- Production Ideas .

Irish Actress : Fiona Shaw speaks of the evolution of the audience for theatre. The audience will not come as a mass to the theatre to purely watch a show, but they expect to be involved in the progression.
Memory: the essence of the theatre

Bare brick wall, 11 stools, breaking the 4th wall.

- Character Sketch : Maggie

I worked at a diner in the 1950's as a waitress. At almost 20 years old, I saw Jimmy come in every once in a while come in with a friend. He was young, bright, almost goofy, but everyday i just gave him his coffee, smiled and moved on to my next table. He was fresh out of University, going on to become the television broadcaster of the town, everyone knew Jimmy. After the first few times, he started coming alone and would start a small conversation with a little more depth each time. One day, he asked me to sit down and have a coffee with him. I was just finishing my shift, so he waited. He was smooth, smart, knew what he wanted and how to get it, and he was funny as could be. I fell in love with him the first I sat down for coffee.
Once i found out his father had died, i began to try to convince Jimmy to let me meet his mother. Becoming a part of her life was a slow integration, but as Jimmy began working more, his mother and i began to find comfort in one another. Jimmy and i got married, and once he left for work, i would head over to his mothers house. She began to teach me the secret tips of being a housewife. She taught me all the secret recipes passed down from the family, and how to fold a perfect bed sheet. After a few years, I stopped seeing his mother, feeling as if i had learned all i needed to. After all, we had a child on the way.
I was 25 when I had my only child, Paul. He was the one love of my life, besides Jimmy of course. He was to grow up to be strong, independent, successful; that was Jimmy's place. My job was to ensure he was happy, and knew how to treat a woman. I felt a love for Paul that i didn't even know was possible. Jimmy often took him fishing, and Paul would come home laughing about the day. Together, we would set the table and prepare the house for Jimmy to come home from work with dinner on the table and he would tell us about his day. Before bed, Jimmy and I would take turns tucking in Paul, say our prayers, and go to bed. I never wanted my boy to forget to count his blessings and be grateful for what Jimmy's job brought us.
He was 12 years old when it had first happened. They had gone fishing earlier that day, and when they arrived home late in the evening. Dinner was on the table and we all sat down to eat. Jimmy was different that night. I didn't understand why he dismissed Paul when he spoke, and as i cleaned up the dishes from the awkwardly quiet dinner, it was Jimmy's turn to tuck him in and say their prayers. I remember standing in the kitchen, letting the sink overflow as i stood there frozen, hearing my baby scream. I knew Jimmy was angry, but I had never imagined it possible. I stood there reviewing the past 12 years of our marriage, looking for signs in Jimmy's behavior. I considered leaving. Taking Paul and getting out of the house; but we couldn't. We needed his money much more than his company. All I knew was that very night i was expected to lay in bed next to the man who laid his hands on my only child, and worst of all, I was supposed to love him as if i never knew. To protect my child, that was how i was to carry on my life: pretending i never knew.
I started spending every minute i could with Paul, because i knew that every minute he was with me, he didn't have to be with Jimmy. I began asking him to come to the kitchen with me to prepare dinner, or to teach him how to do the dishes. I realized the more things i taught him to do on his own, the faster he could move out and away from Jimmy.
There were always the days i knew i couldn't protect him, and those were the days that were the hardest to get through. I would offer to tuck in Paul every night, telling Jimmy that "I could use the extra prayers, I should count my blessings." but every once in a while, Jimmy would raise his voice and insist that i was to sit on the couch and occupy myself while he tucked in Paul. "The boy needs to grow up", he used to tell me. As Jimmy would make his way upstairs, i would play the piano to drown out the noise.
When it was just me and him, Paul began mentioning what it would be like to move out. He was 15 at the time, so telling him that it could be a good life experience for him, i encouraged it, if only he knew how bad i just wanted to scream out and get him to run while he could. When he was 16, he left and never came back.
I kept in touch with Paul after he left. He would call on the first Tuesday of every month while Jimmy was at work. As time went on, I could tell that life on his own was good. He told me about a woman he met and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He would end every conversation reminding me to be strong and count my blessings. Soon enough, he stopped calling.
I spent the next 6 years laying beside the man i pretended to love, keeping secrets i never intended to tell. I stayed, because that's what i was raised to do. I continued on with my seemingly perfect life. Everyday when Jimmy came home, the house was clean and dinner was on the table. I would laugh at Jimmy's jokes, and bite my tongue when he'd express false interest in how Paul's life was coming along. I swore to myself that Jimmy would never see me cry. In these 6 years, i had created my own hell by keeping the secrets i couldn't dare to confess.
2217 days came and left before i heard from Paul again. The day he called back, my mind jumped back to that first day it happened when i was standing in the kitchen. 14 Years had passed since that night they went fishing, that sink overflowed, and Paul was left to count his few blessings on his own, yet i still felt that same guilt that i was unable to protect him to the extent i wish i could've.
On the phone that day, I found out i had 4 grandchildren: the oldest boy and 3 girls, twins and the youngest. The eldest was the protector, and all the girls followed him. The twins were directly reflective of one another. They completed each others sentences and were virtually inseparable at the ripe age of four. The youngest girl had just been born. She had my eyes and her mothers smile. It was at that point I realized my life was about to change. I asked Paul about his wife. What was she like? Would I be able meet her soon enough? His voice dropped. The depth and joy in his words while explaining his children were gone and all that remained were empty words. He slowly explained that he lost her during the birth of the youngest, brightest girl. There he stood, with four children under the age of 6, and he couldn't do it anymore. 14 years from the day i chose to do nothing, he needed me once again. So I agreed. I took his children off his hands to protect them from the street. Jimmy and I took in our grandchildren that we didn't even know existed, and within a few days, we were the parents of young children once again, and Paul had ran away for the second time in his life.
I looked at Paul's children as my own; as my second chance. I would protect these children as I wish I had protected Paul. In my mind, by this point, Jimmy had changed. It had been 9 years since Jimmy last laid his hands on my child, and after becoming my own worst enemy, I had to force myself to believe that he'd changed.

