Project Proposal

PRODUCTION

• What is the role you would like to propose yourself for?
• I would like to propose myself to be in the Marketing-group, mainly ahead of design(poster) but also perhaps part of internet PR, meaning being part of creating a website and Facebook page. I think this team should also be making the program, since it is, in a way, promoting us as actors. 
• What are the main responsibilities for this role?
• For the design you need to design the poster in time to represent the play and your companies approach to the play. It should interest people to come and watch, having the information of when and where the play is, stated clearly. This also includes the design for the tickets and leaflets, that should match the poster(not necessarily the same, but follow a common theme). 
• Being ahead of website and Facebook needs some creativity as well, designing the pages to look representative and suitable for the show with all information clearly stated, but also keep up with updating the pages as the rehearsals go on, giving snippets of rehearsals, pictures and progress to keep the audience curious and interested.
• Being part of the marketing team also means that I would need to actively search out opportunities to market our show and get it seen. 
• Creating the program for the show to tell about our inspiration for the show and the background of it, but also to promote us as actors in the program. 
• What do you think are the main personal attributes needed to be successful in this role?
• Person to do the marketing design will have to be creative but also co-operative to the companies ideas and approach on the play. They have to do this swiftly, so that those who are doing the PR, leafleting and putting posters up, will have time to do their job in time and this way assure there will be a big audience. Also, making sure that the posters, tickets and leaflets are printed and in right amounts is a responsibility that needs organisational skills from this person early on in the process. Time management is important to get everything done quickly as possible. 
• Person ahead of website and Facebook page, need to extremely organized to be able to keep updating the pages throughout the rehearsal process, remembering to take video and pictures to show on the pages, but also be technically skilled so that they can easily transfer pictures and videos from different devices to then put them on the pages. Taking these pictures should also be creative, since they have to keep the audience interested, but not show too much of the show. 
• They need to be able to take advantage of different situations and relationships to market the show and get the interested of as many people as possible. They also need to think about their market audience, who are they selling to and in what radar. 
• What about the role interests you?
• I have always been a very creative person, drawing and painting since I was little. I thrive in creative environments and expressing myself with the design of the poster doesn't feel like work; I find it to be a pleasant and relaxing process. 
• Being ahead of the Facebook-page and website interests me because I have done some coding when I was younger, having my own websites and I would like to explore that side of me more. 
• Why would you be good at the role?
• I have experience in making posters from previous shows. I have also taking classes in graphic design and art, which gives me an advantage on understanding what appeals to the audiences and will be noticed on the street of Brighton. I am also quite detail oriented, meaning that I would want the poster to look perfect to attract our audiences in. I would hope to do this by using a clean and clear design that catches the audience eyes and leaves them wanting more to find out more about us as a company. 
• I am organised and have previous experience in making websites. I also have access to my own computer at home, which I can use to work on these websites after college hours and so keep up with updating more frequently. 
• I can also market the show well, by using by university contacts and friends to have them put up posters around the city. I also had an idea to ask local schools, if they would like to have workshops in Brecht or Commedia Del'arte and promote our that way as well. Even though the play might not be suitable for the youngest students, we might get the interest of the teacher aboard. 

