Scene Productions

BERTOLT BRECHT’S - ‘The Good Person of Szechwan’

Translation by JOHN WILLETT, presented by arrangement with ALAN BRODIE REPRESENTATION LIMITED

What is a good person? How are they defined? By their ability to uphold the commandments? By faith? By love? By honesty? By doing the best they can?

It is a simple question that, when fully manifested into the mind, takes on profound proportions. How can one be a good person in an imperfect, money-centered, opportunist, dishonest, class-divided society? The audience are left to ponder if we should accept that there is no hope for us, or are there changes we can implement to better our lives?

The play explores universal issues concerning the masks people are forced to wear in order to function in a high octane, pressurised society. We all play our various parts, such as Shen Teh’s ruthless business persona. Shui Ta. The production is timeless and has been created to highlight to an audience how the moral and social issues can easily be applied to our contemporary climate.

Our aim with both our Brechtian productions is to give students an opportunity to observe how V-Effect techniques can be applied to a performance.

Each scene has a specific gestic, political message such as:

‘Love and loyalty is not as important as business’
‘Love thy neighbour…but don’t trust them’
‘To survive, you must put selfish interests first’
‘'The social climate crushes morality and breeds greed and dishonesty’

We highlight these gests and demonstrate a didactic approach to theatre by utilising projections, puppets, a functional set, placards, visible stage management, montage, song, live music, gestic acting, spass, narration, character doubling and audience interaction by breaking the fourth wall.

We provide a teachers pack outlining our rehearsal techniques, overall production concept and a justification as to their importance in communicating a gest and encouraging conscious political and social analysis.

length: 1hr 30 min
Cast: 4
Space required: 7m x 7m minimum

‘Really well directed – the production flowed and held together brilliantly. Lovely diversity with puppets, costumes and projections.’
(Dominique Neville – Strodes College)

BERTOLT BRECHT’S - ‘The Threepenny Opera’

toured Autumn 2005 – Spring 2006
Music by KURT WEILL, English adaptation by MARC BLITZSTEIN,
Presented by arrangement with JOSEF WEINBERGER LIMITED
On behalf of R&H THEATRICALS of New York

First performed in Berlin in 1928, Scene Productions brought Brecht’s most successful production to schools across the country.

In the Victorian underworld of beggars, prostitutes and crooks, Macheath (‘Mack the Knife’) thrives on opportunism and sexual magnetism whilst building his fear driven ensemble of dastardly thieves. Brecht's caustic text explores a society where honour is fleeting and corruption thrives. The central characters are colourful, shallow and seedy, always on the look out to make a financial gain, regardless of who they betray along the way.

Brecht’s text was brought to life in a gestic, energetic extravaganza, utilising mask, spass, placards, character doubling, narration, gestic acting, montage, live music, audience interaction, and the distinctive, jazzy, dissonant songs and music of Kurt Weill.

The production is no longer on tour, but gestic picture packs are available to order. Please call our office on 01483 821005

length: 1hr 30 min
Cast: 5
Space required: 8m x 8m minimum

SOPHOCLES - ‘Antigone’

This was a five hander, allowing students to see the classic Greek text brought to life in a contemporary context.

The production was set in the court of King Creon, ornately decorated with three stark red banners, the middle banner outlining the decree. The colours were used to suggest a tyrannical regime, using symbols similar to the swastika. The chorus were characterised as members of parliament, commenting on the action in a similar way to MP’s in the house of commons. In the centre of the action sat the ill fated throne of Thebes, a black, imposing object, symbolising the fate for anyone connected to it. The aim was to dispel the common interpretation of Antigone as the hero and Creon as the villain. They are two proud characters, each one putting the other in an impossible situation, leading both of them to their tragic downfall.

This production is no longer touring but workshops on Sophocles ‘Antigone’ are still available.

click here to find out more

Sunday Sunday - performed Autumn 2004 – Spring 2005

(A one hour adapted drama devised from the play by Sandra Fenichel)

This was a naturalistic production based around two patients in a psychiatric ward and the tedium of an institutional Sunday.

