"How Does The 'The Caucasian Chalk Circle' Fit Into Brecht's Idea Of 'Epic Theatre'?"

Essay on "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" "How Does The 'The Caucasian Chalk Circle' Fit Into Brecht's Idea Of 'Epic Theatre'?" "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" by Brecht is an example of "Epic Theatre." Epic theatre is an anti-natural style of theatre, which brings forth a moral to the story rather than entertaining the audience. By the end of the play, the audience should leave the theatre without a sense of satisfaction because most problems are left unresolved. The audience should also be questioning their society. The person who just views the play would likely take it as fantasy and not reach the true depth of the play. The theme throughout the play is natural justice versus class justice, and that people should stand up for their rights. Brecht uses his own style to make "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" a form of Epic theatre, he sends out a moral to the audience, his moral is that resources should go to those best able to make use of them. Other plays may just be acted to entertain an audience. In epic theatre the moral revolves around the play while on the other hand in natural theatre, the characters revolve around the play and the audience feel the characters' emotions and feelings. The characters in other plays will be realistic, but in "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" the characters are unrealistic but the have to pretend to be realistic, the characters have no emotions, the

  • Word count: 1106
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
Access this essay

"Lea Anderson draws her influences from many sources to create work which challenges stereotypes." To what extent is this seen in the work you have studied?

"Lea Anderson draws her influences from many sources to create work which challenges stereotypes." To what extent is this seen in the work you have studied? Lea Anderson is choreographer for two dance groups; The Cholmondeleys and the Featherstonehaughs. For the majority of her dances Lea will begin by creating a scrapbook on a topic that has interested her in day-to-day life, for example something she has seen in the street or on an advert. She will begin to build up her ideas in a scrapbook, collecting from magazines and newspapers things that are related and linked to her original stimulus. The next stage is to take her ideas to either of her dance groups. Lea will go about creating the dance in a workshop fashion whereby her dancers produce the dance going off the given stimulus. Lea then pieces together the various sections to form a dance. Lea's work is based on stereotypes. Stereotypical characters are those, which people expect to see, it is a general perception of society. She uses various ways in which to portray her thoughts about stereotypes, often gender based. Her thoughts being that male and female should not be treated differently but as one. She portrays this constantly throughout her work by using male and female stereotypes. Take for instance Perfect Moment; the dance uses both groups, the Cholmondeleys and the Featherstonehaughs. Anderson uses

  • Word count: 571
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
Access this essay

Is Not I A Life Assuring Play? Samuel Beckett wrote Not I in 1972. It has often been described by the term 'Theatre of the Absurd'

Is Not I A Life Assuring Play? Samuel Beckett wrote Not I in 1972. It has often been described by the term 'Theatre of the Absurd'. This term was invented by Martin Esslin and refers to plays written in the 1950's and 60's. It originates from an essay by the French philosopher 'Albert Camus' called 'The Myth Of Sisyphus', and describes the situation of man as 'totally meaningless'. Beckett's plays often contain this idea; they suggest that man is out of tune with the universe, and that we as humans cannot decipher what our meaning or purpose is in life. Waiting for Godot, Becketts first play presents the idea that our roles have no purposes, and that man is a troubled and doubtful creature. At the time when Waiting For Godot was written, the Hiroshima bomb had just exploded in Japan, bringing an end to the second world war and leaving desolation in it's wake. This news of human life being wiped out on such a massive scale changed people's consciousness, broke down social boundaries, wavered religious beliefs, and most of all, provoked absolute despair. This fading out of religion, and lack of conviction that there was any help or resolution out there, is present in Beckett's Not I. Whilst in Waiting For Godot there are discernable characters, in Not I Beckett presents 'Mouth'. Mouth laughs at God, yet also seems to fear Him. Her constant references to 'punishment', which

  • Word count: 1241
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
Access this essay