PERFORMANCE

• Which character are you?
• Arturo Ui
• What happens to this character?
• Ui starts out as a washed out mobster; he is losing his confidence and power because people are not afraid of him nor talking about him anymore, and he is losing money. He sees an opportunity to rise to power when vegetable dealers find themselves losing money because of the depression, people don't have any money to buy cauliflower, and Ui start offering 'protection' in return for a part of the income they make. He goes through a change after getting trained by an actor, changing from a timid emotional man into a manipulative monster, betraying his best friend and associates to gain more power himself. 
• What acting skills do you need to be able to play them?
• There is a big change in the middle of the play with this character. He starts out very squeamish and insecure, but after going trough a lesson to work on his posture and speech skills, Ui changes into a confident and threatening man. My part is mostly in the beginning, but I also have a scene after his transformation and I need to be able to show this change in him without becoming someone else entirely. Also, I need to be able to show our companies point of view of the character and probably physicalize Hitler in a way, to make the point about dictators clear to the audience. To do this I need to incorporate some of the techniques from different practitioners I have learned in the past. Some I would be using are Michael Chekov and his technique of different qualities of movement and also the different states of tension from Jaques LeCoq. Using the different tensions enables me to show Ui's changing moods and help me with exploring his anger and monstrous power, but also his childishness in the beginning of the play. I also need to use Brecht's techniques, like using the GEST to define the character and show him in a way that shows our point of view to the audience and have them see audience in the same way we want Ui to be seen. For this I need to do research on Hitler, who he was and how he acted and draw inspiration form his gestures, but also bring my own and our group interpretation of the character and the happening of the play into consideration. 
• What about the role interests you?
• The change of Arturo Ui fascinates me, since it could be done very effectively, if done right. I am also interested to explore the character of Ui and Hitler as a character in a different point of view than just that he is 'evil'. In the beginning of the play, Ui very much thinks he is a victim and it could be refreshing to explore how Ui is influenced my Giri, Givola and Roma. 
• I have also noticed the extreme mood changes in Ui throughout the play, he goes quickly from tension 4 to tension 7 and I feel like working on these extreme changes will be challenging but also very beneficial for my development as an actor. 
• Why will you be good at the role?
• I am a versatile actor who can do both comedy and drama, which I think is important for this role to show the change Ui goes trough. I also have previous experience in American accents, and even though it is not perfect I can learn the accent quicker than someone without previous experience, and also be able to work on my diction and clarity early on with the accent. I am not afraid to go the extra mile and over the top with my gestures and emotions, which will look good with Ui, especially when I put in all the techniques we have learned from Brecht and other practitioners. One I would be using is Michael Chekov and his techniques in 

25.3. Commedia dell'Arte 1

Today we had the first workshop about Commedia dell'Arte with the first years. Most of today's class were things us second years have already gone through during our Shakespeare module

• 1. Magnifico
• 'the master of masters'
• eagle like physicality
• when Magnifico dies, a new one appears immediately
• large presence, takes space as much as he can.

• 2&3. 1st Actor&Actress
• no mask
• take space
• mysterious, might have dead spouses in their past etc.
• connected to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, as they are cunning royalty
• direct in their movements
• always planning and talking to themselves
• fox like physicality
• The Lovers
• Children of 1st Actor and Actress
• often connected with Romeo and Juliet
• their moves are light and airy
• move on the outbreath
• Do not wear masks, resemble birds

• 4. The Witch
• supernatural character
• free from class
• only one who can actually kill Magnifico
• moves in a figure of 8, pace varies from fast to slow
• always laughing to herself
• Hyena like physicality

• 5. Pantalone
• master
• first one of the 'old men'
•  the old men were like Magnifico, but have then lost their teeth
• womanizer
• miser, needy
• fiddles a lot
• his hands are constantly on his money purse, to make sure no one steals it
• stork

• 6. Doctor
• master
• second 'old man'
• always fighting with Pantalone
• thinks he knows everything
• turkey-like physicality, resembles a pig as well
• moves in figures of 8

• 7. Columbina
• only female servant
• moves like Harlequino, but is clever
• doesn't wear a mask
• dove

• 8. Brighella
• highest ranking servant
• cunning
• charismatic 
• carries a dagger, ready to kill
• combination of a rat, a cat and a snake

• 9.  Harlequino
• non-moral, in the way that he doesn't understand the difference
• pig/monkey physicality
• over-reacting
• stupid
• bad posture, because he carries heavy bags all the time

• 10. The Captain
• pretends to be brave, when is really a coward
• soldier

• 11. Zanni
• lowest cast
• the servant who comes from the country
• everything is new and exciting
• tip toes around
• like a troll

During our class we did some exercises to explore these different characters and their physicalities- Each of these exercises pushed us to think on our feet, but also use our body to communicate the feelings of the characters, rather than the words. This really got us out of our heads and will help us in the future when creating characters and scene. It is important to us to trust our bodies and see what they can do, rather than keep in our heads and try to sound clever all the time.

 Columbina and Harlequino exercise:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9UzlQ6fOZI

Brighella and Capitano exercise:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAZVeJp_Syg...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4YCK4acy6E

Harlequino exercise:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79DEuMP3G-E

I love thee - I love thee not exercise;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4pSa7BUzGI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvG1NIdqQEs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE-ey1TQaj0

  As Ui, I feel like I can have some of that Captain mentality and physicality in the beginning scenes, since he is still very uncertain about his actions. Later on I can channel the inner Magnifico when Ui gains more power. Even in the beginning it would be funny to play around with the contrast of Captain and Magnifico, Ui trying to seem all powerful, but failing at it miserably!

