the audience and let them enjoy both the message and the play itself during the performance.

After we have incorporated these techniques into the play, we had to memorise the lines and the techniques before the actual performance. We found out with the limited time it was hard. Therefore, we had tried a speed run through the lines many times to memorise our lines effectively. By speaking our lines fast over and over again, I found it very useful and later we became a lot more better in our lines than before.
The process of the rehearsals very useful and I felt that I had learned a lot in terms of using the theoretical techniques into practicals.

Blog Post 2: Statement of Artistic Intentions

The artistic intention for this unit is to use Brecht's techniques to inform the audience about the issues and dangers underlying the use of technology and innovations. We have chosen a scene from Brecht's play, "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui". We chose the scene of the trial that was held in the courthouse. Firstly, the play teaches the audience about how the scientific and technical innovations that Hitler brought into the region was dangerous. Also, in the scene we chose, Brecht used a lot of different innovative techniques to deliver the play's purpose in a scientific and logical approach. In the process of preparing and performing the play we intended to artistically express how "Scientific and Technical Innovations" can be merged into the arts. This is done through delivering the play's message of criticising the negatives of technical development, while using innovative techniques.
We used a range of Brecht's techniques in the performance. For example, throughout the play we stressed and used expressionism as a feature so we can enhance the impact the criticism has on the audience. The costumes and props used in the play are going to break the 4th wall between the actors and the audience by intending to show directly what the characters are as well as reminding the audience directly it is a play. Lights and signs are going to be use to purposely intend to directly show what is happening in the scene and interacting with the audience.
All of these techniques are intended to complete Brecht's famous concept of Verfrumdungseffekt. This concept is to limit the audience's emotions and deep connection with the plot of the play; but to stress the importance of the message of the play through allowing them to logically think and later propose change in the society and political situation. This effect is to use all of the elements in theatre to directly tell what the audience needs to know about the plot of the play so they would not need to guess or think. This would be a more effective way. For example in the play we would use signs and projection to show the audience what happens in the scene before it is performed.
This effect intend to heavily stress through performing a play that informs the audience about certain issues that underlies development.

Blog Post 1: Brainstorm and Planning of the Global context and SOI

We had spent one lesson planning and brainstorming our project against the SOI and the global context for our unit.

For this unit, our SOI was that “Artists raise awareness of the implications of change and innovation through their work”. Our project this unit was to learn about Bertolt Brecht’s theatre through acting a scene of his play “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui”. We had made multiple links of between our unit’s SOI with Brecht’s work that we have studied. Firstly, Brecht’s work was based on the context of World War II, where change was happening to everything that surrounded Brecht at that time. His work was highly influenced by these changes. The play that we have studied, “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui”, was a play that critiques Hitler’s action when he rose to power. Hitler’s power changed the society, innovated different communication techniques that had influenced the society very much. The change and innovation were the factors that urged the innovation of Brecht’s work. Additionally, Brecht had innovated techniques and used it in his work to achieve the purpose and intentions of his plays. He had implicated his innovations to cause change in the surrounding society that also has experienced ongoing change. The purpose and intentions of his plays were obvious to the audience, and his techniques helped to clarify and enforce it. These were the links that we had come up with during the workshop of brainstorming the links between the studies in our unit with the SOI.

For the Global Context of the unit, it is “Scientific and Technical Innovation”. For this unit, Brecht’s work had shown to be very relatable to the global context. Firstly, the context of Brecht’s work had been WWII, which was a time where Hitler had innovated and improved the technical areas of expertise to the benefit of the war and the German people. The global context surrounds innovations that are in the benefit of others. Secondly, Brecht’s work has been innovated to help achieve a purpose. This purpose was to educate and help the audience understand the world through theatre. Again, this highlights the importance of the global context in the project. Brecht’s work uses techniques and science to a certain extent to reach a purpose, which reminds people of the importance of innovation in theatre. These links shows the importance and how the global context is highlighted within the project.

