Naturalism - Of shoot from realism, 19th Century.
Realism - the faithful representation of life in literature and theatre
Epic theatre - Political drama aiming to appeal to reason in the audience rather
than their emotions
Total Theatre – theatrical work which involves many varied
aspects of performance styles. Strongly visual, auditory and
often devised, adapted or experimental.
METAMORPHOSIS BY STEVEN BERKOFF
Biggest misconception about Berkoff's style seems to be that it involved shouting
without any truth in physicality or performance. However, he is unique.
Berkoff wanted to shake naturalistic theatre and encourage experiment using
the idea of Total theatre
Influenced by greek theatre, Japanese Noh and Kabuki, Shakespeare, East End
music hall and its Jewish heritage
BERKOVIAN FEATURES
Non naturalistic Act as a storyteller
Narrator
Breaking 4th wall Grotesque caricatures Exaggerated mime
Minimal set Coarse poetic language Disturbing sound
BACKGROUND
- The novella is an exploration of feelings of loneliness and estrangement
novella : a story with a compact and pointed plot
- Overarching allegory is that modern society isolated humans from one
another
,- Story: Gregor Samsa wakes up one day as a giant dung beetle. The rest of the story
follows his thoughts and actions as he is locked in his room and cut off from his
family and his former life.
- The main themes in Metamorphosis are the burden of responsibility/duty,
isolation and alienation, worthlessness, greed and dependency.
- With all of Berkoff’s plays and theatrical adaptations, the stage setting is
minimal and precisely described. There are no props apart from three stools;
everything else is mimed.
- The Samsas’ house is indicated only by scaffolding, which spans the stage in
the shape of a giant insect. Gregor, in his back room, is continually visible to the
audience at the back of the stage, on a raised and ramped platform.
- Playing Gregor requires an extraordinary degree of physical strength and agility
because. Berkoff, who originally took on the role himself, has him assuming the form
of an insect – climbing the scaffolding, hanging from the walls and ceiling.
- Instead of being a figment of a writer’s unsettling imagination, his flesh and blood
and his subsequent rejection, disintegration and resignation are painful to witness.
- Gregor’s transformation cuts him off from human contact. His family have
no idea how
much, if anything, he understands – how much of ‘Gregor’ is left in the creature in
their back room.
STYLE
Takes the form of physical, expressionist theatre
Total theatre – it uses voice, movement, sounds, movement, music and
images (surreal) to create the total effect of the drama.
Semi-naturalistic dialogue – stylized speech patterns, hypnotic rhythms,
choral speech, and sections of stichomythia
Very physical, a lot of mime ( quick transitions, no props, creates
impossible ideas/images)
, Ensemble quality – the group of actors provide the setting, atmosphere, reactions
and shape of the entire performance as well as playing individual characters
CHARACTERISATION
Gregor Samsa - a travelling salesman who is tired of his job but persists as he is the sole
provider for his family - carries the burden of providing for them. He is turned into a dung
beetle and then rejected by his family and society. He is the only selfless character who
suffers emotionally and physically.
Greta Samsa – once a devoted younger sister she too experiences a type of
metamorphosis. She transforms from Gregor’s strongest supporter and only person who is
actually willing to care for him as a beetle to his harshest critic. It is ultimately Greta who
can be held responsible for Gregor’s death. She also transforms from a girl into a
blossoming young woman by the end of the play.
Mr. Samsa – lazy, ungrateful, violent, rude. Exploits Gregor so he doesn’t have to work.
His first reaction to seeing Gregor transformed is to impale him with a bamboo stick. Later
he throws him with apples – one of which lodges in his back, causing a festering wound
that also leads to his death.
Mrs. Samsa – Feels sorry for Gregor but not enough to actually help him. She does
nothing to ease his suffering after Greta gives up on him.
Three lodgers – Caricatured – can be played by one character. Particular about their
accommodation and food. Disgusted by Gregor – refuse to pay.
Chief Clerk – authority figure, intimidating, accuses Gregor of embezzlement and being a
slacker
POSSIBLE INTERPRETATIONS
1. A play about loss:
loss of identity – Gregor losing his job, status, humanity making him feel worthless.