Schedule

APRIL

MON	TUE	WED	THURS	FRI	SAT	SUN
		1.	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14 Individual analyzis done START INTEPRETATION	15	16 FACEBOOK PAGE -->	17 INTEPRETATION DONE	18	19
20	21 START REHEARSAL OF SCENES	22 POSTER TICKET LEAFLET DESIGN DONE	23	24	25	26
27	28	29 POSTER LEAFLETS TICKETS PRINTED	30

MAY

MON	TUE	WED	THURS	FRI	SAT	SUN
				1 LINES LEARNT!!!	2	3
4	5 SET DESIGN DONE	6	7	8	9	10
11 POSTERS PUT OUT!!	12 MEASUREMENTS FOR COSTUME	13 PROP & COSTUME LIST	14	15	16	17
18 SUPPLY'S FOR SET	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27 LIGHT SOUND & EXTRA TECH DESIGN DONE	28	29 RUN FULL SHOW	30	31

JUNE

MON	TUE	WED	THURS	FRI	SAT	SUN
1	2	3	4	5 SET BUILD PROPS & COSTUMES	6	7
8	9	10 CUE SCRIPT DONE	11	12	13	14
15 TECH REHEARSAL	16 DRESS REHEARSAL	17	18 SHOW	19 SHOW	20 CLEANING	21
22	23	24 PROPS & COSTUMES RETURNED	25	26	27	28

Three Angels of Hitler

   While reading the play and discussing the power and change of Arturo Ui, his three henchmen Roma, Giri and Givola, and how influential they really were to Arturo, Since all of these characters are actually representation of real life people, Ui being Hitler, we should all do some research on these three men. This will help us all understand a little bit more of their motives in the play but also what kind of people we can politically connect them to people of today. Also, once we are cast it will help the actors to create their Gest.

GIRI aka HERMANN GÖRING

   In the play, Giri is seen as the cold blooded killer who collects the hats of the men who he kills. In real life he was a man called Hermann Göring, a German politician, military leader and a leading member of the Nazi Party. Göring was interested in the military career since he was young, probably inspired by his soldier father, he became an ace fighter pilot in the First World War and a member of the NSDAP from its early days. After being wounded in 1923 and being heavily treated for his injuries, he became addicted to morphine. He helped Hitler to rise to power in 1933 and at the same time became the second man in power in Germany. Same year he founded the Gestapo, the secret state police of Nazi Germany, and was appointed commander-in-chief for the air force in 1935. He hold this position until the end of WWII. In 1940 he was at the highest point of his power being the minister ahead of the Four Year Plan and responsible for the functioning of the German economy. In 1941 Hitler appointed him as the successor. In 1942 Göring withdrew from the military and political scene and lost a lot of Hitlers respect after the failure of the air force, and after asking Hitler to give the control of the Reich, since Göring had heard Hitler was going to kill himself, Göring lost all of his positions, expelled from the party and commissioned to be arrested. After WWII, he was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to die by hanging, but the night before his execution Göring committed suicide by cyanide.
    During the rise of Hitler, Göring was very much responsible to list out all of those who needed to be killed and organized those killings. This can be seen in Giri who is often ahead of the action, shooting and organizing.

ROMA aka ERNST RÖHM
 
   A WWI veteran Ernst Röhm was one of the founders of the Nazi Party and grew to be known as the representative of the militant wing for the party. He was the chief organizer of the SA, or the Brownshirts. Röhm stayed extremely loyal to Hitler, and the two had served together in the war, but also Röhm went into prison with Hitler after Hitler's failed Beer Hall putsch. Röhm was an open homosexual, but this didn't affect his closeness to Hitler(who would later have homosexual captured into working camps and executed). Röhm was the only Nazi leader who dared to call hitler by his first name, Adolf, rather than 'mein Führer'.
   Röhm ultimately wanted the SA to over take the German military and this would be the cultivation of Nazi power. But after rising to power in 1933, Hitler became worried about Röhm's want to have his multimillion militia equal to the Nazi party. The SS leader Himmler also saw him as a threat. So, in June 30, 1934, the SS forces break into a country inn in Munich where Röhm and SA staff are staying for a conference. The men are literately dragged from their beds to prison and executed. Allegetly, they first asked röhm to commit suicide, but Röhm declined stating  "If I am to be killed, let Adolf do it himself". He was shot in place.


