Two halves of the Brain: Two halves of Britain.

Everybody has a left brain and a right brain. Each side controls a different area of thought.
The Left side is the "logical" side, whereas the right supports our "creative" thoughts, and research shows that most people prefer one style of thinking over another.
Now, you may be sitting there staring at your screen thinking what on Earth is this girl on about? I thought she was some sort of theatre fanatic. Well never fear, I am. But I have always been interested in the opposition of the left and the right; whether its the brain, which hand you use (...steady on), which side of the road you drive on, or possibly most polific; political parties.
And never have I been more interested in the feud between the left and right wings of the big bird of Britain than when watching "This House" at the Cottersloe Theatre at the National this week.
Set in 1974, James Graham's play focuses on the practical realities and personal lives of those behind the scenes in the conservative and Labour party, and the formidable battle they face to stay in power and take charge of the Nation.
From the moment you enter the auditiorium the mood is immediately created, with both the stage and seating area dressed to replicate the House of Commons. So convincing is the set, that if you were in the foyer and glanced at the monitor displaying the auditorium, you would be assured to feel that you were looking at the real thing. So kudos to you, Rae Smith, for designing a masterpiece.
And the designs were just one part of the perfectly fitting jigsaw that made this piece so successful. The cast are to be praised endlessly. With the exception of a handful of actors, the every member of the company alternates characters with the blink of an eye, portraying 40+ characters with efortless charm. And with a cast of only 16, I feel that is an achievement that deserves a metophorical tip of the cap.
Of course, I wasn't around in those rusty, industrial days of political unrest. But I have often heard the tales of hardship from my parents. However these stories tend to transport your mind predominantly to a grubby picket line or blistering protest in the middle of a city. Whereas Graham's writing traps you in the very corridors and offices of westminster, allowing you to observe the battle from another angle, where the fighting was of an equal hostility. Although every audience member enters with their own political mindset and believing they know "which side they're on", as the storyline unfolds it becomes increasingly difficult to not become neutral. This is not down to a poetic tricky delivered through the medium of a debate, but instead down to Graham's ability to write a witty, seductively funny and truthful script, and not forgetting wonderfully human characters, whose spirits can be somewhat dictated at times by the political parties they belong to. But more often than not in the piece; you see these politicians not as public enemies, but simply as people.
Overall, "This House"  is an extraordinary piece. Spotlighting on a spectrum of issues such as feminism and family life as well as the pivotal arguement of "who's way is best", Its no wonder that as of February 2013, it will be transfering to the Olivier auditorium for an extended run. And with a few 70s anthems thrown in, what is there not to like?

But there's more! I'd like to start off this second section with a fact;
The most powerful sexual organ in your body is your brain.
There you go. That doesn't really have that much to do with this part, but it does bring me back on the topic of the human brain, and how nothing else on the planet can really compare to it.
A piece that explores this idea intensively, is "Donny's Brain".
Written by Rona Munro and currently playing at the Hampstead Downstairs theatre, this is a piece on a much smaller, yet no less impressive scale.
Donny is involved in a car accident. The overall outlook is that he is ok, but he has suffered some damage to his brain tissue, and had to have a small section of it removed. This section is removed from the area that controls and inhabits his memory. With this section missing, Donny has forgotten the last 3 years of his life. In that time, he has left Emma, his partner of 8 years and her 16 year old daughter and remarried. Of these landmark moments, he has no recollection, and believes he is still in a blissful relationship with Emma.
This play is an emotional rollercoaster, as to be expected when discussing such a personal and intimate subject, and Munro's writing is sure to have you giggling one moment and sobbing your heart out the next.
The Hampstead downstairs theatre is a great venue; its petite seating area and narrow performamce space lends itself well to the privacy of this piece, and provokes the audience to stimulate their imaginations in regards to what they're watching and involve themselves, as opposed to just simply observing.
And with that, I shall leave you with a quotation;

Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking. - Albert Einstein.

So? What are you waiting for? Go and get posting on your own blog! You nutter.

A sign of the Times?

‘I think we ought to read only books that bite and sting us. If the book we are reading doesn’t shake us awake like a blow on the skull, why bother reading it in the first place? A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us.’ - Franz Kafka.
I first came across this quotation in my AS English Literature class, and it has since then stuck with me. However, I would argue that this does not only apply to books, but to all art forms.
But should it apply to the dramatic arts? Well I would argue that it does. Indefinitely.
But whenever I think about this, there is always a little voice reminding me of the work and ethic of the lovely Bertolt Brecht.
Nowadays, when people think of dear Bertolt, all they may see is an old photograph of a man that would today be classed as a hipster, what with his thick-rimmed glasses and his top button done up.
But in his day, Brecht was causing quite a revolution in the world of acting and theatre practise.

Rivaling Stanislavski's blistering naturalism, Brecht developed the concept of "Epic Theatre", and devoutly believed in using the theatre as "a forum for political ideas". The theory behind "Epic Theatre" was that a play should not cause an audience to engage with the plot or characters on an emotional level, but instead provoke "rational self-reflection and a critical view of what's happening on stage". From here, the Marxist within him hoped that this alienation would result in audience members leaving the theatre and trying to make a difference within society.
From this basis came all the zaney elements known as "Brechtian Theatre" such as breaking the fourth wall, the use of Explanatary cards in performance and the use of song.
I am currently working on a production of "Caucasian Chalk Circle" (One of his earlier, less experimental plays) and one thing I will say about working on a Brechtian project, is that it undoubtedly allows a lot more freedom for everyone involved, revealing a new creative process which is an invaluable experience for any performer.
However, I wonder in if in this era of kitchen sink dramas and relentless soap operas, if this approach seems somewhat less successful in making a connection with audiences today.
We are a nation obsessed with truthful representations of the world we live in. Whether its an episode of Emmerdale or a novel based on the true story of someone's troublesome life that tugs at your heartstrings, it appears that what we now favour is art that we can all relate to, something with which we personally can connect or empathise with, or even lay ownership to.

Over recent years, playwrites have diregarded Brecht's practises and favoured their focuses instead on every day characters and scenarios.
One writer who does this particularly well is David Hare. Narrowing his focus on chracter relationships and standard, familiar settings such as the family home; Hare writes in a way that makes the audience feel as though they fit comfortably within the world of the play. However along with the security provided by this familial sense, Hare manages to also address serious societal issues. One piece which does this particularly well is "The Judas Kiss". Although based on two pivotal moments in the life of Oscar Wilde, and set over a century ago, Hare manages to entwine the brutally truthful human relationships between the characters, and the prejudice societal opinions on homosexuality, many of which can still be identified today.
So which theory is the more effective? The risky one or the safe one? Well, it is difficult to draw the one conclusion. But one thing remains certain, if an audience member approaches the piece with a ready interest and a open mind, it is nearly impossible for them to leave without being effected, whether on an emotional or politcal level. So maybe your performance really will change someone's life.
Or perhaps not.

Bertolt Brecht

Do you see what I mean?




Hipster