Woyzeck Section C

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  • Created by: KarolK
  • Created on: 19-03-19 12:46
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  • Woyzeck
    • Context
      • written between June and September 1836
      • In fragmentary state as he died in 1837 meaning work incomplete
        • intended disjointed qualities meaning scholar piece it together enhancing Brechtian style
        • each scene structurally independent
      • based on man executed for stabbing his wife Marie
        • Buchner fascinated with case so took inspiration
      • first play seen as modern drama, catalyst of theatrical movement i.e. naturalism and modern theatre of absurd
      • Buchner's social commentary stemmed from own political disillusionment anticipating Karl Marx's theories
        • Politically active in 1831
        • Establishes society of human rights
      • Own genre 'psychological realism'
      • Influenced by Sturm and Drang (Storm and Stress) politcal movement in Germany
        • Young males concerned with trials of common man - expose hypocrisy and social injustice
      • Performed in modernist, expressionist, absurdist and naturalistic - give importance
      • Carl Richards ' series of stained glass windows in a medieval cathedral'
        • each is self contained but builds to form coherent whole
      • Maurice B ' is one of the disillusionment ending in the gloom of complete solitude'
      • Woyzeck is like a character in a Greek Tragedy who has no power over his own life and what he does
    • Original Performance
      • Proscenium arch
      • Originally performed to the upper class
        • 'the bourgeoisie'
      • The lighting used was oil lamps
        • Basic incandescent stage lights
      • Main stage feature - revolve
      • Performed on 8th Nov in 1913 at Residenztheater in Munich
      • Early colour filters only due to restrictions in electrical technology
      • No theatrical curtain – used to aid themes
      • songs would be sung without accompaniment
    • Brechtian Elements
      • Buchner: caricature
        • to flesh out characters that are there to enhance protagonist's traits
      • Breaking the fourth wall
      • Use of song, music and dance to juxtapose the dark lyrics
      • Montage - juxtapose scenes
        • focus on minute details if the situation of the play demands it
      • Narration
        • Coming out of role onstage
        • Sometimes the narrator will tell us what happens in the story before it has happened.
      • Freeze frames / tableaux
      • Placards
      • Multi rolling
        • cross-sex
      • Epic theatre
        • Distancing audience from action to stop them becoming sympathetic with characters
          • idea of objectivity
        • episodic
        • fractured narrative
      • Tickle and Slap
        • Lull audience  into fall sense of security and then shock
      • Speaking stage directions
        • forces them to study the actions of a character in objective detail.
      • Gestus
        • Gesture, facial expression and body language communicate message to audience
          • only to show them as a type of person, not character
            • built on the character’s social role and why they need to behave as they do, rather than emotional motivation. we judge the character and situation, rather than empathising
          • gesture with social comment.
      • Ensemble
      • Spass
        • slapstick
        • stand up comedy
        • break rising tension
        • parody
          • audience laugh and question why
      • split role
        • character representational and inhibits emotional involvement and attachment
      • refer to his characters by archetypal names
    • Key scenes
      • grandmother's story 'black fairty tale' encapsulated Buchner's message of tragic view of man's existence
    • Design
      • Staging - difficulty retain plays disjointed while keeping audience understanding
      • Iman Bergman famously integrated audience with actors so action never ceased
      • important thing is that the audience still see the theatre, see production personnel in action on the stage rather than hidden.
      • Use harsh white light 'illuminates the truth'
      • minimal props/ sets/ costumes
        • Historicism -always a sense of authenticity to production elements apart from a little sound and lighting
      • symbolic props
        • changing props to other ones

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