The production utilised Stanislavskian methods of creating, developing and communicating characters and character relationships to an audience. It came with a teachers pack outlining how given circumstances, emotion memory, units and objectives and a personalised approach were achieved through various rehearsal techniques.The aim was to highlight how Stanislavski set about abolishing a generalised, impersonal performance through actors approaching a role truthfully.

length: 1hr 40 min
Cast: 2
Space required: 6m x 6m minimum

This is a past production and no longer on tour however the Naturalistic/Stanislavski workshops are still available.

click here to find out more

BERTOLT BRECHT’S - ‘Man Equals Man’

Translation by GERHARD NELLHAUS,
presented by arrangement with ALAN BRODIE REPRESENTATION LIMITED
Directed by Tracy Collier

	‘Herr Bertolt Brecht maintains man equals man – A view that has been around since time began. But then Herr Brecht points out how far one can, manoeuvre and manipulate that man.’ ‘Tonight you will see a man reassembled like a car. Leaving all his individual components just as they are’ (Man Equals Man’)

This highly physical production works to expose Identity as something fragile and easily corrupted. Does “free will” exist? Or are human beings merely victims of social construction? Our aim with our Brechtian productions is to show how V-Effect techniques can be applied to a performance.

Each scene in the play has a specific gestic, political message such as: ‘Power corrupts’ ‘Love and loyalty is not as important as business’ ‘Every man has his price’ ‘Every man is a victim of social construction’ We highlight these gests by creating clear and precise stage pictures. We demonstrate a didactic approach to theatre by utilising projections, masks, a functional set, placards, visible stage management, montage, live music, song, gestic acting, spass, narration, character doubling and audience interaction by breaking the fourth wall.
length: 1hr 20 min Cast: 4 Space required: 7m x 7m minimum Lighting: Basic white wash We provide a teacher’s pack which clearly defines Brechtian theory and Epic theatre. The pack also provides a breakdown of the techniques incorporated into the show alongside a justification as to their importance in communicating a gest and encouraging conscious political and social analysis. We are also offering a gestic picture package which includes 30 colour A5 photos of the production, along with a list of gestic messages to use as a teaching aid.

BERTOLT BRECHT’S - ‘Fear And Misery Of The Third Reich’

Translation by JOHN WILLETT, presented by arrangement with ALAN BRODIE REPRESENTATION LIMITED. Directed by Ron Price


This play (originally 24 scenes) shows in both a disturbing and at times surprisingly amusing way, how “ordinary life” under the Nazis was permeated by defiance, secrecy, suspicion, anxiety, denial, violence, fear and dread. Our aim with our Brechtian productions is to give students an opportunity to observe how V-Effect techniques can be applied to a performance. The Scenes we chose for performance are as follows:

The German March Past One Big Family A Case of Betrayal Peat Bog Soldiers Servants of the People The Jewish Wife The Spy The Black Shoes The Box Charity Begins at Home The Farmer Feeds his Sow The Sermon on the Mount Consulting the People

	Each scene has a specific gestic, political message such as: ‘Treat all Nazi goodwill with suspicion’ ‘Hitler starved his people and politicised children’ ‘You must stand against your oppressors' ‘All bullies are cowards’ We highlight these gests by creating clear and precise stage pictures. We demonstrate a didactic approach to theatre by utilising a functional set, placards, episodic scenes, visible stage management, montage, live music, song, gestic acting, spass, narration, character doubling and audience interaction by breaking the fourth wall. length: 1hr 20 min Cast: 4 Space required: 6m x 6m minimum Lighting: Basic white wash

We provide a teacher’s pack which clearly defines Brechtian theory and Epic theatre. The pack also provides a breakdown of the techniques incorporated into the show alongside a justification as to their importance in communicating a gest and encouraging conscious political and social analysis. We are also offering a gestic picture package which includes 28 colour A5 photos of the production, along with a list of gestic messages to use as a teaching aid.