Death's Monologue from The Book Thief

"I am essential to life, although I am the opposite of such a luxury. I have been around since the dawn of time. I have met many a man, searched for many a hero and worked for many a fiend. I have witnessed both the worlds greatest triumphs and tragedies. I have been praised and cursed. I am the only certainty in life. I am rather fond of the image man painted of me as a hooded figure cutting down mortals with a scythe and yet I walk alongside man as it's neighbour. Of all the people I have witnessed in my lifetime, none have captured me like Liesel Meminger. Her love and need for books made me feel alive- an accomplishment not many can boast. She painted masterpieces with her tongue, making the hardest hearts melt like the winter snow in spring and the most stubborn minds flow freely like the river. She made the pages live beyond their dusty coats. She braved Hitler's bonfires, entering the fire of hell to save her beloved books. She was a rare creature fuelled by the written word she read. She was the only angel I have ever conversed with. If I was being selfish, which I often am, I would have taken her before her time, but I let her escape my grasp for many years so she could share her wisdom, words and books with this complicated yet beautiful world. If there is one thing you do before you join me, read about Liesel Meminger, share her love for books and perhaps you and I will have some more to talk about in the next life."

From the beginning of this process, I have wanted to create this piece and whether or not it is included in the final piece, I believe it has helped my creative process immensely, allowing me to understand what it was I wanted to say within this piece, an important conclusion when performing political Brechtian theatre. I took inspiration from both the book and film and then used my own words and writing to weave it together. I probably loved the idea of this monologue based on the biased view I have towards the original creation of the book. I believe this monologue expresses the immortality of books and how even the most detached of characters (and perhaps one the most famous and common characters of them all) would be moved by the internal and external power of the written word.

Lesson 4

Today we began the set devising process. My main job today was to take the first extract of the library interview conducted between my grandmother and I, applying Brechtian techniques to create a short piece that can be used in the performance. Applying Brecht's exaggerated styling and linking to my work on extension of the character, I had to make the physical and vocal choices for my grandmother bold and amplified. I first identified the natural traits of my grandmother's physicality and vocals: she is well articulated, emphasises expressions by extending the word and looking up, she sits straight with her legs crossed and holds a cup of coffee. To magnify these qualities, I chose to employ a posh accent, overly extend my emphasis on words and sit up straight, completely rigid, and throughout the whole thing, I constantly sip from my coffee cup. I believe that their is a comedic element to it, identifying Brecht's Spass which creates an interesting character that will entice the audience to watch my piece and listen to what it is that I am saying. The over exaggerated emphasis will particularly help the audience identify the important elements of the piece- a natural quality that I believe makes my grandmother easy to listen to.

Something the whole class worked on this lesson is the 'We Don't Need No Education' song by Pink Floyd. As a ensemble, if we find the intent and aggression behind the lyrics, it could be a powerful Brechtian tool commenting on the education system and the utopia that a lot of students dream of. However we struggled, because the tune is an unusual key and the females especially struggled to find a happy medium between the normal depth of the notes and the natural tone of their voice. We also struggled with the beat, often speeding up too much. With all these factors, we lost the words and their meaning, causing the song to become a depressing sounding mess. The song is not an upbeat tone, so if we cannot bring energy to the song, it will sound dull. It took us longer than it should, but eventually we all worked as a group to give the song meaning and depth. I hope we can bring this in following rehearsals and in the performance without half an hour of bickering and slacking.

The last thing I worked on in the lesson was developing my ideas for my piece from 'The Book Thief.' I am not sure whether the piece can be interwoven within the whole performance, yet I am eager to work on something to put forward as it is something I have felt strongly about since the opportunity arose at the beginning of term. I have decided on doing a monologue from the perspective of death, the narrator of the actual book, talking about how Liesel's love of books made him feel alive- and as death, this is not an accomplishment many can boast.

I hope next weeks rehearsal sees us bringing all our ideas together making a strong piece with fluid transitions. I believe this piece has so much potential, but relies heavily on the participation of the whole cast meaning everyone must be on top form when we come to running it through.

