Session 2

More Brecht .....

• Gestus
• Spass
• Montage

Warm Up - Snobs and Servants

How does this reveal "Gestus"?

Gestus - A gesture, expression, word or phrase that reveals a characters attitude.

Examination of this idea by revisiting a moment from snobs and servants - which recreates a moment from Brecht's play The Caucasian Chalk Circle with the Governor's wife.

Playing snobs and servants during a performance also helps create "spass" - fun on stage - Why might this be important?

Montage

An idea borrowed from film.

The Mother

The Killer

The Mad Woman

create these images, put them in relation to each other what story do they tell? When re-ordering those images how might it change perception or understanding of that story?

What is political theatre?

What Political issues are important to you?

Session 1

Introduction to Bertolt Brecht and some key terms

Verfrmdungseffekt – Strange making, distancing, defamiliarisation

Warm up - "Moody Objects"
Participants create inanimate objects physically then give these an attitude:

Angry - motorbike 
Happy - bed
Depressed - chest of draws
Sad - chair
Proud - chair

When viewed by an audience why are these objects strange? 
What is the effect on the audience?

Making a gesture strange

Simple Character creation

Building a character "outside in". Using opposing points of tension create simple characters.

The old man
The pregnant woman
The 'fat cat'

By using the clues of what we can 'see' of the character what can we tell about them and their social context.
What job might they have/had?
Have they have had and easy or hard life? Why?