WJEC/Eduqas GCSE Drama: Revision Guide

Direct address Unexpected meeting In pairs, use direct address and placards to help tell the story of an unexpected meeting between two characters. Share each character’s private thoughts with the audience, as well as speaking dialogue to each other. How can you use these Brechtian techniques to show the way private feelings contrast with what they say aloud? What does this teach me about Brecht? When actors speak to each other and exist within the world of the play only, that is acting within a fourth wall. Brecht allows characters to ‘break’ that fourth wall at any time. By breaking the fourth wall, Brechtian theatre lets the actor contrast the character’s private thoughts and wishes with their public words and deeds. It can show hidden selflessness, but also hidden cruelty. It’s a great source for comedy too. EXERCISE 3.5 Narrator In Brecht’s plays, reported speech was often used, making actors say certain lines in the third person. The narrator, sometimes the same actor who plays the character being described, tells the audience what is being said. Here is a section of text from The Caucasian Chalk Circle , a fascinating play for getting to grips with Brechtian technique. In this extract, Grusha, who is engaged to marry a solider called Simon when he returns from war, comes across the abandoned baby son of the assassinated governor. Exit with IRONSHSIRTS through the gateway. Trampling of horses again. Enter GRUSHA through the doorway looking courteously about her. Clearly she has waited for the IRONSHIRTS to go. Carrying a bundle, she walks toward the gateway. At the last moment, she turns to see if the CHILD is still there. Catching sight of the head over the doorway, she screams. Horri ed, she picks up her bundle again, and is about to leave when the SINGER starts to speak. She stands rooted to the spot. SINGER: As she was standing between courtyard and gate, She heard or she thought she heard a low voice calling. The child called to her, Not whining, but calling quite sensibly, Or so it seemed to her, ‘Woman,’ it said, ‘help me.’ A 01 A 02 The 39 Steps , adapted from Alfred Hitchcock’s film of the thriller by John Buchan, used Brechtian techniques, including stage directions spoken by the characters and a mixture of placards and direct address. 52 part 1 DEVISING THEATRE