Evaluation of Political Protest

Today we performed our political protest in front a large group of students during their break-time. After watching the protests from last year, I had a lot of expectations for both myself, my group and for the reaction we would generate from the audience and although we faced some challenges as a group, I believe the strengths of the piece fulfilled my expectations.

The piece was focused on the government cuts to the NHS and how it effected the most basic treatments, especially in emergency situations. There was also a focus on the slow privatisation of the NHS by the government due to issues with the production of medicines and their distributions. We set the scene with 3 doctors in bloody aprons and bloody hands, begging for money with posters detailing the reasons for our plight. Behind us was a stand labelled 'Tory NHS Tuck Shop' and laid out were packets of drugs, plasters, bandages and vials of blood. As the doctors begged for money the Tory MP was selling the drugs for extortionate prices. To enhance the message we had someone walk in half way through the piece and convulse on the floor in front of us. When the doctors tried to treat her, the equipment and treatment required would be denied by the Tory claiming it was too expensive. The message behind this piece related to the lack of basic treatment as a direct consequence of the £20 billion cuts made to the NHS.

This first picture shows the group in our costume, actively protesting during the piece. The second, our 'Tory NHS Tuck Shop.' These 2 pictures illuminate the ideas that we have been brainstorming for 2 weeks and the finished product we created. To further understand the effectiveness of the final piece, I must look at the strengths and weaknesses of both the piece as a whole and the role I played throughout the process.

I think one of the main strengths of the piece was it's ability to immerse the audience in the protest. We weren't tied down by the requirements of any particular space, so were able to walk around within our area, approaching audience members and discovering the best locations to push our protest forward most effectively. By making the doctors beg for money, we were showing the sheer desperation for funding caused by the government cuts. With 3 of us taking on this role, by spreading out throughout the space, we were able to ask everyone, pushing our message through at all angles. It also meant people would most likely here the message more than once, allowing them to identify the desperate cry from the NHS asking for funding. The loose configurations of the piece, allowed the performance to spread it's message widely, a very important, effective technique within political theatre.

Another strength of the piece was the topic we chose- the cuts to the NHS. It is something that has been headlining the news since 2010 and therefore a topic the audience could identity with quickly, efficiently enticing them to further investigate our protest. The effectiveness of a political protest greatly depends on the topic; if you can get people to rally behind your protest, you have fulfilled a key demand of the piece- people will stop and think about the issue and perhaps do something about it. Proof of this was the fact that we had donations from the audience, showing their awareness and want to interact with our cause. If this is the case, your political protest is successful, as it has brought the issue to the forefront of your audiences mind, forcing them to question outside the box they are put in by social and moral standards- something Brecht would encourage.

However, to fully evaluate the piece I must also look at the weaknesses of the piece. Although the location didn't restrict us in some ways, it did in others. At break-time, the reception is one of the busiest places in the whole school. If we had been the only group protesting in this area I believe it would have made the piece more effective; unfortunately, there was a total of 5 groups in the reception area, causing a hectic atmosphere for both performers and audience members. I believe the audience became bombarded by all the different group, all of whom were shouting and fighting to try and get their point across most effectively. I believe somewhere within this process, the audience members lost what we were saying and turned their attentions to escaping the now loud and busy lobby. I believe part of our message was lost in the hustle and bustle of the crowd. In the future, I would choose a location with the same steady flow of people, but perhaps a larger area, instead of confining them. Moreover an extended communication with the other groups about their locations may have sorted some problems.

Although immersive, our piece was not necessarily interactive. From personal experience and also what I witnessed from the performance, the audience seemed to be drawn to pieces that immersed them further by forcing to interact with their piece. Some examples I saw, were people buying children and they had to write down which child they wanted and people selling cakes to the audience. I think this makes the people feel less like spectators and more like vital people within a performance. In future I would involve interactive elements within the piece to centre the audiences
attention to our piece.

