As a director explain how you would present the chorus in your production of these scenes in order to convey the nightmare quality of the piece to your audience

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As a director explain how you would present the chorus in your production of these scenes in order to convey the nightmare quality of the piece to your audience

You may wish to consider:

  • The number and gender of the chorus members
  • Performance style
  • Interaction with the audience and with other characters,
  • Their movement
  • Vocal qualities
  • Costume.

You should refer explicitly to relevant experience of drama and theatre.

 

The narrative function of the chorus offers a 3rd voice, almost as if K is being watched by some mysterious entity, that it is commenting/narrating to the audience. K is not aware of the Chorus on a conscious level and therefore cannot engage them in conversation yet he is able to feel their presence. The chorus narration creates the sense that a linear chain of events is in sequence and K is their ‘subject’.  The Chorus would be the most versatile groups of characters. I will use all of the chorus, parts of the chorus and small groups of the chorus where I believe appropriate. Each member of the chorus will not have a specific character but will adapt to the circumstances of the scene.

        In total I would have 20 chorus members, all men. I want this high a number of people as when they are all on stage they will create a confusing effect, which is common to many nightmares. I would not have any women in the chorus as they stereotypically represent the mother figure which is one of caring. This goes against the nightmarish quality I as the director would be trying to achieve. However, more direction must be given to the male cast in terms of their voice, movement and physical appearance. I have chosen men  because physically they are able to create more noise and have more powerful voices than women. Also the fact that their voices are generally deeper than womens helps me create a bullying/taunting theme which I want maintained throughout. For example, chorus will be on stage, on all sides of K when they say: “You are charged – charged – in fact arrested…” I would ask the chorus to be aggressive, nasty and dominative towards K, as if they were bullying him. This part of the piece, the chorus are on one side against K. To demonstrate this they all look down upon K who is at this stage on his knees in the centre of the mob. The chorus shouting their lines at him, in unison would then begin to trail off at the end of the lines, repeating them quietly discordantly in accordance with the stage direction: [Repeat as voices echo in the distance]. The costume of the chorus at this point would be police uniforms and dark sunglasses to prevent eye contact, thus making K feel uneasier. The costumes would be identical to emphasise the fact that the chorus represents a mass force rather than a group of individuals. Movement would be very mechanical, when walking towards K they march in unison, stamping their police boots in an attempt to intimidate K. All the movements of the chorus should be identical, very organised and very formal. No member of the chorus must show any emotion, not even anger when they shout.

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The script divides the chorus into 5 sections.  I would have each section made up of 4 men. This means that when each section is talking, no section appears to have any more significance than the others. For variety though, and to make the choral parts more interesting, I will focus on each groups movements and costume, which relevantly reflect the themes of the piece. Section one: Judges, Section two: police, section three: prisoners, Section four: businessmen, section five: chimney sweeps. Thus giving each section of the chorus a character/angle. This selection of “society” is unbalanced and based on the ...

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