How different were Greek theatres to modern theatres

Fred Speight How different were Greek theatres to modern theatres Theatre today as in ancient Greek times is a popular from of entertainment. Today's theatres share many similarities with the Greek predecessors however they are also very different. There are in fact many differences for example; layout, special effects, seating arrangement, the importance of drama and religion, setting, location and architectural features. In ancient Greece festivals were mainly held at the Great Dionysia. This was the oldest theatre in Greece and many plays were performed here for example the first performance of Antigone. The patron of the theatre was the God Dionysus and there was a temple near which was dedicated in his honour. There was also a statue of the patron Goddess Athene. Today there is no link between religion and theatre, as we live in a multi-cultural society with people who follow many different faiths; therefore the theatre is secular to appeal to all people. First I will discus the various aspects of ancient Greek theatre then compare with today's modern version of theatre. Today it is widely believed that theatre first began in ancient Greece, the evidence people used to come to this conclusion was from ancient Greek plays, Greek art and architecture. Orchestra The diagram on the right shows the layout of a typical Greek theatre. The circular area in the middle of

  • Word count: 1716
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
Access this essay

"Discuss the ways in which the following are used in the contemporary dance work you have studied"

Emma Wardle Dance "Discuss the ways in which the following are used in the contemporary dance work you have studied" Essay structure: Introduction - Definitions of structure, dynamics and mood. Structure of Matthew Bourne's Swan lake e.g. Acts or scenes, story/narrative * Princes bedroom - nightmare * Palace - formal royal life - Paparazzi * Palace - prince introduces girlfriend * Theatre * Princes bedroom - Row between him and queen * Club - Thrown out * Outside club - wanders to park * Park - swans * Ballroom - recognition of swan * Princes bedroom - prince delirious/sedated * Dies - reaction of queen Dynamics - The how. Work through the different types and ways in which dynamics are used in dance. What they result in. * Time * Weight * Space * Flow Mood, tension throughout scenes. How created. * Contact * Expression * Mirror * Film - can focus - lighting * Movement * Costume * Gesture * Set Conclusion - How the three link etc Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake is a prime example of contemporary dance. Taking his influences from aggressive swans, his personal life, and several of his colleagues from the Laban centre where Bourne completed the majority of training, Bourne has recreated Tchaikovsky's classic ballet. Bourne has given his piece a clear structure, and within it has incorporated dynamics and mood to build tension. A structure is an

  • Word count: 1119
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
Access this essay

Sports Development

Sports Development Introduction Within my placement period for sport development I wanted a placement that was both challenging and interesting. For me it seemed too easy to apply to my old school to teach PE. I wanted to do something with a sport that was under developed, with this in mind I secured a placement with Dance Northern Ireland the largest dancesport organisation on the island. Introduction to organisation Dance Northern Ireland is located in Holywood and was formed in 1997 with clearly defined aims,objectives and operating principles. Dance NI's role is that of facilitator and promoter of dance in general, whilst reaching out to as wide an audience as possible. The development of Dance in Northern Ireland with opportunities for the development of professional practice and performance are paramount. Also the commitment to quality, equality and accessibility for all. Dance N I has a Board of Directors with a management team lead by Director Vicky Maguire and six other salaried staff. Dance NI functions with a large volunteer base and operates on a relatively small budget of £40,076 per annum largely funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council. As an organisation they regularly seeks funding from other sources. Introduction to your role in the organisation After my initial meetings with the Director, I was placed to work

  • Word count: 1968
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
Access this essay

Theatre Royal in Winchester production of '1984'

04 May 2007 984 Evaluation On the 19th November 2002 myself, and a group of year eleven students went to the Theatre Royal in Winchester to watch a play named '1984'. The plays main theme was about a society being treated unfairly and not being able to have rights or individuality. It showed people being extremely restricted on what they could do both physically and mentally. Watching it, it made me feel fortunate to have the rights I have and that I am not constrained on what I can do. The director wanted you when watching, to feel uncomfortable and distressed as you were watching one individual being tortured. The more torture shown, the more privileged I felt to possess the rights I do have. A variety of techniques were used to enforce the powerful message this play presented. At the beginning, a group of soldiers pointed at the audience and shouted 'Die Die' continuously, which made you feel threatened and also at the same time involved within the play. The set was quite basic yet effective. All the scenes featured two large wooden walls, which were moved for different scenes. These walls were used as a technique to change scene. When a new scene was started the walls would be spun round to illustrate a new scene, which was very effective. Throughout the play short videos were shown for a variety of reasons. These included: emphasizing a point within the play, to

