1.What
is experimental theatre?
Answer:-
Experimental Theatre(Avant Garde) began in western theatre in 19th
cen. With Alfred Jarry and
his ubo players a rejection of particular and general and dominant ways of writing and producing plays. Experimental theatre is trying to something new. Like other forms of avant garde it was as a response to a perceived general cultural crisis. It tries to produce a different use of language and create a new more active relation with the audience and opposed bourgeois theatre. Brecht wanted to mobilize his audience by having a character in a play break through the invisible “forth wall” and directly as the audience questions not giving them answers. Thereby, getting them to think for themselves. Antonin Artaud wanted to affect them directly on a sub-conscious level. Augusto Boal wanted his audience to react directly to the action. Peter break has identified a triangle of relationship within a performance. The performes internal relationships to each other on stage and their relationship with the audience. Ex. Th. Is a vague, catch all the term for a number of theatrical styles and movements that began in 1909. At that time, the acceptable convention for the writing and production of plays was pretty narrow and leaned heavily towards naturalism and which strives to mirror reality in the style of acting, dialogue, costuming and sets. It is pretty much used literchangible with the term avant-garde theatre.
his ubo players a rejection of particular and general and dominant ways of writing and producing plays. Experimental theatre is trying to something new. Like other forms of avant garde it was as a response to a perceived general cultural crisis. It tries to produce a different use of language and create a new more active relation with the audience and opposed bourgeois theatre. Brecht wanted to mobilize his audience by having a character in a play break through the invisible “forth wall” and directly as the audience questions not giving them answers. Thereby, getting them to think for themselves. Antonin Artaud wanted to affect them directly on a sub-conscious level. Augusto Boal wanted his audience to react directly to the action. Peter break has identified a triangle of relationship within a performance. The performes internal relationships to each other on stage and their relationship with the audience. Ex. Th. Is a vague, catch all the term for a number of theatrical styles and movements that began in 1909. At that time, the acceptable convention for the writing and production of plays was pretty narrow and leaned heavily towards naturalism and which strives to mirror reality in the style of acting, dialogue, costuming and sets. It is pretty much used literchangible with the term avant-garde theatre.
2.What
is Evant Grade Theatre?-
Evan
Garde theatre is also known as Experimental Theatre.
3.What is
Alienation Theory?
Answer-
Karl Marx’s theory of alienation(bisinotabad) describes the estrangement of
people from aspect of their species essence as a consequence of living in a
society of stratified social class. The alienation from the self is a
consequence of being a mechanistic part of a social class and the condition
which estranges a person from their humanity. He expressed this theory in
“Economic and Philosohic Manuscripts of 1844(1927) and ‘The essence of
Christianity” by Ludwiw Feuerbach, 1841 which statist that the idea of a super
natural God has alienated the natural characteristics of the human being.
4.What
is Verfrem dung effect?
Ans-
The distancing effect more commonly known earlier John Willett’s 1964
translation to the alienation effect or recently as the estrangement effect in
German Verfrem dung effect. This is a performing arts coined by playwright
Brecht, he used the term first in “Alienation Effects in Chinese Acting” 1936,
essay. In which he described it as ‘playing in such a way that the audience was
hindered from simply identifying itself with the characters in the play.
Acception or rejecting on their actions and utterances was meant to take place
on a conscious plane instead of as Litherto in the audience sub-conscious.
5.Brecht’s
theory of alienation:-
It
is known that Brecht was a practical man of theatre and an intellectual
dramatist. His aim as a dramatist was to give mood of the whole world
objectively and not of dramatic own private mood or his own emotion and
thoughts. Therefore, he emphasizes the intellectual and objective method of
writing should not be written with poetic sense or sentimentality. The story or
incident when it is written and is enacted or performed should not create an
illusion, but it should be written and enacted objectively and without
involvement of any kind. The other members of the team producers, directors,
etc also should carefully and purposefully do this and it is to achieve same
effect of non-involvement of the audience in the story. The alienation of
Brecht grew out many years practical experiences in the theatre. He was an exponent
of experimental drama in 20th century. ‘The Brecht theatre is a
theatre designed to arouse in the audience a sense of dissatisfaction, a
realization of contradiction. It is a theatre supremely fitted for parody and
caricuture, therefore essentially a negative theatre.
