How much is too much?

I'm struck by the commonality of how much specificificity is called for by the playwright in alot of the last few scripts. Noh, of course, take this to such an amazing extreme the set is no longer up to the author. Beckett goes so far as to allowing only certain conditions in order to be permitted to stage one of those plays. There's a little more room for individual interpretation in Mother Courage as well as Raisin and even Ibsen detail the set to a very specific degree. Do the sets become another character- as with Krapp's tape player? If so, is the play's impact and "message" diminished by reducing the set's detail? I know I said in an earlier response that we can find great liberty in limitations, but I wonder how much is too much from a playwright in this matter...

Beckett

It's interesting to read a play by Beckett after reading a Noh play. In the Noh Theatre, everything is so specific and rehearsed by tradition so that if you did a play now it would be the same as it was hundreds of years ago. The same thing can be said of Beckett. He was very particular in who did his plays and to this day through a company he controls, from the grave, the when and how of his productions. This is both comforting and unnerving as an actor. With Beckett, you know how it is supposed to be, but there is little room for interpretation or for personal touch. It is what it is. As is with the Noh. In Noh, there is no "what I felt in this scene" or "move downstage a bit." It is all precise. Every pause in Beckett, every sigh, every crazy outburst by Krapp was written in for a reason. You may not know why he holds the Bananna *shudders* in his mouth for a moment but I bet Beckett does. It is certainly interesting for the audience to wonder and to figure out for themselves, maybe that is the job of the actor as well....

beckett and repetition

Zac mentioned the repetitive nature of Beckett's plays. I was thinking about it today when we were watching Krapp's Last Tape; the actor picked up, looked at, peeled, and ate the banana twice. He did it the same way each time, even though he was eating his second banana. As we talked about in class, parts of the play like this are comic relief; however, they are also a tad scary. There's also a lot of repetition in the stage directions as well as the dialogue he has with the tape and himself. The same is true for the play Meredith was in. The versions of Play I have seen have the actors do the first part and then repeat it all over again (as opposed to breaking it up). And, today, we talked about Rockabye, in which the actress repeats herself multiple times. Its all creepy, as we discussed in class, but why is it so eerie? 

Beckett's plays are like no others. I think his repetitive use of language makes the audience really think about the words. He is really trying to say something with these plays, and having the actors repeat themselves multiple times resonates with the audience. That, along with other elements of course, is what adds to the frightening nature of the plays. Its scary to HAVE to think about the loneliness and heartbreak that Beckett covers in his scripts. We human beings have been pretty successful at blocking those parts out.

Krapp's Last Tape

The interview that wouldn't play.

Beckett

In case anyone missed it, we actually did a Beckett play "Play" in Studio earlier this semester. I finally got the videos (had to split it in two parts) uploaded to the internet and thought that you might be interested. It's not the play we're studying, I know, but Beckett writes some interesting stuff. I tell you though, this was the most stressful show I have ever performed in. I have never been nervous for a performance until this one--I broke out in hives. Just a little tid bit.

It's a little less than 17 min. all togther. It might be kind of hard to understand at times, I included a link to the script for those of you who get really pulled in. (Play Full Text)

Pt. 1


Pt. 2

When I found out the fact that the Noh plays use only one set, the same set for every play, it made me think about how the playwright's job increases. With the set already pre-planned, the playwright is obligated to make sure that the text of the play creates the visual aspects of the story being told, as well as the story itself. I think it will show the mark of a wonderful playwright who cannot rely on an elaborate scenery to tell their story, but rather let the words of the play be the focus to tell the story. It is interesting how taking one aspect of theatre, like the set, can increase the focus of the writing.

Noh Theatre

I was really excited to see that we were going to be reading/discussing a Noh play. I learned about it a few years ago in Theatre History but haven't had much to do with it since. I am intrigued by the discipline of Noh and by how long it takes to be trained to do a specific part for it. I love to watch the actors glide across the stage nearly effortlessly all while the body and head never seem to move. I remember learning that you had to begin training at a very young age and were beaten with a stick by your instructor, usally the veteran of the theatre, until you had the right kind of posture for the specific role you were playing. Everything about Noh seems so delicate and precise, which I look at as comforting as an actor. You usually tend to avoid playing "emotions" but in the Noh, an expression of emotion can be the critical point in a scene. I would love to experience more with this kind of Theatre because I don't think you can get the full effect of it unless you see it live.