Name of Play:     Man is Man   by Bertolt Brecht                                 Theatre Company:  Scene Productions        

 Theatre:  The Arts Centre @ The Ridings High School                                Date: 18^th Oct 2007

Genre:  Epic Theatre – Brecht – Epic theatre has the following characteristics: 1) Narrator supplying social, political or historical background to the play; 2) Direct address to the audience; 3) No suspense or surprises set up; 4) no emotional involvement with the characters – audience asked to concentrate on the message; 5) each scene is an  episode and can stand as a separate performance with its own message. 6) actors use style of acting called "gestus" or "gestic acting" which creates simple stage pictures of the political message or "gest" e.g. rubbing your fingers together and showing you LOVE MONEY shows a gest of greed.

1. We all have choices in life and these choices fashion our destiny – life is not preordained – man is changeable and is responsible for his actions, e.g. consider the moments when the cast rewound the action and followed a different decision by the character.
2. We can become dehumanised and manipulated by society and are then capable of terrible crimes and actions – e.g. Galy Gay having taken on the attitude of Bloody Five slaughters the innocent civilians and children sheltering in the mountain fortress of Sir El-Djowr
3. Even the simplest and most well mannered man can become a monster if he allows society to program him – we are programmed by the values of the society we live in and the government that determines those values. Brecht hopes that by considering this the audience will consider their own lives and bring about change. E.g. Galy Gay hangs on to his identity until he is about to lose his life in the firing squad and then he becomes Jip.

Galy Gay - simple porter - presented vocally and visually as placid, naïve, mild mannered man – finds it hard to say no to people – easily influenced and manipulated for other peoples gain. Movements: simple, relaxed and open – to show he is easily influenced. Vocally - speaks with soft Irish accent to show his unthreatening nature. Facial expressions are wide eyed and almost gormless. He walks unsteadily around the space – body has loose quality – walking piece of putty being able to be moulded by others into whatever they want – to show human beings can be altered through social conditioning. Holds his ear when under pressure – childlike gesture, communicates he is being led blindly by others, without fully understanding what he is being asked to do. His innocence is seen clearly when he is placed next to the scheming characters around him. He is exposed to life as a soldier – at end has been transformed into a brutal killing machine. Later as a soldier he wears a brodie tin helmet and carries large rifle. Stands in authoritative manner and uses strong sharp gestures, punctuating every movement with force and precision. As "Bloody Five" his soft vocal quality is replaced by harsh gritty tone – echoes roar of an animal – gnashes his teeth and bellows at the soldiers to show his status as new sergeant. He has taken on the costume of Bloody Five – slowly takes on the mask of Bloody Five.

Widow Begbick – principal narrative voice – comments on the action and prevents any feelings of suspense by describing the events about to unfold – her voice in considered, in the style of a newsreader, calmly presenting facts - she moves the pieces on the chess board.

Wang - temple owner – sly character – corrupt greedy and calculating – soulless character – prepared to sink to any depths where money is involved – moves in a snake-like manner, sliding smoothly across the stage, leading with his head as though sniffing out his prey – when he stands or sits it is echoed by a whistle off stage – humour – like water, constantly moving and moulding, to adapt and jump on any situation that will make him money. He is a calculating, slippery character. He demands the worshippers hand over their money and he snatches this swiftly from their hands, then he rubs his hands together to highlight his pleasure in obtaining these riches. His face is a mask – permanent smug grin etched into his features. He moves with great speed to emphasise how he works quickly and smoothly when concocting schemes. A good example of Wang’s deviousness is when he asks Jip to stay and tempts him with a succulent piece of steak – wafts it under Jip’s nose. Wang toys with him – wafting it under his nose and forcing him to follow Wang – Wang is showing us the power of greed.

Sergeant Fairchild – Bloody Five – fear to control and manipulate the soldiers - he is part of the military machine - at the beginning of the play Fairchild represents a slick fighting machine – not a man

Example of what you might use when considering Scene 3 for the exam - concentrating on the performance of the actors :

Projected Message - "We live in a world of things, and our only connection with them is that we know how to manipulate or to consume them."

Sergeant F uses fear to control and manipulate the soldiers – appears on the projection screen, larger than life, bellowing at the top of his voice – wears a mask that appears metallic and harsh – face bears no resemblance to human being – he is part of the military machine. His power is shown by Jesse and Jip when they enter – when they see the wanted poster they draw back in horror, shuffle towards the audience, look at each other, put their fingers to their lips, ‘Shhh’ and go to bolt. Just as they make this movement Sergeant F’s whistle blows and Uriah and Jesse remain frozen on the spot, right legs raised in the running position with wide eyes, open mouths, creating a picture of utter terror. By freezing this moment the audience witnesses the level of fear and power Fairchild wields. The idea of dehumanised men controlled by society is emphasised further as the soldiers stand rigid with fear, barely able to speak. Jesse is unable to control himself and bursts into tears, his shoulders heaving and face comically contorted. As Begbick enters with Galy Gay we see him being manipulated further. He is convinced by her to carry her bag of cucumbers – when he suggests he return to his wife she grabs him by the hair and thrusts his face deep into her bosom. Her vocal quality is deep and sensual and her physical tempo slow and mellow. We see her sexually manipulate Galy Gay – he is powerless against her assets. She is desperate to make money from the basket of cucumbers – financial gain. She takes out the cucumber and holds it suggestively to Galy Gay’s groin. She raises the cucumber towards his stomach and looks deep into his eyes. This is a visual picture that sums up the notion that ‘sex sells’. He chooses to take the cucumber and pay the Widow Begbrick. She winks at the audience to communicate that her plan was successful, pockets the cash and walks off with a satisfied grin on her face.

Example of how tiles and gestic messages are relevant to Scene 8

TitIe: In the moving train

Message: ‘When it comes to controlling human beings, there is no better instrument than lies. Because you see, humans live by beliefs. And beliefs can be manipulated. The power to manipulate beliefs is the only thing that counts’ Michael Ende.

Galy is convinced he has been shot and buried. He no longer believes in the existence of Galy Gay – he is left with living the lie of the false existence of Jip. At the same time as GG becomes another person we learn of the lie of Bloody Five – he is no hero only a coward who killed 5 defenceless Hindus in cold blood – this leaves the way for GG to assume his persona now that it his belief in it has been destroyed like GG in his previous persona.

Whistle blown to highlight the moment a decision is made – action is then rewound to show what happens when a different decision is made e.g. in scene where soldiers are trying to persuade Galy Gay to stay with them and pretend to be a soldier – GG not prepared to give up his name, not prepared to be lured by business deal, decides to stay loyal to his wife and true to his identity – goes to leave and

Masks stop you identifying with the character and attempt to create a more analytical response. Bloody Five’s Mask - smooth and chrome – robotic – metallic greens, gold and bronze – at the beginning of the play Fairchild represents a slick fighting machine – not a man – the mask suggests this distance and coldness. The mask also shows his disintegration from a fighting machine to a weak and ineffectual man – exploding the myths created by society about war. His sexual longing for Widow Begbrick causes him to lose his tough image and as he does so parts of the mask are removed and fixed to Galy Gay as he becomes more ruthless and controlled by society – 3 removable sections allow this to happen. Swapping of the mask shows how Galy Gay becomes dehumanised and reconditioned.