Original Production – Berkoff
Production 1 (Philip Engleheart.com)
2 –Icelandic Production – Lyric Hammersmith 20
3- Dance Production – Royal Opera House – UK
Berkoff’s acting style and his design of sets has often been described as “Expressionistic”.
German Expressionism in cinema (take some notes in your Journal) – what can be translated into a theater style?
Look at the 3 pictures and identify the ‘expressionistic’ elements of the set.
Pick 2 moments EACH where these ‘expressionistic elements’ could be used in the play ‘METAMORPHOSIS’
How can symbols and emotions be represented on a set ?- think Gregor’s Room – The Samsa’s living room – what do these places symbolise – how do you show that in materials, colours, set dressing and props?
Identify the 4 different design jobs that could come up in the exam.
Why is EACH aspect of design necessary? [What does it do for the audience or production?] SPEND A FEW MINS CONSIDERING EACH.
FUNCTIONAL design – ?
EXPRESSIVE design – ?
What is the difference?
List as much specialist vocab as you can to help when discussing EACH design area. (E.g: spotlights, cue, instrumental sound, backdrops, etc)
Where/How could it be used in the play? [Find 3 moments where a design element would really help the story telling – eg: when Gregor finally opens the door a shaft of light can pour into the living room.]
(Explain it) Draw the set and label it on plain A4 paper and stick in.
Justify it (using Berkoff’s own words and yours)
Set location (upstage etc)
Style: Expressionistic / Naturalistic / Non-naturalistic
Set construction:
Set dressing (things you add to the basic structure (shelves, pictures etc)
Cyclorama (white cloth across back of stage – for lights to be projected against.
Shadow screen
Gauze (material that is transparent if a light is shone from behind but which is opaque if light is shone from in front (can be painted or projected upon)
Think about what a Director does.
It is more than just placing actors on the stage. (stage picture)
They are the audience in the rehearsal room – ( what meaning will the audience understand from a line delivery or a piece of action)
They are responsible for the Overall Concept
They are responsible for the casting (what look – shape of actors do the characters suggest)
Here are some sentence starters to quickly GET WRITING ABOUT BEING A DIRECTOR.
“This is in keeping with the expressionistic style of the whole piece and would highlight the idea that their attitude to the family is one of ‘wants’ and ‘greed’ – they are out to exploit the Samsa’s as it is my director’s interpretation that they know how much the family need the money they can provide.”
View the clip at 03:35 to get an idea of the ‘style’ described by Berkoff as ‘animated marionettes’.
Word bank to use:
action mime, staccato {jerky} movement, “animated Marionettes”, slow motion (lyrical – smooth – seamless) , heightened /exaggerated characterisation, tableau or freeze frames, mie, narrative voice, character voice, tone, direct address, 3rd person narration, contrapuntal speaking, split stage, cross-cutting, chorus work, sound effects by actors,
USE QUOTES FROM THE STAGE DIRECTIONS Eg: “In time to the ticking” or “resembling automatic figures in a wax-work”.
Paragraph structure: Statement (director’s aim) What will it look like? How will the actors do it? Why this idea works (link to aim, Berkovian style, the question, audience response).
“so they became like mechanical dolls – eating away. Why I wanted to make it mechanical was that when the beetle wakes up he also is in a sense mechanical.”
“I used this idea of mechanistic, robotic theatre because by changing the rhythm of what we see in naturalism, we make people re-look at people.”
Berkoff on Mime film
Watch the whole film clip of Berkoff on Mime and hear how a course in Mime in Paris in 1965 shaped his ideas about how the body could be used in theatre (ideas which were radical in the UK in the 1960s – 80s. Now it’s more mainstream and accepted).
SAMPLE PARAGRAPH (Explain and Justify structure).
My aim, as director, would be to show the Samsa’s breakfast routine as a monotonous activity that they do without thinking every day
I’d have each family member sit on their stools down stage (except Gregor who is still up stage in his room) eating breakfast using action mime to suggest the food, drink and table.
Mr Samsa will stab at a sausage in a staccato rhythm, making big movements, Mrs Samsa will dap her napkin to her mouth, Greta will make small bird-like movements lifting a cup of tea to her lips.
Berkoff has said in interview that he chooses sometimes to direct his actors in a robotic and mechanistic way, “because by changing the rhythm of what we see in naturalism, we make people re-look at people.” By using this technique for this meal, it would remind the audience that this is a non-naturalistic play.
The following clip show Berkoff himself acting in extracts from one of his plays.
Watch it and identify what ‘fingerprints’ of a Berkovian STYLE you can see.
HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT:
At 3:14 Berkoff steps out of role and describes some of his insightful ideas about how the piece came to life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIClFYaD8-Q
Click on the link above – watch the video twice
Take notes on the different sections
Try the exercises yourself
Watch the video enough times to really understand what the point being made is. Take quotes but put them in inverted commas – ALSO put the ideas into your own words.
“Precision, physicality and power are paramount in Berkoff’s theatre…”
“Style is actor-focused…. The actor is everything on the stage.”
“Working from the outside in” “Psychology comes from the way we feel within the physicality”
[HOW IS THIS RADICALLY DIFFERENT FROM NATURALISTIC THEATRE? Working from the inside out]
Have your notes in your Journal OR in whatever form you use in order to be able to access them in class.
DUE in next lesson.