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Drama > Woyzeck Context > Flashcards

Woyzeck Context Flashcards

1
Q

When was German Expressionism?

A

1912-1921

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2
Q

When was the first performance of Woyzeck?

A

1913

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3
Q

Where was the first performance of Woyzeck?

A

The Residenztheater in Munich

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4
Q

What was the staging of the first performance of Woyzeck?

A

Proscenium arch

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5
Q

What was the name of the first director?

A

Max Reindhart

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6
Q

What year did Buchner write the political pamphlet ‘The Hessian Courier’?

A

1834

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7
Q

In what year did Buchner join an underground radical political group?

A

1834

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8
Q

What was the name of the political group Buchner joined? What were their aims?

A

Society for The Rights Of Man, they aimed to reform the Hessian government and social structure.

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9
Q

What kind of stage did the OG production have?

A

a revolving stage

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10
Q

What kind of atmosphere did expressionist theatre create?

A

Dreamlike and surreal
Nightmarish, eerie
Appeal to the audience’s emotions
Closely linked to the play’s theme or message

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11
Q

What approach to characterisation did expressionism take?

A

Characters were stripped of their individuality and reduced to abstract personifications embodying a particular viewpoint. They exist as symbols rather than people.

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12
Q

What was diaologue like in expressionism?

A

Fragmented
Rapid, breathless speech
Dialogue disconnected with actor’s movement and gesture
Unusually long pauses

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13
Q

In expressionism characters could be representative of what?

A

States of mind and therefore could not be played realistically

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14
Q

What was the structure of expressionist theatre like?

A

Short static scenes, not casually linked
Disjointed
Episodic

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15
Q

What was the Carlsbad Decree of 1819?

A

A set of restrictions put in place by the government:
Censorship of the press
Surveillance of universities
Ban of student groups
Occupational ban for liberal and national proffessors

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16
Q

What did the Carlsbad Decree lead to?

A

Restrictions on cultural and political activities
Intensified restoration of the old monarchic system
Liberal and national movements going underground
German population wanting freedom

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17
Q

Who was Johann Woyzeck?

A

A man who murdered his wife, stabbing her 7 times in a jealous rage.

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18
Q

When did Johann Woyzeck go on trial?

A

In 1821, it gained a lot of attention and lasted several years.

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19
Q

How does Johann Woyzeck’s background link to Woyzeck?

A

Like Woyzeck, Johann Woyzeck had had a tough upbringing, dealing with poverty and in general leading an aimless life.

20
Q

What is empiricism?

A

A science which emphasises evidence, especially in the form of experiments. The idea that all hypotheses should be tested against observations from the real world rather than instincts.

21
Q

What is reductionism?

A

Taking something complex and reducing the ideas to make it easier to study and understand.

22
Q

What was one of the features of German naturalism?

A

An obsession with science and medicine

23
Q

What is Cafe Concert?

A

Cafe concert was very popular, it was song, dances and sketches performed to audiences of varied social backgrounds.

24
Q

What was 1913 Europe like?

A

Politically charged, on the brink of WW1. German people were unhappy to be ruled by Kaiser Wilhelm.

25
Q

How did Brecht use marxism in his theories?

A

In his theories Brecht was against:
The fourth wall
Anything that reinforces capitlist thought
Bourgeoise theatre
Plot
Spectator sharing feeling of actors onstage

26
Q

What was the creation of Epic Theatre a rebellion against?

A

In his creation of Epic theatre, Brecht was rebelling against all of the constrictions of bourgeoise theatre. He persuaded audiences that only marxism could truly rule in a just civilisation

27
Q

When did the strum and dang movement occur?

A

Late 18th century, translates to storm and stress.

28
Q

What was the german romantic movement characterised by?

A

Focus on personal experience
Strong emotion
Rejection of industrialisation, organised religion and rational thinking

29
Q

What was naturalism?

A

The idea that theatre should create the perfect illusion of real life.

30
Q

What are some characteristics of naturalism?

A

Determinist tone, a belief that the character’s fate has been decided by forces of nature.
Characters are often a victim of social circumstances
Content is serious and explore taboo subjects e.g poverty

31
Q

When did naturalism occur?

A

Late 19th century, early 20th century

32
Q

What is the purpose of narration?

A

To remind the audience that they’re watching a presentation of a story. The narrator can tell them what happens in the story before it has happened.

33
Q

What is the purpose of direct address?

A

Speaking directly to the audience breaks the fourth wall and destroys any illusion of reality.

34
Q

What is 3rd person narrative?

A

Commenting upon a character as an actor. This reminds the audience of theatricality.

35
Q

What is the purpose of speaking stage directions?

A

It distances the actor from the character they are playing and forces the audience to study the actions of a character in objective detail.

36
Q

What is multi roling?

A

When an actor plays more than one character on stage

37
Q

What is split roling?

A

This is where more than one actor plays the same character. This keeps the character representational and inhibits emotional involvement and attachment by the audience.

38
Q

What is the purpose of a placcard?

A

To tell the audience something they didn’t already know

39
Q

What is the purpose of using song and dance, especially when the music and lyrics jar?

A

To distance the audience further

40
Q

What is the verfremsdungseffekt?

A

The desire to create emotional distance from the audience and the characters/action onstage

41
Q

What is gestus?

A

Exaggerated over the top gestures

42
Q

What is spass?

A

German word for fun, humour

43
Q

Define Lehrstüche

A

German word for learning play developed by Brecht

44
Q

What did Brecht say about brains?

A

‘Hanging their brains up with their hats’

45
Q

What did Brecht say about spectators?

A

‘Turns the spectator into the observer’

46
Q

What did Buchner say in the Hessian Courier?

A

‘the people lie before them like dung on fields’

47
Q

What were writers of naturalistic theatre interested in?

A

Writers were interested in Darwinism and believed that a character’s social enviornment could determine their actions whereas realism only seeks to describe what the character’s really are.

Drama (2 decks)

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