Overall, putting on this performance in under 3 weeks has been a challenge, but one every member of the group was willing to tackle, with an end goal of an effective, thought provoking piece. I feel very happy with our piece and am delighted to have worked with people who's passion and motivation drove the piece to it's destination.

Library Interview Transcript

Person 1: Did you use libraries as a child? 

Person 2: After my father was killed in the Second World War, the military paid for me to go to private school- I hated it. All the girls there came from rich families and liked to tease me about my military scholarship. So I retreated to the library. Firstly because my mother couldn't afford all my text books and because it was quiet- no one could tease me there. So yes, libraries were hugely important in my childhood- as a fountain of knowledge and a safe harbour. 

Person 1: Do you think children use them now? 

Person 2: I know they do. Maybe I'm just old, but it always shocks me that all your work is done online with no regard to whether your family has access to the internet. I know you have libraries of your own at school, so I suppose that proves how important they really are for students with no internet at home. Libraries are so vital to those families and I dread the day children are at a disadvantage because of their families financial situation. Years as a social worker showed me what can happen if a family's financial issues becomes an issue for their children.

Person 1: What do you think closing libraries will do? Who will it effect the most?

Person 2: Maybe books aren't cool any more, but I know when I was a child, a book, new or old, was precious. I still see children reading on buses and trains and in coffee shops, so libraries and their books are still being read. If closed the last flicker of interest in a new book will be lost. The source of books will be killed and they will die out. Children will definitely be effected badly with no access to learning. So much vocabulary is discovered through reading and being read to, so if they can't access this, their development could be deeply effected. 

This transcript is a interview between me and my grandmother. I am person 1 and my grandma is person 2. As a 16 year old, who is lucky enough to have access to the internet at home, the work I am given, including this blog, can be completed within the comfort of my own home. I don't think people are sufficiently aware of how many young people do not have access to the internet at home. Libraries are therefore vital as a place they can go without announcing to the whole world that they are unable to complete the work at home. Taking away libraries from these people would hinder children who could succeed as much as and even surpass those of us who have the privilege of the internet at home. Talking with my grandma gave me some primary accounts of who can be affected by the service libraries provide. 

My Ideas For 'Spine' Performance

A lot of the work we will make for spine will be devised by us, the students and therefore I have started to come up with some ideas that could be intertwined within our show.

The Book Thief
One of my favourite books and films is 'The Book Thief.' When the topic of libraries, education and books was presented to me, my attention turned to how I could involve such a poignant, touching story into our performance. It was then suggested that Nazi book burning would also be incorporated into the piece and I knew it was a story that had the potential to heighten the piece and add a story that could express the complete themes and message to the audience. I believe that the old lady in 'Spine' could be Liesel Meminger as an older woman and her hoard of books are a collection from when she saved books from Hitler's book burnings. I would present this in flashback form of a scene in which Liesel discovers the social and political value of books. I think this would be a good scene to include because it gives the story more depth and gives the audience a perspective through the eyes of a girl who defied one of the most dangerous dictators to save her beloved books.

Inkheart
'Inkheart' is another of my favourite books, a story that quite literally, brought the books to life. In our piece, immersing the audience in the books, both by being in the library and centring all our extracts around books, would be enhanced by bringing the stories to life, as they do in 'Inkheart.' One of the small details included in 'Inkheart' was the writing on all of the characters faces, stating their story; their face were the pages of the book and they were tattooed with these words. If we all chose our favourite book and then wrote a extract on our body, I believe it would be both visually pleasing and thought provoking. I think its effect would be representing to the audience that the books we read are part of us and become the very skin we wear. In the end, we are all just the pages of a book.

Malala Mirror
Malala Yousafzai has been campaigning for girls education despite the threat she has faced first hand from the Taliban for doing so. To depict the difference in the view on female education on two sides of the world, I had the idea of creating a mirror, created by two girls standing back to back, standing in front of their parents, one being told the school work she is doing is impressive and that they are extremely proud of her achievements, but the other girl being told she is bringing shame on the family and that girls don't need an education as it is not important within their role in society. Then I would have a comparison in the two girls reactions- the first girl saying she hates school and wants to leave as soon as possible and the second begging her parents to stay in education. Showing this contrast shows how much we take for granted our free access to education and how desirable to is to those who aren't lucky enough to live in a society in which female education is tolerated.

