Theatre Studies – Brecht

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Brecht wanted stage presentation to be closer to the atmosphere of a boxing ring. Discuss how his use of technical and visual elements aimed to create this.

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The atmosphere of a boxing ring is noisy and brash. The lighting is harsh and the action is very up front. Brecht wanted stage presentation to be representative of this. In order to do so, he used different ideas such as distancing and the style of sets and props.

The audience are labelled as spectators. This first move distances the audience from the action. Brecht wanted the theatre to have the “same fascinating reality” as a boxing ring. This is created by keeping the spectators aware of the fact that they are only watching a play – it is not real. The use of placards encouraging the spectators to think about what they are seeing emphasises this. The spectators that surround the boxing ring can see every aspect of the ring. It is all open for scrutiny. Brecht wanted this to be a part of the theatre by not disguising the technicalities of the set such as the ropes and pulleys. A Brechtian set should look as though it has been designed to last only as long as the production. This supports the specific purpose of a boxing ring. It is not part of a life that the spectators do not see. In the same way, a Brechtian set is only used as a background for the production. It does not look as if it is part of a real life.

In the same way, the actors are distanced from their characters and could emphasise the fact that the spectators are only watching a play. The actors can address the spectators directly. A boxing match is not a story, but a play directed in a Brechtian style has the same reality of an event going on before spectators’ eyes. The spectators are encouraged to interact with a Brechtian style of production. This recreates the atmosphere of the shouting and cheering at a boxing match. The spectators there either encourage or heckle the boxers. The spectators at the theatre are encouraged to think about what they are presented with. In this way, they can fight what is wrong, or support what is right.

By seating all classes together in the auditorium, Brecht recreated the scene of a boxing ring. At a boxing match, everyone stands in the same area. Brecht’s belief that the working classes could improve their lives through politics puts them on the same level as the richer classes. In the same way, they are seated with each other. The spectators are also able to come and go as they please. At a boxing match this is also possible. The sight of the spectators moving around while the production continues is reminiscent of the moving crowd surrounding a boxing ring. The Brechtian concept is that the spectator will be able to understand the production, from any point. As with a boxing ring, it does not matter whether the spectator has any previous knowledge of the event, the aims quickly become clear.

At a boxing match, the action can be understood without the sounds, as the main effect is visual. In this way, a deaf person could understand the events. Brecht’s use of movement and gesture also enables a deaf person to understand the action. This is another way of opening the issues to everyone – the rich, the poor, the educated, the illiterate. The harsh lighting of a boxing match is used in a Brechtian production. Plays could be performed in daylight. This underlines the idea of the performance not being a safe way to relax, but a time when the spectator has to be alert and thinking. The actors are also open to scrutiny at all times. In recreating the atmosphere of a boxing ring, the human becomes the embed of enquiry.

A main aspect of the atmosphere of a boxing ring is the suspense of what will happen next. Brecht’s use of montage recreates this. Rather than the suspense being based upon the outcome, the suspense is moulded on the next event. The use of montage gives new shocks to the spectators for them to consider.

The overall effect of the production arouses the spectators’ capacity for action. The production is as involving as a boxing match. The spectators offer their views and watch the action waiting for the next event that will lead to the climax, rather than solely being interested in the outcome. Brecht’s use of the visual elements such as the technical aspects of the set act as constant reminders of the fact that the performance is an event to be questioned rather than believed and accepted.

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