GIVOLA aka JOSEPH GOEBBELS

   Goebbels has been considered as one of Hitlers closest associates and most devoted followers. As a child Goebbels was sick with polio, which resulted him having a crippled foot. This would later on prevent him from serving in the WWI and cause enormous amounts of self-esteem issues. He was squeamish, dark haired and out of an intellectual background. This lead him to fear of being judged as a "bourgeois intellectual" and he overcompensated his physical virtues by joining the NSDAP and radical views. But before this, he was able to express his creative mind with poetry, theatre and bohemian-lifestyle.
   Goebbels was given the responsibility for propaganda in the Nazi party, in which he excelled, and after Hitler was appointed chancellor, Goebbels became the Minister of Enlightenment and Propaganda and held his position until 1945. Goebbels's skill with propaganda is seen in the play with Givola excellent speaking skills, but also how he influences Ui the most. It is him who comes to Ui to say about Roma's betrayal and helps Ui to kill Roma in the end.
   Goebbels was a known womanizer, even if he was married. Hitler didn't give him  the permission to divorce, since part of his ideal Germany were strong family values. As someone who was a t a high position and frequently in the public light, Goebbels couldn't show such a bad example to the people of Germany, But he was good at lying and was the one that kept telling the nation lies about Germany's position in the war. He stood for Hitler and Germany till the end, but failed to hide the difficulties that the country was facing after the Battle of Stalingrad. It is believed that he was the only senior leader to stay by Hitlers side right at the end, even blaming the German people for their failure in the war. On May 1st 1945, Goebbels poisoned all of his six children, shot his wife and then himself.

24.3.15

   We continued to read the rest of the play today, starting from scene eight. While reading the play, we found words that some of us didn't know the meaning of, and here are the definitions:

• Sensationalism
• when events and new are over hyped in mass media to increase viewer ship and readership numbers.
• Egregious
• distinguished or extraordinary in a bad way
• Emphatically
• emphasizing speech, clearly or boldly stating something
• Pandemonium
• place of riotous chaos, 
• Smear-campaign
• "a campaign to tarnish the reputation of a public figure, especially by vilification or innuendo"
• Wreaths
• funeral flower
• Coercion
• using force or intimidation to obtain compliance
• Morosely
• expressing gloom
• Apathy
• absence or suppression of passion, no interest, emotion or excitement
• Arson
• illegal burning of other's property or possessions
• Aphids
• insects that eat flowers
• Epitaph
• writing, a poem or a commemorative description for example on a gravestone
• Agonises
• agony: extreme pain or suffering, agonises: to distress with extreme pain
• Heinous
• hateful
• Protection racket
• a scheme where a criminal group promises to provide protection to businesses by using violence and power, outside the sanction of the law. 

   We also had a very interesting discussion about politics of today connecting to the play, but also Hitler and the role of his henchmen. I was especially interested in the topic of Hitler. A lot of people see him as this anti-Christ, the embodiment of evil. I don't agree with what Hitler did, not at all, but I also think he was a product of extreme German nationalist propaganda and influence of powerful people who were in the same party as him. He was chosen to be head figure of the National Socialist party and so he became a very powerful person, but his anti-Jew ideas didn't solely come from himself, but were prominent topics within his political party and peers. This discussion came from Siou telling us that multiple people would be playing Arturi Ui, in which I pointed that it could be an amazing opportunity to show a point about Hitler and other dictator; anyone could have become them. Sav cleared my point by adding, that why Hitler became the Natzi leader and this evil figure, was because he was at the right place at the right time(or wrong place at the wrong time, depends how you want to look at it). He was born at the Austro-German border where in school they taught German nationalism since birth. Hitler was also bullied and he lost his father at a young age, which all would influence what he would become in the future. After being declined from art school and being arrested, Hitler probably felt like the only place for him to turn to was Germany, the country he had grown up to love and passionately defend. After becoming the head of Natzis and Germany, Hitler was constantly influenced by other, mainly by his three angels, to do all the things he did. With this, I am not saying Hitler was a victim and didn't mean any of the things he did, he was very much a bad person with bad views, but you cannot solely blame Hitler for the destruction that happened during WWII or for all the bad in the world. As the end of the play says "Though people overcame him, you'd be wrong to pat your backs and think yourselves so clever - the ooze that spawned him is as rich as ever!". Hitler was only a part of the problem; the problem was the society, the culture, the people that guided Hitler to become the feared man he was and still is.
   I'd really like to explore this when we do Arturo Ui, the change he goes trough, but also how easily influence Ui is by Giri, Givola and Roma. In the beginning Ui is very much a paranoid man, lacking confidence in himself and his gangster empire, but with the help of an Actor and his three henchmen, he rises to become a completely different man. Siou also said that even though different people would be playing the character, everyone must have the same interpretation and Gest to make the point clear. To this Sophie suggested that perhaps it could be interesting use our own opinion at different points of the play to show development of the character and the extreme change in him.
   Sophie also talked about what is happening now that is relevant to the play, I have also done some research about the happening in Crimea, with Putin having his troops there to support those who want the area to become part of Russia. Yunusa also brought up the idea of 'the American Dream' and how Ui is really just after his. Brecht did write this play right before moving to America, where he wished to blossom as a writer and be recognized for his true talents.
   We will definitely need to discuss the politics of this play and how we want to present it more within the group, since I felt today was so very useful to see different point of views and opinions from everyone.