Political Protest Research

I am doing my political protest on the government cuts to the NHS. To make the piece poignant, my group and I have to research the specific details of the cuts and who and what they are effecting.

• By this year, 2015, the NHS were meant to have found £20 billion worth of cuts. 
• £1 billion of the £1.4 billion saved was claimed back by the treasury.
• Funding for NHS may directly increase and yet shortages in areas such as social care causes consequences that put a strain on the NHS. 
• The original £2.8 billion put aside for councils to spend on public health in 2015/2016 are going to be cut by 7% due to new plans to make further cuts of £20 million. 
• There are growing suspicions that the NHS is slowly being privatised. 

These five facts are crucial to creating a political piece- as a stimulus and to make the piece accurate in its message. Building on the privatisation debate, we came up with the idea for a 'Tory NHS Tuck Shop.' The concept is built on a belief that the Tories are selling our health to private companies and making our welfare a lottery based on where you live and your financial standings. Therefore we used the factors of the space- the big crowd, the loud noise and the atmosphere of all the different groups shouting, to create a market place atmosphere. This fits well with our idea to create a 'market' selling off every day medicines and equipment for extortionate prices. We believed this to be an immersive experience for the audience, transporting them to a dystopia in which medicines they take for granted are being sold for unachievable prices. It is a glance down the path we may be on if the NHS crisis is allowed to continue.

In-cooperated within our 'Tory NHS Tuck Shop' and other elements of our piece, are Brechtian  techniques such as signs. We want to use signs to create a sense of irony about the piece, for example; 'half price sale- while cuts last' stuck on the tuck shop shop-front  and one of the begging doctors sign will read 'need money for drugs- NHS drugs.' Adding in signs like this not only takes inspiration for our theatre practitioner Brecht, but enforces his aim to make people think. Playing and twisting words will catch the audiences attention and make them think twice about our message.  

Lesson 2

Gestus
The word Gestus comes from  a combination of the words gesture and gist and it translates as:

"An attitude or a single aspect of an attitude that can be expressed by both words and actions."

The gesture you make reveals your attitude towards a person or thing, to the audience and based on this, the audience judge the attitude, thinking about why that specific one has been chosen, and make a social or political judgement on what they see before them. Keeping with the style of Brecht, it causes the audience to stop and think, without the actor having to say a single word. Such reveals in a piece, happen throughout Brechtian theatre, normally being intensified by lighting, sound or slo-mo asking the audience to closely analyse what they see in front of them. It creates a trail of breadcrumbs through Brecht's pieces, giving away little reveals to the audience, isolating them on stage to give the audience the best chance of using it to answer the overarching question that the piece may pose.

I believe this is an effective technique as it is a useful tool in transitioning and weaving a piece together and it supports the style of Brechtian theatre. Dramatising a specific moment in a piece, is identified by the audience as a deliberate choice by the director, asking the audience to specifically notice this moment. The use of lighting, sound and slo-mo enhances this further. If there were subtle aspects within the piece or essential moments we wanted to highlight, Gestus is a direct way of achieving this goal.

Spass
Spass is the comedic element of Gestus and literally translates as 'to have fun.' One of my favourite logics of Brecht's I have come across so far, is Spass. Brecht thought fun and comedy were important in pieces of theatre, as do I. If you do a piece that is purely dark and depressing, it becomes just that; depressing and therefore not all together enticing for the audience to watch. A perfect example of this is when we watched 'Firebird.' Although it was dealing with a very poignant, tragic subject of trafficking, there were moments of humour in the piece which I believe made it complete and enhanced the topic by showing the people who are trafficking these young, vulnerable people, are not your stereotypical 'baddies'; they will appear to be humorous, kind and all together normal. Therefore I believe it is something I have seen work and appreciate as a performer and spectator so will definitely use it to enhance my performance.

