PPP Rationale

Introduction

The performance choices in this production regarding music and song, staging, set, props, and acting, are most significantly inspired by the work of Bertolt Brecht and his verfremdungseffekt techniques, combined with elements of musical theatre. I believe Brecht’s Epic Theatre techniques would help effectively portray the concept of the play in a thought provoking way, yet also entertain through the dynamic range of musical pieces.

Music and song

Whilst Brecht used songs as a technique to interrupt the action in his plays, the songs performed in this play are used as they would be in musicals. The action songs used are intended to help guide the audience through the plot line and the character songs offer opportunities for a deeper insight into the characters emotions and their development throughout the play.

The only song that is not original or does not use direct address with the audience, is Caleb’s audition piece in the first scene. The song he sings is ‘I Want To Make Magic’ from the musical ‘Fame’ which links in with his dream and demonstrates his passion for theatre. This song will be the most serious and innocent solo that Caleb sings as he then develops negatively in the play.

Set, props and staging

In some of Brecht’s plays, such as ---, the lighting and sound are used to interrupt the action of the performance, rather than add to and reinforce the atmosphere as they would in traditional plays. In ‘The Game’, the lights correlate with two different settings, Caleb’s life and the Game show. The house lights stay on during the beginning of the play, as the narrator puts on his costume in front of the audience. Bright lights are used in the scenes for Caleb’s normal life which mostly take pla...

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...udience, directly addressing questions to them and expecting answers, commenting on the action that is about to or has happened, and demanding certain members to do things that involve them in the play. This is also evident in the songs that the actors perform in this production as they incorporate direct address to comment on the characters and the narrative.

The last technique of Brecht that I want to include in this production, is showing the instruments of theatre and demonstrating how they can be manipulative to the audience. I believe this is effective for the narrator to integrate in his dialogue, as shown in the extract of the script, as it adds to the humour and ..... This also allows him to comment on the actors dialogue when interacting with each other to illustrate how they to, like the instruments of theatre, use language to manipulate one another.