Discuss, in detail, how you as a performer might approach a role within this section.

Rhianna Ingram 10Y Drama, The Caucasian chalk circle

Discuss, in detail, how you as a performer might approach a role within this section. You will need to give details of the part that you have chosen to play and intended audience response. You will need to include reference to voice, movement, characterisation and relationships created on stage.

We are looking at Scene 2, page 20 to 25, from the Governors wife’s line “Only essentials! Quick, open the trunks….” To the end of the scene. This section contains the characters: Grusha, The Governors’ wife, Cook, Chef, The young woman, Adjutant, A Fat woman, Nurse, Stablemen, Simon, The third woman and the Singer. I am going to look at the Singer.

Berlolt Brecht and his techniques

Brecht was a very political and scientific writer he didn’t agree with all of the political actions at that time. Hitler wanted to kill him after some bad publicity from Brecht so, he fled to America where he wrote this plays. He wrote parable plays to try and get a point over to the audience, each play had a different moral; he tried to change people’s minds on their political views. In order to keep the audience from getting too involved in each play, Brecht only names certain characters. Creating characters that overpower the audience is not good; it can make the audience only think about that one character.

Brecht doesn’t really have any one main or higher character (thinking in levels of importance and wealth) as all the focus would be put on them. He does include very powerful characters at times, i.e. the Governor, yet he dies soon after he is introduced. This also includes giving characters names. People can get too attached to a certain character if we learn too much about them. An example of this technique is shown in the following quote “THE EXPERT: comrade Agronomist! THE AGRONOMIST: Last winter…” (Page 6, The Expert & The Agronomist). Brecht doesn’t directly name characters i.e. ‘The young woman’, ‘The peasant woman’. He also does not like to normally say anything about that character, history or any extra information. He tries to include as many characters as possible so you cannot become attached to them and you concentrate on the story line and the moral. In scene 1 there are 14 or 15 different characters, in scene 2, 22 characters are included. He tries to avoid long ‘one on one’ confrontations and keeps on including other people here and there. (Ref. Page 20, where the Nurse interrupts the conversation between the Governors Wife and the adjutant and on page 22 when lots of characters are involved in large discussion). This makes people stop thinking about what has happened and concentrate more on what is happening right then.

This is a preview of the whole essay

Brecht structures plays differently he creates each scene to portray a story, this is called episodical, people were free to walk in and out of the theatre and alcohol could be brought in. The public liked this, and that encouraged them to come to more of his plays. His main goal was to get people to think about the story line, during and after the play so another technique he had was to stop and change the tense people spoke in, Scene 2, page 13, “GRUSHA: I don’t understand the solider. What’s so good about it?” She changes tense from 1st person to 3rd person, this distracts the audience and hopefully makes them think more carefully about what she meant by that. Brecht liked to used techniques like this to kept the audience listening he wanted them to at most ease whilst watching so they can soak in the moral of each episodic scene.

I believe, the most important trick Brecht used to keep the audiences occupied was by linking each character with an object. Grusha, for example, after she became engaged to Simon, he placed a silver cross on a chain around her neck. From this moment onwards someone else can play Grusha but the audience will still know it is her character by the silver cross and chain. The Governor and his wife are portrayed by the wearing of rich garments. An example of this is when the Governors wife says “Why? I must have the silver dress – it cost 1000 piastres. And that one there, and all my furs.” Scene2 page 21

The Singer

The Singer is very important, one of the main parts in the play and the ‘play within the play,’ yet unlike Grusha, is not given a name. At the beginning the Singer is seen as “THE SOLUTION” to the goat and fruit farmer’s problem, of who should take the land.

“ This is the comrade expert, Arkadi.” (The girl tractor driver, scene1, page 8)

As a performer I would interpret the singer as female, being more gentle and calm about each situation rather than aggressive.

She introduces the main story at the beginning of scene 2; the Singer becomes a narrator to the ‘play within the play,’ starting every scene with a short description of what has been happening.

“ Once upon a time

A time of blood shed

When the city was damned

It had a Governor.”

The Singer can be portrayed in different ways, as one of the characters who, when she is speaking is on the same level as the other performers and they carry on performing whilst the singer is speaking. She could also be a member of the audience; they can then share a ‘one on one’ with the Singer. She then hopefully distracts them from the play to explain what has been happening.