6.Brecht
concept of epic theory:-
The
term ‘epic theatre’ first used in Germany in 1920, has become firmly associated
with the name of Brecht. He announced in 1930 that ‘modern theatre’ is epic
theatre. ‘Epic Theatre’ certainly in non-Aristotelian concept of epic. He
opposes his concept of coherence and consistency. In the notes to the ‘Round
Head’ and ‘Pointed Head’ he stated that a play should be treated as self
contained Scenes and raised by means of inscription. Epic theatre is to lead
the audience not feel intensity but to judge critically to see the characters
not determined by fate and human nature but by social music and sounds effects
and the actors way to playing above level of the everybody, the obvious the
expected. To Brecht the aim of circumstances is to leave the theatre not
emotionally drained out but intellectually stimulated and determined to bring
about Marxist reforms. Brecht created a dramatic form in which men were shown
in the process producing themselves and their situations. Brecht felt the need to
cater to the taste of newly arising class of audience of his time by providing
reflection of social changes through dramatic art, so he expanded and modified
the dramatic art. He aimed at awakening the power of the audience and not
allowed them to involve emotionally in the art.
Above notes are collected from Sumita Majumder(P.H.D.)
Q7. Comment on Brecht’s
analysis of the experimental trends in modern theatre with reference to the
works of Erwim Piscator.
Or
Write a short note on
Brecht’s concept of alienation theory.
Answer:-
In 1936 a wide range of
experimentation and innovation had established in the contemporary theatre. The
training of actors and directors in the western theatre has since become more
organized to take in programmed from the earlier innovators. Among them, Brecht
remain a towering personality above all other. Brecht’s essay “On Experimental
Theatre” in which he reviews some prominent dramatist’s works and comments on
the type of experimentations. Brecht traces through the modern theatre the 2
lines running from naturalism and expressionism. Naturalism, as he finds the assimilation
of art to science which gave the naturalist theatre a great special influence.
Brecht’s Marxist political convictions lead him to invent an alternate
direction for the theatre that would mingle the two functions of instruction
and entertainment.
In this way the theatre
could project a picture for the world by artistic means and offer the models of
life that could help the spectator to understand their social environment and
to think both rationally and emotionally. The main concept of Brecht’s program
which he called the ‘Verfrem dung-effect’ or alienation theory. In order to
induce a critical frame of mind in the spectator Brecht considers it necessary
to dispense with the emphathetic involvement with the stage.
Originally presented as a lecturers
to the students of drama in Stockholon University in May 1939, this new
conception tears a revolution in dramatic practice in the Western Theatre.
Brecht offers his response to the changing circumstances in which theatre
flourished in the early decades of 28th century. Brecht initials his
discussion by tracing the two most important features in the modern theatre
they are entertainment and instruction which actually plays in opposite
direction. These two concepts influenced the playwrights and thinker of the
stage and they advise their methods for the up gradation of the modern theatre.
The Greek work for actor is
“hypocrites’ and there is a great deal of anxiety in modern drama about
hypocracy to be someone other than who really is. Brecht provided a solution to
the problem of the actor’s potential hypocracy by saying that the actors must
always be aware of and make the audience aware of the distance between actor
and the role. He should identify himself as a person portraying a part and
observing it from outside. In this way he can allow his audience to observe his
acting or his role critically.
Many of Brecht’s genius
involve the question of the spectator’s relationship to the action on the stage.
Brecht discourages identification on sympathy between the audience and
character which had been one of the primary goals of mellow drama and of
romantic theory. It was also implicit in Aristotle’s notion of pity and
catharsis. Instead of identifying with the characters on stage, Brecht wanted
the spectator to maintain an intellectual distant from the action to find
reason about the dramatic sequence rather than just responding to it emotionally.
This process involves the
use of techniques design to distance the audience from emotional involvement in
the play through jolting reminders of the artificiality of theatrical performance.
Examples of such techniques include explanatory captions or illustrations
projected on the scene, across stetting out of character to give a lecture or
summarize or sing songs and stage designs that don’t represent any locality,
and also by exposing the lights to keep the spectator aware of being in a
theatre. The audience’s degree of identification with characters and events is
control. Brecht’s conceived alienation effect not only as a specific aesthetic
program but also as a political mission of the theatre. Inspired by the philosophies
of Karlmarx’s, Brecht regarded his method as a way of helping the spectators to
understand the complex nexuses of historical development and social
relationship.