Gregor loses his sense of place – belonging. Loses his position as breadwinner.
2. A metaphor for terminal disease:
Symbol for effects of terminal disease
Cause a sense of helplessness
Depletion of control over the mind and body
,3. Presentation of family:
How far is his family responsible for his beetle state?
Does he die of his wound or does he himself die because of family’s rejection?
Gregor, a Christ-like figure who needs to die for the rebirth of the family?
PHYSICAL THEATRE
symmetry focus connection
levels
KAFKAESQUE
Kafkaesque nightmare: Bizarre, illogical, individual feels powerless/worthless
The work of Frans Kafka often includes nightmarish settings, often bizarre and impersonal
administrative situations where the individual feels powerless to understand or control
what is happening
Kafka was "introvert, artist, jew" - felt alienated, "therefore a bug"
FINDING THE MIE
Mie means "appearance" or "visible" in Japanese, and one of the primary purposes of this
convention is to draw attention to a particularly important or powerful portion of the
performance. It is meant to show a characters emotions and their peak and can often be a
very powerful pose
Examples...
● Mr Samsa: light and smoke a pipe.
● Mrs Samsa: peg out the washing from a basket.
● Greta: play the violin.
● Gregor: read an open newspaper.
, GREGOR
Internally empty, depended on, family's interests at heart
GRETA
Reasonable, caring, empathetic, hopeful at first, determined. Changes by dehumanising
Gregor calling him "it", selfish
MRS SAMSA
Emotional, loving motherly lady who seems quite frail, compliant towards her husband,
peacekeeper, people pleaser, torn
MR SAMSA
Broken ego, intense, hopeless, pitiless, stubborn, fragile, aggressive and violent, projecting,
living through his children
PAGE 80-83
Themes so far - Exhaustion, greed, time (metamorphosis, exhaustion, monotony, time till
freedom?), duty & family responsibility, isolation & alienation, loneliness
Timing and Ticking - countdown to metamorphosis and death, creates tension
--> ticking could be done by actors, projections, newton's cradle, countdown of numbers,
clock, movements to a beat, lighting flickering, gradual change in lighting, colours change
lighting
LEVELS OF TENSION
CATATONIC -> RELAXED -> NEUTRAL -> ALERT -> SUSPENSE -> PASSIONATE ->
TRAGIC
Relevance of flashbacks in this scene
Deeper understanding of the family, audience form a connection with Gregor & understand
him
Gregor's life before metamorphosis (pre-insect)
Boring, tiring, lonely, cyclical, unfulfilling, disconnected
Is gregor on the verge of a mental break down?...yes, changes of emotion, anger loneliness
mocking comparing
"Stripped from humanities basic needs" unable to sleep and fulfil basic human needs
therefore cant perform to the best of his ability
Lack of sleep and rest
These human necessities have been almost taken away from gregor in order for him to
make ends meet
, Money
Chief concern for gregor, this is why he lives the life he is living, frequent topic in gregor's
thoughts and conversations of family members as they have to pay of their debts to be
"free"
We have seen the themes about money, greed, family responsibility and time. Ticking that
has come up could potentially symbolise a countdown to metamorphosis and furthermore
his stiffness hints at what is about to happen. We have seen the family and that they rely on
gregor and gregor has already been isolated from them in the first page. Gregor's life seems
quite boring, very tiring, unfulfilling and lonely and he potentially is on the verge of a
mental breakdown as he is drained, constantly changing emotions and has been unable to
sleep.
EXPRESSIONISM IN THEATRE?
Expressionist theatre utilised theatrical elements and scenery with exaggeration and
distortion to deliver strong feelings and ideas to audiences
Rejection of realism in favour of dreamlike states; non linear, often disjointed structures; a
utilisation of imagery and symbolism in the place of naturalism
How to create?
Dreamlike and nightmarish, shadowy, unrealistic lighting and visual distortions in the set.
Bizarre shapes and sensational colours. Disjointed and broken into episodes, incidents and
tableaux, each making a point of its own.
Characters lost their individuality and were merely identified by nameless designations like
the man the father the son,stereotypes and caricatures rather than individual personalities.