Exercises- War Freeze Frame and Snobs and Servants
The first exercise we did today was a freeze frame of soldiers coming and going from the battlefield. The first freeze frame was them going to war, the second them coming back, reacting to a dead body. We played with Gestus in this exercise, by choosing an attitude in each freeze frame. In the first one we are downtrodden, as we have been fighting a long and hard war, and know this battle could prove fatal. We walked in a jagged line, ignoring formalities, knowing they won't save us, with me holding the soon to be dead body on my shoulder. In the second still image, we are hopeless, after the loosing the battle. The dead body was lying on the floor with me closing their eyes and the others walking ahead not looking at it.

This helped me understand Gestus because it proved to me that I can express an attitude to my audience, which they can clearly identify, without speaking. By understanding the attitude I have to something on stage, I can transfer this emotion to the whole of my body and, like in the war freeze frame, make a political and social commentary on something. I believe we showed that in the end, war destroys man and his morality. To be able to show this just through our body and face, is a very powerful tool.

The second exercise we did was snobs and servants. I was allocated the role of snob along with 4 others and the rest of the class were servants. We walked around the room, initially not saying anything, just gesturing to instruct our servants, for example, waving carelessly to a cushion for them to place on a chair for you to sit on. Then we added in speech so we could order them about. I tried to be as pompous and extravagant as possible to add to the hilarity of it, making direct use of Brecht's Spass.

Putting Spass into direct use was fun, yet surprisingly daunting. It was funny to let go of boundaries and yet, I found it at times awkward ordering people to carry me across the room on their back. It seemed very over the top and strange, but I suppose, this is exactly how Brecht wanted it to be.

Dramatic Theatre vs Epic Theatre

We completed this sheet to identify the fundamental differences between dramatic and epic theatre. The easiest way I found to identify a difference was to look at this metaphor; dramatic theatre is a series in which you have to watch every episode to understand the overarching story, whereas in epic theatre, you can dip in whenever and still take away the morals of the story. However the lines between dramatic and epic theatre can be blurred; the rules are not black and white, as naturalistic plays can have Brechtian aspects interwoven into them.

Some of the biggest differences are:

• Dramatic theatre has a plot- a beginning, middle and end- whereas epic theatre is a narrative in free form in which the story never really ends. 
• In dramatic theatre there is a fourth wall whereas in epic theatre the audience must be an active viewer, always questioning the piece. 
• Dramatic theatre allows an emotional attachment whereas in epic theatre, these attachments must be broken and the audience must detach themselves from the action so as to make a judgement on the piece.
• The ending in dramatic theatre is unalterable whereas the viewpoint you take of epic theatre can change it's ending. 
• In dramatic theatre the journey and growth of the piece focuses on only one direction whereas epic theatre presents a scrapbook of ideas to be observed by the audience. 
• The biggest difference is arguably that dramatic theatre is driven by feeling and epic theatre by reason.  

Understanding these differences is fundamental when employing them within a piece, especially when I am wanting to have an effect on my audience by using Brechtian techniques. 

An Introduction to Brecht

Our theatre practitioner for this term is Bertolt Brecht who completely contradicts our work on Stanislavsky last term. He may of respected his work as a man, yet their theatrical beliefs are two polar opposites. In class today we were given a insight into who Brecht is and how he is going to effect the work we do this term.

Brecht defies realism by making everything on stage over exaggerated and somewhat fake. He wanted his audience to question everything that was happening on stage; he wanted them to be active viewers. To accomplish this he employed a whole spectrum of techniques. The barrier created in traditional proscenium arch theatre is broken by Brecht, keeping the audience harshly lighted in the same way as the stage, putting the audience on show just as much as the actors- there are no quick naps in a Brechtian piece. Moreover, the audience were 100% aware that the actors were just that, so as to discourage them in investing themselves in the story emotionally, keeping the mind sharp, so you can be constantly questioning the piece. He employed techniques such as signs, multi-rolling, change overs on stage and intense lighting and music all to create a unnatural atmosphere. By detaching themselves from what was happening on stage and the people performing, the audience could  remain astute, critically analysing the what, why and how of the performance.