In our project, we will be using Epic Theatre techniques to continue Brecht’s purpose of helping the audience understand the world through theatre. These techniques are very crucial to the effect of the theatre since it highlights and urges thinking processes in the audience. Therefore, although we don’t cause huge changes in the society while performing the scene to the audience. We still intend to change the thoughts of the audience about the society through theatre, like what the SOI and the global context have stated. The workshop this time had helped all of us become more clear about our intentions in the unit, and understand the purpose of our SOI and the global context of our unit better. 

Brecht Workshop 4: Verfrumdungseffekt

There are two activities in this workshop. The first one was where a person was describing an object that the others cannot see as if it was foreign. This was a representation of Brecht's concept: Verfremdungseffekt, which was also named the alienation effect. This allowed the audience to recognise the reality but also see things from a different point of view. This activity helped us understand how the effect took place.

The second activity was where a "alien documentary" of human life was made about something ordinary. We made a documentary about school, where there was the existence of school bells, teachers, and books. We played with describing the normal objects as foreign things. Also, we played with making the performance really looking like a documentary where it could be rewinded and paused. The reporter in the act was to be the person that speaks to the audience about the act and distances the audience away from the actors. This was how Brecht used this effect in his work. Therefore, through these workshops we had learned and experienced how to use Brecht's concepts in theatre work.

Brecht Workshop 3: Exaggeration Vs Realism

During this workshop, we had two volunteers that acted out a scene between a doctor and a patient. This doctor was set to be one that was evil and was greedy for money. The patient was a patient in need for treatment that was poor with no money. The first time the scene was acted out, it was to be normal.
The second time, the actors were asked to exaggerate their actions.
However, the actors had exaggerated it too much, that the message became unclear. Therefore, that was when we realised that sometimes it is not good to exaggerate too much. The appropriate amount of exaggeration has to be used so that the message is clear.















The third time, was when the right amount of gestus was used, and the message was clear that how doctors are greedy.

Brecht Workshop 2: Gestus

For this workshop, there were two activities that were done. The first activity was Nursery Rhymes and the second one was Still Images.
Nursery Rhymes:
During this activity, we were split in pairs and stood on opposites of the room facing each other. Then we were to choose a nursery rhyme and sing it across the room all at the same time. The aim was to let the other person on the opposite side of the room know what you are singing when they are singing theirs to you. To make that happen we had to use big movements, body language, big gestures, etc.

First, we were shy to express ourselves fully, so we were quiet and used small gestures. Later, we were asked to do it again, and asked to exaggerate our motions. This had helped us to really start using exaggerated motions in the workshops. We had all started to become louder in sound and bigger in actions. Therefore, I thought that this activity was very useful for our learning process.

Still Images:
During this activity, we were split into groups of three and two. Then we were asked to produce 4 images that explain each love, fear, regret, and respect.

Later, we were to narrate whatever was behind the story of the still images.

By presenting stories using still images, puts situations 'under the microscope'. With narrating, the still images are presented into full situations.Therefore situation rather than character is the basis for the action.
This had helped us understand Brecht's concepts of theatre.

Brecht Workshop 1: Introduction to Style

On February 7, 2017,  we had our first Brecht workshop. We learned before the workshop about Brecht's work briefly. Mainly about the ways he uses to stress non-realism in his work to allow the audience to have the ability to think and judge rationally. We worked on 4 workshops on that day.
During the first workshop, we were told to act out something we do everyday (i.e. morning routine). Then later we were told to act it out again, but narrate every single action done in the act.

This workshop's aim is to introduce us to Brecht's style of narrating what is exactly happening on the stage. This style he uses helps fulfill his purposes, since it gives the ability to think and judge clearly to the audience. This workshop helped us to be introduced to the active theatre used in Brecht's workshops. It started us off to be more comfortable to be acting exaggerated moves. I thought that it was a good start for the day.