  • Word count: 737
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
Access this essay

How did rehearsals and the production process contribute to the final performance

How did rehearsals and the production process contribute to the final performance? Planning rehearsals:- After would had received the stimulus the first thing we set about doing was discussing how to use our time efficiently and effectively. Obviously we needed to do research first on the stimulus however we felt that this should be a ongoing process rather then do it all at the beginning an then rehearse and practicing scenes which was mainly done through improvisation. We decided this because every week we had 2 hours in a classroom, were practical work couldn't realty be done as the class room was do small and their were tables and chairs, so this was ideal for research and doing small practical things such as finding out our characters background by hot seating. while the other 3 hours we didn't want to waste the opportunity of being able to use the space, as we were in the studio, so this time was going to be used for creating and rehearsing scenes etc. Rehearsal process:- In the classrooms sessions we would often research the mental illness that we were thinking about using. This helped us because after looking at the symptoms of some of the illness we felt that they be extremely hard to use, as their symptoms were often difficult to interpret. This contributed to the final performance as our play was more authentic as we had researched the symptoms well and had

  • Word count: 1311
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
Access this essay

Equus Exploration Notes

Exploration notes on Equus Language At the end of scene 1, Alan has dived deeper into his self-conscience by the help of Dysart with the use of the metallic sound created by the banging pen. He uses capital letters to show that Alan has raised his voice. Such as "WONDERFUL" (PAGE 58), he also uses ellipses, which we analysed as his way of showing the tension increase by the fact that he seems confused but we also discussed that it may mean that it could show his mind is racing around as he is on the horse in the flashback. The "cruelty of theatre" is a sense of discomfort for the audience and Peter Shaffer has created this by the crude language such as "raw, stiff, trample" and this creates the needed tension which makes this scene so effective. Characterisation In a small activity we explored the way Dysart would walk. We discussed whether he would walk with the head leading? I believed that he would walk with his head, oppose to his chest or arms because he uses his head first in all situations and so why would that change in his walk. However, I did discuss you use of arms because they were his tools and so I thought his arms might guide him through his life. Vocal Awareness As Dysart is educated and well spoken I think that his accent should be quite posh and sophisticated whereas Alan's would be a mixture of Irish and northern because of the parents accents however

  • Word count: 1087
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
Access this essay

GCSE Performing Arts Dance: Extended Programme Notes - Title of Dance: Extremes of Wealth

GCSE Performing Arts Dance: Extended Programme Notes Title of Dance: Extremes of Wealth Solo Choreography The first 8 counts of the choreography will be purely for dance purposes and will be performed on the floor. I decided to do this so that I could present the upper class person could dance to the correct part of the music and when the upper class person starts to dance this will flow easily from the floor dance all the way through to the lower class persons part of the dance and through to the ending. Example of floor movement: My choreography represents extremes of wealth from upper class wealth to lower class wealth. The part of the dance where I shall be dancing as an upper class person has a lot of simple movements e.g. a simple motif of walking four walks in a circle. Most of the movements in this part of the dance also uses a lot of the legs and arms as I wanted to show the effect of the upper class person wearing a corset style dress in which a rich, wealthy upper class person would have worn. The second part of the dance has a lot more movements involving the whole body which shows that the lower class person has no restrictions as to what they have to wear and who they have to impress, whereas the upper class person has to show wealth, decency and is there to impress more superior people other than themselves. In the first section Of my dance I wanted to

  • Word count: 1361
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
Access this essay