Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot'
Absurdism theatre is originated from the Euro-American Avant Garde, highly influenced by the aftermath effects of WWII. Sort of similar to Artaud's intention of Anti-theatre for theatre of cruelty, Beckett aimed to bring Human's reality of frailty, feeble and search for answers about life through theatre of Absurd. It is no longer an Art that needs appreciation but a space where the hidden reality and questioning of the meaning of life are brought forward. He wanted the people to experience this reality through entering a world of myths, religion, cosmic sensation.
Beckett uses language that are distorted, incoherent in a questionable state. Some questions are open-ended and randomness of words will start to appear. Language becomes dialectic. Beckett did not like to use dialogue or conventionalised language speaking as a means of communication because 'conventionalised speech acts as a barrier between ourselves and what the world is really about: in order to come into direct contact with natural reality, it is necessary to discredit and discard the false crutches of conventionalised language' (Culik, J. 2000, Para 5) He pushes the boundary of communication through other means of the common language speaking. Instead of conversational dialogue, Beckett attempts to portray poetic images using elements, symbols, lighting and movement. There is no drama conflict or tension. In his play 'Waiting for Godot', there is a sense of alienation, meaningless existence (nihilism), loneliness, randomness and weirdness which makes the play topic-less. The play is characterised with little logical flow, pausing, senseless talk, actions that disrupts the flow of talk, etc. There is this type of tension that is not based on power struggle or climactic areas but a dramatic tension on dialectic between two people.
Then there is this symbol of the tree that represents something which Godot might want to imprint on the audience's mind. The tree exist in many religions and different meanings of life. In our culture, I think tree represents the tree of life. In NIE, meranti tree is used in the Gesl project because it symbolizes strong bark (body). In the Chinese context, tree metaphorically means family tree. Tree in Christianity represents life, bearing fruits of the spirit. A tree also represents the connection between heaven and earth. Tree represents so many things but in this play, I figure that he wants to portray the cross of Christ since they were talking about christianity. But at the same time, he questions where is God in my life? What is the purpose of my existence?
Mandala - 'that which encircles the center'. It is found in Hinduism and Buddhism. It is used as an offering made to a spiritual teacher in request for a teaching, the conferring of a set of vows, and for the conferring of a tantric empowerment. Each quadrant represent a theme. Some culture says it brings good luck, some says its divine protection from their Gods.
Question: What do you think sort of theatre we might be working? How would you stage a play based on the global society?
I think we would not be doing the theatre of Absurd because our culture still has tradition roots attached to it. Anything as profound and deep as this kind of theatre is really beyond understanding. I think the Singapore audience will really be APPALLED by the play and walk out of the theatre and complain about wasting their time and money. It has not come to the time where arts are appreciated by Singaporeans yet. They want meaning, they want logic, they want instant answers, they are impatient and needs spoon feeding. The Beckett's or Artaudian kind of theatre would just disgust them and drive them away. I do not think Singaporeans are ready to take in the controversy or black sattire that is found in Beckett's (or Artaudian) theatre because we do not experience any lack of anything. Eveything here is considered a well provided life. Imagine if Singaporeans were thrown in 'prison' where they watch something that is so controversial, they will just go mad.
Probably the plays of realism will be practical in the Singapore context. Political plays similar to Brecht's theatre will be possible as well because Singapore's politics is still active in many areas of our lives.
Betolt Brecht
East German theatre practitioner who is a marxist. (Marxist support Karl marx's ideas). Marxism is based on socio-political and socio-economic philosophies which are derived from a materialistic point of view on the historical development. There was a revolutionary discourse (Germany) of how to stop the Nazis, which is a paradox.
One technique that Brecht adopt is the Alienation technique (A-effect), where the audience is able to recognize the subject but the is unclear and mystified. In the past, a dream-like space is created and a barrier is surrounded by this space. Masks were worn in earlier plays to depict this mysterious feeling, an object that seemed near and familiar in our lives but is also far away. Neither here nor there. Brecht then removes this Proscenium arch and brings it across the stage. Willett (1977) 'such devices were certainly a barrier to empathy, and yet this technique owed more, not less, to hypnotic suggestion than do those by which empathy is achieved' (Pg 192) This technique does defamiliarisation, in German called 'verfremdung'. It may be a gesture or a verbal line that wakes audiences up.
To be continued...
Bibliography
Culik, J. (2000) The Theatre of the Absurd. Retrieved from http://www2.arts.gla.ac.uk/Slavonic/Absurd.htm
Willett, J., Ed.(1977) A Short Organum for the Theatre. Brecht on Theatre: The Development of an Aesthetic. Retrieved from http://web.mit.edu/jscheib/Public/21m790/brechtorganum.pdf
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