IB Y1 reflection THE GOOD SOUL OF SECHUAN
"Some people are so poor, all they have is money"
Is the first quote that comes to my mind whist reflecting back on The Good Soul Of Sechuan.
Things that went really well:
Doing Bertolt Brecht is such a challenge and was very admiring of the risk you took.
The set was beautiful and surprising and used in very smart ways. I was so surprised when you turned the shop around and how it was used. The elevated audience in the black box was new for me and it gave the opportunity to really fill up the space of the black box.
Lighting, although not Bretchian, was very well used. It was very smooth although highlighted everything that needed to be highlighted. One of my scorch moment was when The water boy would talk to the Gods and how the light hit him.
The acting!!!! You guys are all so very talented and with all the lines, all the monologues and the limited time, you really pulled off the characters so well. I heard that lines were missed, although I hadn't noticed. I mean the court scene seemed a little short but I believe the most important points were said throughout the play. I was also told that, even though important lines were missed, one of you was always able to go back and fourth into the script to remind others, and finally get through the line. I hadn't noticed that either. Give yourself some chocolate for pulling that off.
The actor-audience relationship. I believe that this was one of the best handled characteristic of Brechtian theatre. The barrier that was purposely broken was well done as the audience reacted and listened carefully when spoken to. The pointing and when all the actors were in line facing the audience it was really powerful.
Things that didn't go as well:
When Sabrina mentioned that the play was some kind of a comment on capitalism and communism, I was a little a surprised but then thinking back on it it makes a lot of sense, so I think it was just me who got lost into the smeller messages rather than the whole picture. Because duh, China, Brecht, Gods and poor.. it kinda speaks for itself.
It was left undecided if the actors were supposed to be frozen or if they just kept on doing whatever they were doing when one actor was speaking to the audience. Some were frozen, some weren't.. it was a little distracting at times.
If you were sited on the sides of the black box, when the actors were standing on one side of the tobacco shop you weren't able to see the actors at all.
Sometimes it was noticeable that the lines were forgotten as the end of a sentence was mumbled.