What is The BRECHT PROJEkT?

Re-Envisioning Two Short Plays by Bertolt Brecht, from his collection FEAR AND MISERY OF THE THIRD REICH-- 

                         The Jewish Wife  and The Informer                           --into one, seamless production where the world of the two plays live on-stage side-by-side with unconventional casting that challenge both gender and race.

THE MOTIVATION for doing these plays is driven by the striking similarities between then and now: between the rise of the Third Reich in 1930s Germany, and the rise of White Christian Nationalism, Authoritarianism and Totalitarianism here in the U.S. 

THE VISION (Pt. One) ​is to bring forward the comic irony, bitter tragedy, and the clown-like absurdity of the human condition found in the writing of these plays by employing Brechtian Verfremdungseffekt​ strategies​ (aka The V-Effect)* and ​h​is "gestus" performance style​ (designed to avoid verisimilitude by emphasizing the archetype of the characters rather than their psychology).  By enriching the comic aspects of each play, through Brechtian modes of performance, the sinister elements of the unseen and unspoken oppression of a rising totalitarian regime​ become heightened, and the stakes of its inherent tragic circumstances even more piercing.

THE VISION (Pt. Two) includes a single “seamless” production where the world of the two plays live on-stage side-by-side. This means that as the first play is unfolding in real time on one side of the stage the characters of the second play are silently living “next-door,” so to speak –as if the two plays exist in adjoining apartments of the same building.  The intention of situating these two private, interior spaces, side-by-side is to place the audience in the role of voyeur, enhancing the element of complicity, where we witness the suggested lives of the characters in the second play before they begin speaking. Subsequently, we observe the implied outcome of the lives of the characters in the first play after the characters conclude their lines.    

DESIGN: The design for the production includes a set and costumes that suggest 1930s Germany (with the possibility of layering in subtle contemporary references), along with the side-by-side staging mentioned above.*

CASTING: This project depends upon unconventional, non-traditional casting choices for both plays.  It is an extremely important element for this  production, and it includes the use of a highly theatrical, non-realistic makeup (that Brecht used frequently to heighten the theatricality of his Epic Theater style) as well as the use of whiteface for the actors of color (see "Casting Breakdown" below). The intention behind these choices not only emphasizes the radical threats of fascism, but it also raises the stakes for the current climate in the U.S.

CAST BREAKDOWN:*  

5 Actors + 1 Stage Manager/Run Crew:

Jewish Wife :

      The Wife (Caucasian male actor)

      The Husband (Caucasian male actor)

The Informer :

      The Husband (male actor of color)

      The Wife (female actor of color)

      The Boy (child actor of color, age 10-12. Must be a good singer)

              The Maid (female Stage Manager or Run Crew)

CONCEIVED and to be DIRECTED BY 

GF&CO Artistic Director, Gia Forakis

    *Notes:

The following TABLE OF CONTENTS references the Full-Length Pitch Document --available upon request.

For details on strategies of V-Effect, Design Ideas, and details on the unconventional casting choices please see below under the header RE-ENVISIONING, with details outlined in the Full-Length Pitch Document --available upon request.

    TABLE OF CONTENTS:

THE PLAYS:

Background, Playlet Summaries, Relevance

RE-ENVISIONING:

My History with These Plays, Stage Setting,  Re-Envisioning Casting,  Epic Theater & The V-Effect,  Production Structure: Prologue, Entre Act, Epilogue

PRE-PRODUCTION & PRODUCTION NEEDS:

Translation, Copyright, Dramaturgy, Design, First Iteration

Pre-Production Needs

SUPPORT:

We are currently seeking the support of Producing Partners, and funding for 3 independent development workshops (i.e.: space, and financial support to pay actors, dramaturg, and stage management). 

CONTACT:

For more information, please contact: Gia4akis@gmail.com