23.3. ACTING FOR CAMERA

  Today we started filming Max's and Liam's scene from Clerks. I worked as Assistant Director, which in real life would mean a lot of running around, making sure we stay on time and that everything happens. But today, most of what I did was consult Andy about what shots we should have and Marking each take. We started with an establishing shot, then took a medium shot from straight on and a medium shot focusing on Liam, and also two medium close ups.
   It was quite routine day, and even though I found asking reassurance from Andy from some of the decisions, I feel that I was using a lot of what we had learned in earlier classes. I did learn that a pick up shot is simply continuing the same shot and take, but from later on from the scene because of a mistake or wanting to do it differently. We also faced a difficulty, since the location was right next to where students walked through and so it was very noisy. We had to ask Jenny to go outside to ask people to quiet down and stay there to assure we wouldn't be disturbed.

   Andy also gave a good point about Max's and Liam's performance; both of them very extremely relaxed. This is something I struggle to do on camera, it seems unnatural for me and I seem to tense up every time. Especially as Nicola, someone who is in her 20's, but still seems to be stuck in her teens I need to be able to be relaxed in my body, but get the tenseness that Nicola has because she is uncomfortable in her body and life show as well. 

R R A U - Research 2

Assessment Week Work	Date Set: Tuesday 10th March
UAL Level 3 Performing & Production Arts	Due in: Tuesday 17th March 1.30 pm Print out and bring to lesson.
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui Exploratory Research for Unit 11
Investigate at least two interpretations of Arturo Ui. Write a report about the company that put on the show & how they interpreted Brecht’s text. Which actors featured in these versions ? How did they portray their role? (1,000 words )
The first adaptation I investigated was Jonathan Church's production. It was first performed at the Minerva Studio in Chichester in 2012, but then rose to success and performed in West End by 2013. The play is praised for its sharp wit and fast paced funniness that pulls the audience right in.    Jonathan Church is a British stage director who has been the artistic director of the Chichester Festival Theatre since 2006.    Henry Goodman plays the lead role of Arturo Ui. His performance has been described as electrifying and ”hypnotically watch-able”(The telegraph, 2012). He succeeded in giving a stark contrast in the development of Ui as a character, starting out with a timid school boy personality, who is even afraid of his own shadow, growing confidence ending up as man with explosive fury and gestures of Nazism. These gestures are discovered when Ui studies the mannerism of classical theatre from a washed-out Shakespearian actor, played by Keith Baxter.    In this adaptation, many of the actors are part of the orchestra, who provide the musical introduction for the show and different scenes.     The second adaptation I found was a co-production between the Everyman Liverpool Playhouse and the Nottingham Playhouse in 2011 and directed by Walter Meierjohann. This was a adaptation from Stephen Sharkey's translation, that especially done for the Liverpool audience, but in Chicago setting. Sharkey first planned to write the play setting in Liverpool, or using Liverpudlian English to make it easier to relate to, but realized that the original setting and the fame of American gangsters served perfectly for the message the play was trying to convey.    This was Nottingham Playhouse's third Brecht adaptation within six or seven years. They decided to do Arturo Ui third, because of the political climate at the time, right wing was growing and extremist political groups were popping up, and so a play that criticises and explores these elements seemed right. Ian Bartholomew, the actor of Arturo Ui, who has a past in clowning approached the play from a funny point of view, saying that the role was a fun to "dig his teeth into". The whole essence of this character is being satirical and funny, but still remembering that this is a horror story of its own kind. This is how the play was also conveyed, by using witty and fast paced humour to keep the audience awake, but remind that the is a tragic and serious point to be made. I also read about Nick Cavaliere's process of becoming Givola, the third man in command, who then rises to second in command by playing to Ui's good side and betraying his companions. Cavalier talked a lot about how the character is based on Dr Joseph Goebbels, a Hitler's henchman and minister of propaganda, who, just like Givola, rose in his position over time. Cavalier wanted to create a balance of the Givola Brecht described and Dr Goebbels, who was a failed poet and womaniser, but still stay somewhat true to Brecht's style of keeping the audience thinking.     