- Improv Workshop .

Grade 10 focus:

The "platform - tilt - new platform" system: 

Platform: set the scene initially. Through stating the norm allows for the change and problem to be clear to the audience. "Every day I ..."

Tilt: the point where the storyline differs from the norm that was initially platformed. "But one day ..."

New Platform: how the new norm is established from the tilt. This is finding the conclusion in response to the tilt. "Now I ..."

The game used: Word at a Time 

Setting Up Conflict:
Who: state the characters or who is present
Where: setting
What: conflict
Why: why is the conflict important/ how does it raise the stakes
How: how is it solved/ resolved
Characterization Focus:
Status: out of the characters in the scene, "who trumps who".
Traits: movement, what do you lead with? (legs, arms, chest, face) 

- PPP : The Pitch .

History has proven that when faced with competition, there can ultimately only be one.  Exploring a twisted perception of misplaced history, “Phoenix” has found inspiration and influence from across the globe. Spanning from the Soviet Union, across Europe, to the United States, many aspects of worldwide history were brought together under the concept of vacillation.  The play demonstrates the fluctuation of society’s faith between political and religious ideologies, ultimately demonstrating their inability to coexist, as first shown through the conversion of Hagia Sophia. Within this production, different events in history are gathered together into a production ultimately criticizing the western world’s misconception of the functionality of coexisting and multiculturalism. With the economic struggle of a small Catholic community in the midst of the Great Depression comes along a communist dictator, offering hope to the hopeless people. Through the installation of communism, the abolition of religion leaves the community to swing their faith from God to The Dictator in hopes of a better tomorrow. In this fictional spin on authentic events, history is retold to ignite the minds of the mature spectators of this Epic Drama. Exploring concepts such as paranoia, martyrs, murders, and corruption, the unique approach of both Epic and Dramatic Theatre within a single production will force the audience to think on a global scale of action creating a solution to the western world’s struggle with acceptance of too many. 

- PPP : Brecht's Epic vs. Stanislavski's Dramatic .

Finding the "Happy-Medium":

Is it possible to mix epic theatre with dramatic theatre and still leave the audience reacting the way you envisioned? Is it possible to vacillate between the two theatre styles and end up at a final conclusion of neither one nor the other? What if this production were to be considered an “epic drama”? 

Within the production, the vacillation between communism and catholicity is explored. What if both communism and catholicity each possessed an opposing style of theatre? The catholic side would be dramatic, containing feelings, emotional connection, sympathy and understanding. Many of the theatre characteristics and styles related to the religious characters and scenes of the piece would reflect many of Stanislavski's theories.

The communist side would be rather cold and distant. The dictator, rather than being viewed as a person, is viewed as an object which Brechtian theatre encouraged. 

The production as a whole would lean slightly towards the dramatic side, containing a plot, wearing down the audience, but in turn contains aspects of epic theatre such as historification, providing a picture of the world leaving the audience in an analytical mindset as they leave the theatre, though they were emotionally engaged throughout the performance. Throughout the piece, the audience would be expected to experience the vacillation between the two theatre styles as well as the vacillation between the two ideologies within the storyline. The piece as a whole would be an extreme fluctuation of opinions, as vacillation was initially defined. 