Regarding the alienation
effect Brecht was influence by Chinese theatre. The traditional notions of
characters are called into question because Brecht believed, “The human being
is the object of inquiry and he is alterable and able to alter”. By creating
stage effects that were strange and unusual, Brecht intended to involve
audience into an active role in the production. This alienation theory had a
far reaching impact on the modern theatre. Brecht’s work is regarded as the
most important and original form in European drama. There are few areas of
modern theatrical culture that have not felt the impact of Brecht’s ideas and
practice. In Addition to the theatre Brechterian theories and technique had a
considerable sway over theory and cinematic practice film.
Q-8.Discuss
About Brecht’s concept of epic theatre.
Or
Write about
Brecht’s conception of theatre and how it is different from Aristotle’s
conception.
Answer:-
To describe ‘epic’ Aristotle
said. “As to that poetic imagination which is narrative in form” and regarding
tragedy he said, “In the form of action, not in narrative”. So, Aristotle means
that the prominent element of drama is action and not narration. But rejecting
this “Aristrolian theory” Brecht called his drama as “epic theater” giving
importance on narration. Bur. Brecht is one of the most influential figures of
20th century. theatre and most significant practitioner since World
War II. Brecht’s theories for the stage, including his well known epic theatre
and alienation technique made him a force to be reckoned with. He was a
theorist, poet, playwright and above all a trend settler in dramatic form as he
applied his theories to the works of one of the great theatre companies of the
world, The Berliner and Ensemble.
Brecht preferred to demonstrate his concepts
for Epic Theatre in performances instead of acting exercises. Unlike Artaud,
Brecht’s ideas were concrete and translatable for actors for generations to
come. A firm Marxist, Brecht’s plays often had a political and social message
for those viewing them. According his dramas include songs, projection, playards,
narrators and story tallers who brings home the message of the play by directly
addressing the audience.
Brecht’s theory of Epic
theatre was designed to encourage the audiences to remain alert by reminding
them that they are watching a play. Brecht in his notes of stage direction for
the play, “The Life of Galileo”, writes, “The Stage décor must not be such that
the public believes itself to be in a room in Medieval. Italy or in the
Vatican, the public must remain always clearly aware, it is in a theatre.” Associating
epics with the ancient standards which range of heroic deeds to an audience who
set back and reflect those happenings in their mind.
Brecht’s explain that emphasizes
emotion. What Brecht called Aristotelian theatre relied to a great extent on
empathy on the ability to identify with the protagonist who was traditionally a
figure of genuinely heroic proportions.
Aristotelian theatre as
Brecht believed was to arouse in the spectator the feelings of pity. Pity for
the suffering individual and fear that it might happen to oneself.
Brecht by contrast wanted
spectators to retain some distance from the events depicted on the stage.
Audience should not be encouraged to think that the action of the play occurs
in the present. To prevent such illusions the epic playwright makes use of
various distancing devices, called in German “Verfremdungs effekte”, a term
which Brecht condensed into v-effekte or in English A-effect. Here, A
represents alienation.
The ability to form
independent judgment must not be compromised. Brecht believed that the audience
will reach the necessary and desired conclusion that the world needs changing
and they must help bring about the change. He thought that actors too must
avoid identifying with their parts, thinking of themselves in the third person
as demonstrating rather than enacting events. Consequently Brecht advocated a
number of unorthodox devices. Brecht has a brief verbal summary of the contents
of each upcoming scene projected on to a screen, sub-ordination the “Dramatic”
to the “Epic” aspect.
Brecht was influenced by the
‘Chinese Theatre’ regarding the epic conception of drama. On a trip to Moscow
in 1935 Brecht viewed ‘Chinese Theatre’ and one of its actor, Mei-Lan-Fang for
the first time found that traditional Chinese acting also used alienation
effect. After sometime Brecht founded his world famous ‘Three Penny Opera’, an
adaption of the 18th century, Beggars Opera by John Gay. This three
Penny Opera popularized the concept of epic theatre worldwide. So, we can
conclude by the words of Martin Esslin regarding Brecht’s epic theatre, “The
Brechtian theatre is a theatre designed to arouse in the audience a sense of
dissatisfaction, a realization of contradictions, it is a theatre supremely
fitted for parody and caricature, therefore essentially a negative theatre.”
“The Brecht theatre is a
theatre designed to arouse in the audience a sense of dissatisfaction, a
realization of contradiction it is a theatre supremely fitted for parody &
caricature, therefore essentially a negative theatre.”
Edited
by Podmeswar