In this adaptation, they really wanted to get the feeling of the industrial city of Chicago. Everything is concrete, but uses the idea of an empty space as its starting point. Staying true to Brechts idea of not creating the illusion of theatre being real, actors would bring on each set themselves and nothing is masked, even costumes changes were seen by the audience. This was also to show that the gang, the mafia is always present and "lurking in the background". The set is simply there to show where the characters are, yet using mixture of 1930's Chicago and elements from today.          I also looked a little bit into a production put on by Blackeyed Theatre and directed by Bart Lee. Blackeyed Theatre is a touring company that aims to bring challenging theatre to younger audiences and make it more accessible for them. To achieve this, the theatre company uses bold physical performances to their advantage, but also put on interactive workshops and provide post-performance talks.    This adaptation wanted to find the comedy in the text, but really focus on large physical performances to underline the horror and monstrosity of the actual happenings. The set is a boxing ring, which slugs out political messages Brecht's and as in some of the other adaptations, actors will be changing on set, to show the audience the work in progress and the mechanics of theatre.
·         Watch at least two 1930’s films featuring Edward G Robinson or James Cagney. A good example is Scarface ( 1930’s version) or Public Enemy No 1. Write a film review. (500 words)
Scarface(1932) is a dark and brutal representation of the gangster culture and life in the 1920's. The movie starts by telling the audience, that all of the scenes are a reproduction of real happenings and guides the watcher to think about what they can do to help their government fight organised crime.   Even though women do not hold the main stage in the movie, Poppy(Karen Morley), Tony Camonte's(Paul Muni) love interest, is portrayed as more than just a damsel in distress, giving sarky comebacks to the men without hesitation. Perhaps even more interesting is how the men change from aggressive scary creatures to charming gentlemen when they are around their female counterparts. Muni shows us these different sides of an ambitious gangster brilliantly, showing how Tony's actions change him into a somber man with lingering regret.    The movie is beautifully violent, using creative ways to show the power of the mafia and how brutal their actions, for the sake of money, are. A calendar losing each of its pages, one at a time, when the machine gun fires multiple bullets per second gets the point across without actually showing who or what the bullets hit. The film has amazingly shot moments, but long conversations can get dull from the lack of change in focus and odd pacing, but you will be soon dragged back in once the action and shooting starts once again. This is definitely a movie for an action lover, but there is also humour for those who appreciate it.     The Public Enemy(1931) tells the story of young Tony Powers'(James Cagney) rise in the criminal world in the prohibition era America. This crude and malicious man gives a very stereotypical presentation of an gangster, who is obviously been designed to make the watcher think badly of him. Yet, this doesn't take away from the story that pulls you right in from the gecko. The film glamorizes the life of a gangster a bit, when showing all the benefits with the high life and glamorous women surrounding the main character, but it also studied the roots of crime in a serious way.     Cagney's performance made him become a celebrated actor, which doesn't come as a surprise after watching this film. He gives a chilling interpretation of man that has had a taste for dire things since birth. He is full of himself, showing no respect to the women around him, but still manages to be charming at the same time. The good writing has made this absolutely hideous man into a strangely likable character, which makes it hard to criticize Cagney's performance.    Cheesy deaths are something that can be expected from a movie from the 1930's, but this doesn't make the experience at all worse. The editing, filmography and acting are ahead of their time, but it could have used some variety in the female characters, since only the bad-boy-loving Gwen Allen(Jean Harlow) seems to stand out. As many of the gangster film of the time, The Public Enemy tries to rise a point about crime in America, but the glamorous take on it seems to distract from that message.
·         Write a short summary on a play that you have seen which has used Brechtian techniques or was in a Brechtian Style. You can refer to more than one play. (500 words)
