Theater Log Book Term 2

Our sketch consists of many Brechtian techniques, as we have included audience interaction, switching roles, exaggeration, and using objects throughout our performance.

As a class we spoke about our main ideas that are going to be included in our whole performance, which can later be adapted.

Our whole class performance is going to be performed in a round, therefore as actors we have to acknowledge the audience, and make sure that they can see us at all times, as one of Brecht's ideas was that Theatre should be exposed at all times and there should be no hidden scenes in it. In relation to this, our performance is also going to have as much light as possible when needed, to give the Brechtian theme of being harsh in theatre and that everything on stage is created all by the actors.

At the beginning of the play, three people will come on stage marching with signs in their hands, then Danny has to dress as a Nazi and collect the audience's coats which are later going to be piled up like how Hitler did with the Jewish people. As actors, we are going to watch the audience go to their seats as if they were the ones performing, reversing roles. This is a typical Brecht technique, including the audience as part of a performance.

Afterwards, someone is then going to come in with a bird or angel winds, with a left wing and right wing, which relates to the theme of politics. During this whole entrance/introduction of our performance, there will also be another actor with a microphone commentating subtly on what the audience are doing.

In addition, there will also be someone with a clipboard taking names of audience members. This is a reference to immigration as their person identity is being taken from them, and the names of the audience members can also be mentioned in our sketch, when we refer to the 'single ladies'. This technique distances the audience from the traditional theatre style, because they aren't just sitting back watching a play but they are being mentioned and included in it. As Brechtian style is very over the top and exaggerated, we are going to include a stereotypical foreigner with an exaggerated strong accent selling peanuts. This will alienate the audience as they will probably be confused as to why this is happening in a performance. Then, a group of people get annoyed at the 'peanut man' and he drops the peanuts everywhere.

In contrary, everything that 'fat', 'thin', and 'slim' (the 3 men played by Khai, Ben and Michael) need, will be prepared on stage. This Brechtian technique will show the audience that everything that is about to be shown has no special requirements and has all been prepared by the actors, and the audience will see everything. After all this is done, we will then applaud the audience which is almost reversing the roles of the performers and the audience.

There is then going to be an audience intervention where at the end another person (not part of the actual performance) will then say his opinions of the performance, opposing everything we would have just shown. Then we will grab him and tie him with the 3 boys on the chairs in the middle of the stage in which we will then begin singing our chosen song, as we gradually leave the performance space in darkness with the actors and audience.