WHO WAS KAFKA?

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What was going on in the world in 1915?

Watch these 3 films and take notes

(in your Journal)

  1. Who was Kafka? (born,, jobs, success)
  2. What major themes come out of his writing?
  3. What were his Mother and Father like?
  4. What was his relationship with his Father like?
  5. What is Kafkaesque?

Discussion Point: If you were adapting this book into a stage play, how would you achieve the beetle effect?

Now watch this interview with Berkoff as he discusses how his production of ‘Metamorphosis’ came about.

Identify:

What did Berkoff learn from watching a student production.

BERKOFF ACTING – SOLO SHOW = ANALYSIS

The following 2 clips show Berkoff himself acting in extracts from 2 solo- plays.

In them you should identify where there is:

  • Physicality / Action
  • Voice / Speech
  • Absent or minimal use props/set/ costumes

[Use the above as headings – describe and explain ‘moments’ from either clip to illustrate EACH heading.

Then evaluate what is effective and your response as an audience member. Eg: Action mime: Berkoff mimes walking down a spiral staircase in ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’. There is no hand rail and no stairs. He carefully places one hand on the rail and pulls it towards his body as he takes a few steps. The illusion that he has walked down 2-3 steps is remarkable. The action mime goes on for ages – this adds to the story as it makes the audience imagine that the spiral staircase is very tall and the old man lives on the very top floor. The audience are required to use their imagination to add to and make sense of the mime the actor is using.”

Brief plots of both shows:

The Actor (The obsessive, demoralizing life of an actor between jobs is displayed forcibly in this swift and savage monologue.) At 3:14 Berkoff steps out of role and describes some of his insightful ideas about how the piece came to life.

The tell-tale heart ( the Narrator has just committed a murder and cuts up the body and hides it beneath the floor boards. There is a knock on the door. It is the police investigating a noise. Totally confident, the man invites the police to sit around the very spot below which the body is buried.)

Welcome to the world of ‘Metamorphosis’ and Steven Berkoff

Welcome to the Y13 course where you will study a new SET TEXT “Metamorphosis” [more on that in coming weeks] and the PRACTITIONER Steven Berkoff.

This 1st lessons will involve reading, note-taking and research to introduce you to the KEY IDEAS surrounding Berkoff’s work.

Read the instructions below and do the TWO tasks in the stated order.

Mime and Physical Theatre

1. Reading and Quiz: Bitesize Physical theatrehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/ztfk6sg/revision/1

Read the 7 pages, watch the clips and take the quiz. There are 7 page of website – at the bottom of the last page there is a ‘button’ – “Move onto Test”. Answer the 10 questions (as many times as you need to to get 100%))

2. Go to the Student Sharepoint area and open the document [Steven+Berkoff+Practitoner+Pack]

https://jerseyedu.sharepoint.com/:b:/r/sites/hautlieu/pa/students/A%20LEVEL%20DRAMA/Berkoff%20-%20Metamorphosis/Stephen+Berkoff+Practitioner+Pack.pdf?csf=1&web=1&e=3nKR51

Read Slide 1 (Steven Berkoff) Slide 2 (Biography) Slide 3 (Total theatre) and take notes.

Write down the 2 quotes (Slides 4 & 6) What do you think he means by these?