The only play I have seen, that has used Brechtian techniques, was a a version of Oh What A Lovely War by Brighton Live Productions.It is a story about the First World War in the style of an epic musical developed by Joan Littlewood and her ensemble at the Theatre Workshop in 1963. The original idea came from Gerry Raffles who after hearing Charles Chilton's radio musical, called The Long Long Trail about World War I, presented the idea as a base for a production to his partner, Joan Littlewood. She didn't like the idea at all at first, since she absolutely hated WWI, military uniform, and everything they stood for. After bringing Chilton to the theatre and playing trough the songs, Raffles changed Littlewood's mind, though still refusing military uniforms. Uniforms were changed into pierrot costumes from Commedia dell'arte to create "entertainment mode". Tin hats would bring a strong contrast that were also ironic. She wanted there to me no deaths on stage, but that the audience would laugh at the "vulgarity of war".    The show was created through improvisation. The cast would have a script in the beginning, but then have to retell the story in their own words for the performance. A lot of the scenes were worked on for days and some cut out because Littlewood didn't want to horrify the audience. The production is very much a satire on World War I and against war in general, making a very political play in its own way, and so an excellent play to explore Brechtian techniques with.    One of the most obvious Brechtian styles the play follows are all of the songs trough-out the show, which are most of he time very entertaining and cabaret-styled. These songs breakout the action in the play to distance the audience from the story, but also uses them to show a point to the audience, for example when the prostitute comes to sing for the men. This isn't connected to the story line and isn't necessary for the story itself, but gives some cabaret-style entertainment for the audience.    They also used slides and signs which were both factual and political in nature, for example with war propaganda. The narrator breaks the fourth wall by addressing the audience directly and improvising some of his speech. The cast also used Gest to their advantage, especially when portraying the different countries. There is a particular scene where British and French are arguing about British not protecting Belgium and in this scene their gest's showed clearly how the generals are actually not that good people, only caring about their glory and not the troops who are dying. The play also used sign's well to show the enourmous amount of war propaganda they had at that time.
How has Brecht used music in his plays. Who has he collaborated with and what has influenced his musical style? Write about one play that has used music. (5oo words)
Brecht used set design, costume and music, a.k.a. "the sister acts" to help tell the story, as they are all related to each other. Brecht believed that music made "poetic theatre" possible and at first wrote the music himself for his plays. Music is used for background for comedy, projections and battles but later on all poetic elements were put to music and performed in cabaret style.Yet, metrics were not to be sung, or it would distract the audience, the rhythm was to follow the poem, so there were no regular beats, stresses or bars, and was extremely jazz-based and unromantic in nature. Also, music would not have been played to highlight a climax in the story, since that would distract the audience from thinking critically. Some of the rules concerning music were: Orchestra must be seen Lightning change for singing of songs Orchestra lit up, titles and numbers of songs on a screen visible to the audience Actors would change their position before songs    Music started to evolve as Brecht wrote more plays and by the end, music served a purpose to reflect and moralize what was happening in the play. They also informed and stimulated thoughts, for the singer should show their attitude to the song and the scene. The songs were often "ironic references to conventional music". For example, often songs talking about the difficulties happening in the characters lives would be accompanied with a happy melody, conflicting from what was happening.    Brecht worked with musicians in many of his plays, for examples in the play Three Penny Opera(1928)the music was composed by Kurt Weill. This was a play with musical elements and adapted from an 18th-century English ballad opera, John Gay's The Beggar's Opera. It is a socialist critique of the capitalist world, and by the time Brecht and Weill were both forced to leave Germany, the play had been translated into 18 different languages and performed more than 10,000 times on European stages.     This is Weill's most known work and it contains his most famous song "Mack The Knife"("Die Moritat von Mackie Messer"). There was also a film adaptation of the play, filmed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst. Brecht and Weill tried to sue them to stop the production of the film, but lost the case. Their work together ended in 1930 because of politics. Brecht wanted his plays to be even more left-wing and to this Weill commented that he was unable to "set the communist party manifesto to music."