RI NOTES

For the Research Investigation of my IBTA Yr. 2, I am exploring the directing aspects of the Theatre of the Absurd with the play "A Doll's House". Therefore, I have done extensive research on the various aspects that take place in the Theatre of the Absurd.
The first practitioner to coin the term "Theatre of the Absurd" was an artist named Martin Essler. It was difficult to create a genre or name for this type of theatre, as practitioners of the "Theatre of the Absurd" create/direct/act out their plays in a way that breaks all genres and names.



"sense of metaphysical anguish at the absurdity of the human condition." Martin Essler



According to Dr. S. C. Mundra, the main characteristics of the Absurd Theatre are — 

1.Life is essentially meaningless, hence miserable.


2.There is no hope because of the inevitable futility of man’s efforts.


3.Reality is unbearable unless relieved by dreams and illusions.


4.Man is fascinated by death which permanently replaces dreams and illusions.


5.There is no action or plot. Very little happens because nothing meaningful can happen.


6.The final situation is absurd or comic.


7.Absurd drama is not purposeful and specific as it solves no problem. It is like an abstract painting 

which is supposed not to convey a definite meaning.

This type of theatre was created in order to reestablish the feeling of cosmic wonder and mythical imagination that had once been used in the past. This type of theatre seeks to startle the audience, with their highly unusual, innovative form.

Theatre of the Absurd has never had any clear-cut philosophical doctrines, no organized attempt to win converts, and no meetings. Each of the main playwrights of the movement seems to have developed independently of' each other. The playwrights most often associated with the movement are Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco, Jean Genet, and Arthur Adamov.

In the meaningless and Godless post-Second-World-War world, it was no longer possible to keep using such traditional art forms and standards that had ceased being convincing and lost their validity. The Theatre of the Absurd openly rebelled against conventional theatre.Indeed, it was anti-theatre. It was surreal, illogical, conflictless and plotless. The dialogue seemed total gobbledygook. Not unexpectedly, the Theatre of the Absurd first met within comprehension and rejection.

"A Doll's House"

- I have been exploring the themes and elements of this play as it uncovers about the life of a flamboyant woman. As I read about the style of directing used by the original directors of this play, I find that they revolve around a realistic visual for the audience.
I hope to imitate and derive my ideas as a Theatre of the Absurd director like Samuel Beckett directed "Waiting for Godot". I would remove a lot of the script and instead include more elements of surprise and incorporate more physicality.

A Doll's House contains a message of social significance that could be directed and portrayed without necessarily all the words (dialogue, monologue) of the original play. Instead there could be an incorporation of various techniques that are like the "Theatre of the Absurd". The characters all contain contrasting personalities and characteristics that could perhaps be visible through costumes that would describe each character, instead of using realistic costumes. 

What's a Director?

According to our textbook as well as the papers that Mrs. Moon has printed out for me, I grow more and more knowledgeable of a theatre directors role and job description when creating a play. The first aspect of being a director that I had been errant about was the fact that a director should control most of the aspects of the play. I dealt with a great amount of stress thinking that I was in charge of forcing things to happen, when actually my job was much more gentle. It wasn't about handpicking the costumes or songs or lights, it was about guiding and quite literally "directing".

According to the textbook, a theatre director's job and goal is to ensure that the vision, central theme, purpose, and message of the play is clear to each individual as they help devise the play. The director's job is also to ensure that each prop, lighting, music, and costume stays within the devised budget amount. As for directing the actors, it is up to the director. There are directors who want very specific movements that are physical like Anne Bogart, and then there are those who want the actors to use their own emotions and movements like Pina Bausch.

Upon reading about the role of directors in the past, I came upon a realization that I must merge the definitions in the past with ones of present day. The ancient Greek word for director is "choregus" which quite literally meant the organizer or the utilizer, their goal was to be efficient. It did not really involve the artistic aspect of being a director. The "didaliskos" was in charge of ensuring that the actors were accurate with their emotions and script. However, in today's day, there are artistically centered directors like Robert Wilson and Peter Brook. Their definitions are much more about a director's artistic interpretation and perception of a play, or vision.

The paper that Mrs. Moon had printed out for us had various definitions of a director. One memorable definition of being a director was someone who could guide the play. GUIDE. It was about allowing the actors to clear their minds and giving them space to interpret the emotions of their characters. The paper had stated that the director should let the actor play with their characters and utilize various voices as well as movements. It was a freer definition that didn't cause too much stress on the director or the actor.

Rehearsal Attendance...

I have been attending every single rehearsal, except for two that I had been very sick in. I realized that there needs to be a set calendar to guide the class, otherwise, it simply cannot be done. Although we had made a schedule in our planners since the beginning, we found that Mrs. Moon's new rehearsal calendar proved to be more successful. The actors have mostly all been coming to the rehearsals on time and doing their work, unless there was a prior engagement that they had told us about. Overall, I am proud of our class and the work we have put into creating this play and making it happen. Hopefully though, we should pick up the pace and make this play happen by February. I believe that our team can do it as long as we take our rehearsal times more seriously and do more productive work each time.

Director's Pitch

http://www.slideshare.net/allersahn/directors-pitch-43645446

IPP Progress So Far

BEING A DIRECTOR....

So far, as the director/actor for the play of Eurydice, I have been attending rehearsals and helping actors with their lines as well as acting techniques. At first, as a director I wasn't really sure about what to do, but I realized my goal is to keep everyone motivated and remind them of the true reason and purpose of the play. I was responsible for keeping the vision alive, instead of allowing it to die out. I have attended every single rehearsal, except for the days that I was sick, which were 2 in total. I have also been helping the actors with learning their lines as well as being able to help guide the actors towards their emotions and feelings and what is exactly going on in the play.

As the Director/Actor for the play Eurydice, I am learning to balance between post-modernism as well as physicalization. The director that I am trying to embody is Anne Bogart, as she was a great inspiration to Sarah Ruhl (the real director) upon envisioning this play.
In order to productively prepare for the IPP, I have been taking notes about each rehearsal, but mostly from significant decisions and plannings of this play. I wrote some entries about what we need to work on, how the cast is working together, about my vision alligning with the actors, as well as the trouble I had while learning about what it's like to be a good director. I also have met up with my Theatre Teacher, who is a brilliant director herself. I have been seeking advice and trying my best to guide the actors, lighting designer, stage designer, sound technician, as well as the costume/make up designer. I realized that my job as the director is to ensure that everyone was on task with a similar goal and concept in mind, but also keeping in mind that they were free to be creative to some level as well. I will be writing about how I am incorporating Anne Bogart's style of directing in this post-modern play.