How this would affect the acting:

Ultimately, this would split the actors into two specific groupings: one group epic, and one group dramatic. As a director, a different approach must be made in the coaching of each acting group. The main difference between the two styles is the aspect of "becoming'" the character. Stanislavski, the philosophical influence for the dramatic theatre group, would offer many coaching techniques to use in rehearsal. Brecht, on the other hand, would use exercises with his actors getting them to explain the choices the characters made. To become a narration of their mind rather than become emotionally intact with the character. With the characters reflecting communist principles, their acting would reflect the collective, whereas the actors reflecting catholic principles would reflect the individual. 

In the bigger picture, this will affect the audience to adhere to the anti-communist perspective of the storyline due to their affinity to the catholic side of things. With the communist portion reflecting characteristics of epic theatre, this will aid in showing the insanity that the dictator gives into. Giving such contrast between the two styles, it will be made clear to the audience the lack of emotional attachment intended for the dictator, whereas the audiences sympathetic responses to Person A will come with greater ease. The final scene, since at that point communism had fallen, will be done in only dramatic theatre, though the lack of dialogue will not engage the observer more than it had already engaged with the mix between the two. As a whole, the vacillation of styles in this epic drama will aid in the reinforcement of the overall concept that there can only be one. 

- PPP : Bertolt Brecht .

(1898-1956) Originally starting out in medicine, Brecht served in WWI as a medical orderly. Once he returned, he went back to university to study literature. Most interested in Chinese philosophers and English writers, he became a poet, play-write, and theatre director.

Brecht's plays reflected a perspective in favor of communist societies. Living in Germany in 1933 when Hitler came into power, he was forced to flee the country to live in Sweden, Denmark, and the Soviet Union. Interestingly enough, a majority of his plays were anti-Nazi. During the Cold War, Brecht was living in the USA, where he was accused of being a communist. Though he denied it, he ended up leaving America to East Germany. 

The alienation (or verfremdungseffekt) effect: 

"Brecht attempted to develop a new approach to the the theatre. He tried to persuade his audiences to see the stage as a stage, actors as actors and not the traditional make-believe of the theatre. Brecht required detachment, not passion, from the observing audience. The purpose of the play was to awaken the spectators' minds so that he could communicate his version of the truth."

Wishing for distance rather than emotional engagement, Brecht often used tools like signs to disengage the spectators from believing in the fourth wall. Contrasting to the more common dramatic theatre, epic theatre looks to achieve a spectators perspective, analyzing what happens on stage igniting the will to take action. The distancing of the spectator from the play allows for the rejection of entertainment at face value.

CLICK TO ENLARGE
Source: http://www.usq.edu.au/artsworx/schoolresources/goodwomanofszechwan/dramaticvsepic

Brechtian stage design and lighting differ much from the norms of dramatic theatre due to the analytic nature. Brecht saw the need to light the stage brightly at all times, and since there was no concept of "mood" or emotional attachment, lighting in that sense was not necessary. The creation of illusion wasn't needed through lighting, or on the stage at all for that matter. Any sort of distraction that may emotionally pull an audience member into the characters emotional side was avoided on stage.

- PPP : Director's Concept .

Pendulum :
A weight suspended from a pivot allowing it to swing from one one side to the other, than back again.

With society at the pivot point, and the red weight symbolizing faith, in relation to the context of the play, pendulum shows the swinging from one way of life to the other, with the eventual return to its starting place. By seeing a pendulum, with both ideologies at each extreme, it shows how ultimately there can only be one.

- PPP : Set / Stage Possibilities .

Brechtian Influence:

Treadmill Stage: 

running belts on the stage floor that, when active, provide the illusion of movement though characters stay stationary. 

Options: Transitions from one setting to the other without a scene change
Disadvantages: Background and set, depending on complexity, would have to move at the same rate as the person. If the set is complicated and consists of more physical properties rather than projections, it makes it difficult to coordinate.


Interactive LED Floor :

Possible Options: Showing footprints in ashes of the fallen church. Showing path of fire in response to the dictator.
Disadvantages: Can LED project dark colors? How could you position the audience for them to see the floor effects, but not have the quality of the production limited. Would you be able to make a treadmill out of an LED floor?

Video Projection Mapping :

http://www.videomapping.tumblr.com/ 

Possible Options: Allows for change of set between exterior and interior of church, as well as inside the house of person A without a scene change. Ex the scene can continue, while characters walk on the treadmill. It allows for smooth transitions because the set would change as the characters moved.
Disadvantages: The image at times would be cast upon the characters themselves. May be too detailed of a set in regarding relevance of the storyline: Whats the focus?