A video that helped me truly understand Brecht, was from the National Theatre website, giving me example of Brecht's own writings and the workings of a Brechtian piece:

My take on Brecht's techniques are, to me, strange and highly out of my comfort zone, but a challenge I am willing to tackle. I believe a performer is comforted by, and somewhat relies on the fourth wall between the audience and the actors, to remind ones self that the audience believe you are a character and are not judging you. By dismembering this it puts us as performers completely on show, a concept that although daunting is new and exciting. Brecht's work is a huge oxymoron- investing in the piece fully, but withdrawing emotionally, balancing belief and disbelief in one moment. Of one thing I am sure; experimenting with Brecht's copious techniques will open up doors for me as a performer whether or not I study Brecht or naturalism.

Lesson 1

Moody Objects

We were asked to walk around the room and then randomly get into groups to create inanimate objects with our bodies and then further develop them by giving them a personality dictated by an emotion or 'mood.' For example we created a sexy chair, angry motorbike and a sad toilet- a strange concept and, at points, slightly awkward; as one is not often faced with the challenge of making a chair sexy. Although these expressions can be natural for the human body, when intertwined with an everyday object, they suddenly become misplaced and unnatural.

 Doing this exercise allowed us to challenge perception. Brecht, the theatre practitioner we are studying this term, focused on challenging perception in all his pieces, as was the nature of his theatre style. When introduced to this concept, I found it harder to grasp compared to the more traditional style of naturalism, yet such a simple exercise allowed me to understand the basics of the theatre Brecht was trying to create. When presented with such a unusual image- such as a sexy chair- you question the reason behind the characterisation- the soul goal of Brecht's work. Though I did not initially see it, there is a certain beauty in Brecht's style which was revealed to me during this exercise. From the perspective of an audience member, observing a chairs sexuality may be shocking and confusing, causing you to double take; you will look firstly and see a chair, perhaps with a distinct body language or facial expression, yet it will take a second glance for you to identify the chairs characteristics. Being able to rediscover something within a matter of seconds, is intriguingly beautiful and it further encourages you to question the image you see in front of you.  

This exercise was a slightly uncomfortable at times as it asked you to emotionally and physically connect with something that can not return such a connection, thus making it unnatural. However it allowed me to understand Brecht's purpose in a simplified way that identified with both my artistic and logical reasoning. 

The 'V' effect

Verfremdungeffekt or the 'V' effect as it is otherwise known, is a technique that can be described as alienation, aiming to make the ordinary, extraordinary and strange. Brecht used this technique to remind the audience that what they were watching on stage was fiction; allowing them to cut any emotional attachment they may have felt with the piece and focus only on questioning the events unfolding before them. It also highlighted important aspects of his play, drawing the audience's attention to a certain moment of the piece. Brecht also played with the natural human thought process and automatic instincts within this technique to make people specifically question the actions of human beings. 

Using this within my work will help me present to the audience the message of my piece, putting a spotlight on certain irregularities in my piece to highlight a moral within my work. This is a tool I will use to enhance my political work. 

Extension of the character

In this exercise we embodied both a pregnant lady and a capitalist businessman. In doing so we had to adopt a physicality and vocal quality that represented our characterisation including class and emotional state. As the businessman: tall stance with a strained face, holding and smoking a cigar. For the pregnant woman: hunched over and rubbing her stomach, with a look of clear discomfort. When told the news "the factory is on strike" we had to react according to the character we were playing. For the businessman: a dismissive wave of the hand proclaiming "am I meant to care?" And for the woman: running her hands from her head to her stomach, concerned asking "how am I meant to provide?" 

These two characters were polar opposites, allowing me to create bold character choices and in so doing understanding the intentions behind a certain character choice and action. This will help me when choosing how to effectively present a character or genre of characters to an audience. I will need to be able to understand the best way to commentate using both my physicality and voice.