Brecht also uses the technique of dividing the stage by separating the Singer from everyone else. Either the other characters freezing when she is speaking or she is placed on a higher or lower level to show she is different can achieve this. The Singers speeches are varied, she can be described as giving stage directions at times where she directs what each character does. Yet she rationalises each scene. Sometimes the Singer only comments on the surrounding actions and functions as a voice over.

There are no stage directions for the Singer, in this section or in ‘the play within the play.’ This could suggest that she is lower or higher than everyone else but, most importantly it shows her narrating responsibility. Perhaps the Singer is watching what is happening and never leaves the stage, but using one of Brecht’s techniques, the Singer could be played by a variety of different people who are all wearing or holding a certain object to show they are the Singer.

When I played the part of the Singer

I was taking on a difficult, yet surprisingly fun role, even though the personality, from first impressions, is very serious and stern. Trying to create new and interesting gestus’ and facial expressions was challenging. I started the task by looking at the importance of the role, higher and lower levels of staging, characters and groups taking on the part and other Brecht techniques.

I decided that I didn’t want the role of the singer to be one individual person or a group of people committed to the part. Instead I wanted it to be performed by one of the characters, i.e. if a speech from the singer related most to the Adjutant, and he wasn’t on stage then he should read the script, but if the adjutant was on stage then somebody lower in power or wealth, or someone who meant a lot to him should read it. I would decide in each instance which character was most relevant to deliver the speech. For example:

“As she was standing between the courtyard and gate, she heard

Or thought she heard, a low voice. The child

Called out to her, not whining but calling quite sensibly

At least so it seemed to her: ’Woman’ it said, ‘Help me’.” (Page 24,Singer)

A beggar or petitioner, from the beginning of the scene, should read this part of the speech. The baby is pleading, begging for a little attention and help. We see this at the beginning of scene 2 as well where the beggars want help from the governor. So this theme links the two characters.

The following speech relates to the Governors Wife.

“Don’t you know woman, that she who does not listen to a cry for help

But passes by shutting her ears, will never hear

The gentle call of a lover

Nor the Blackbird at dawn, nor the happy

Sigh of exhausted grape picker” (Page 24, Singer)

If this was delivered using the right voice and the right person it could show a completely different meaning. I would give this part of the speech to the Governors wife. It is the complete opposite of who she is and what she stands for. She doesn’t hear the happy sigh of exhausted grape picker or the blackbird at dawn and she certainly doesn’t hear the gentle call of a lover. The Governors wife is too involved in her wardrobe to care about anyone else, she is selfish, powerful and too rich for her own good. We assume she married the Governor for his money and she neglects everyone around her. This is shown when she leaves her baby, behind only caring about herself and her rich clothes. She is a very arrogant women and it doesn’t bother her that her husband has just been killed. So by saying this speech it shows, not her loving side but her hypocritical and crude side.

Not only should different characters play the Singer but also they should be seen as the singer when they are speaking that part. A small area of the stage was dedicated to the singer when I performed the part. The character that is reading should also be recognized as who they are as well as the singer. The singer may be the narrator to the story and explains their movements but to keep the audience thinking, the singer should be seated on a small raised circular platform. Here I have shown my thoughts visually. I didn’t personally use this but when analysing my own performance and how I could possible improve the standard. This is what I thought of.

There is also a well-thumbed embellished script placed on a music stand. The script tells us this character is a narrator and the music stand and musical notes embellished on to the book symbolise the Singer.

When the singer is speaking that particular characters vocal tone should change. This should only be to suit the piece that they are reading and facial expressions are very important. The two last factors I used when directing and acting in this section was 1) gestus and 2) lighting.

Gestus should be small but visible, i.e. when the line “ The city full of flame and grief” (Page 24, Singer) is said the gesture could simply be to point in to the distance and bow their head, telling us how bad and horrible it is and where the grief is coming from. Simple but effective movements create a better atmosphere. “ The soft breathing, the little fists” (Page 25,Singer.) When this line is spoken perhaps the current singer could simply look down at their fists and hold their hands to together. Look as though they are thinking back to their childhood.

Lighting is the last and most important thing. A soft spot light should be on when the singer is speaking and gentle fade when they have stopped, No colour should be used when lighting the character and no defined line around the person, just a gentle diffused light surrounding them.