Epic Theatre: Epic Choices

You have been selected to direct the Epic Theatre play Mother Courage and Her Children by Bertolt Brecht.

You will need to utilise your knowledge of Epic Theatre and theatre in general to ensure that this play goes

smoothly.

Click the arrows to decide which option that you wish to take. Each page will have a quick exit and restart button for your convenience and remember-

Break a leg.Start Here

Katie Singleton, s2951395.

Congratulations!You have been selected to direct the play Mother

Courage and Her Children! In order to have a successful play you’ll need to prepare for it, where

should you go?To the stage in order to understand

it’s limitations.

To the library to update your knowledge of Epic Theatre

and the play itself.

To the actors to establish a bond

before performing.Skip it all, I already

know what I’m doing

Congratulations!You have been selected to direct the play Mother

Courage and Her Children! In order to have a successful play you’ll need to prepare for it, where

should you go?To the stage in order to understand

it’s limitations.

To the library to update your knowledge of Epic Theatre

and the play itself.

Skip it all, I already know what I’m

doing

Congratulations!You have been selected to direct the play Mother

Courage and Her Children! In order to have a successful play you’ll need to prepare for it, where

should you go?To the stage in order to understand

it’s limitations.

To the library to update your knowledge of Epic Theatre

and the play itself.

To the actors to establish a bond

before performing.Start Rehearsing!

Congratulations!You have been selected to direct the play Mother

Courage and Her Children! In order to have a successful play you’ll need to prepare for it, where

should you go?

To the library to update your knowledge of Epic Theatre

and the play itself.

To the actors to establish a bond

before performing.Start Rehearsing!

Congratulations!You have been selected to direct the play Mother

Courage and Her Children! In order to have a successful play you’ll need to prepare for it, where

should you go?

Start Rehearsing!

Actors You have now established a relationship with the actors within your play. This may make it easier to deal with them in the future because lets admit it. Sometimes they can be quite the drama queens

Leave the actors

Congratulations!You have been selected to direct the play Mother

Courage and Her Children! In order to have a successful play you’ll need to prepare for it, where

should you go?To the stage in order to understand

it’s limitations.

To the actors to establish a bond

before performing.Start Rehearsing!

You enter the library and find the Theatrical section

What book do you pick up? Epic Theatre and its

conventionsMother Courage

and Her Children – Bertolt BrechtLeave the library

Mother Courage and Her ChildrenMother Courage and her Children is a Brecht play about a woman known as Mother Courage who pushes a cart around selling and buying goods to

make a profit in war time. Even though this women lives off the war happening around her she feels no desire to give back to it and fuelled by her greed she ends up losing her children to

war and learns nothing from it.

Back to the library

Epic Theatre and its conventionsEpic Theatre came about in the early to mid 20th

century and was done by several different people however, Bertolt Brecht is the man who made

Epic Theatre famous and had his own, very different style of Epic Theatre. The goal of Epic

Theatre is for people to know they are watching a play and that no emotional attachment would be

to any of the characters, through various theatrical conventions exclusive to this style. Epic

Theatre’s purpose is to express political or environmental issues in a third person view and

draws out the true morals of its audience by alienating them.

Epic Theatre and its conventionsConventions of Epic Theatre-

•Completely lit stage•Breaking the fourth wall•Non-realistic set•Multiple roles per actor•Demonstration of role rather than “becoming the role”•Costume changes in view of audience

Back to the library

Theatre StageThe stage seem to be a lot more horizontal rather then vertical. Lucky you checked, looks like you’ll

have to change your stage setting order to accommodate it.

Leave the Theatre

Actors You have now established a relationship with the actors within your play. This may make it easier to deal with them in the future because lets admit it. Sometimes they can be quite the drama queens

Leave the actors

Actors You have now established a relationship with the actors within your play. This may make it easier to deal with them in the future because lets admit it. Sometimes they can be quite the drama queens

Leave the actors

Wow! Your first rehearsal everything is going pretty smoothly before one of your actor question what acting style they should use, what do you decide

on?No particular style

Method ActingA technique used by actors to put themselves in the thoughts and situations of their character in order

to create the most believable performance

Stanislavski’s System

Using physical actions to produce emotion

Whew, it’s been a tiring process but your almost at the performance

date! But wait! The actors for Mother Courage and Swiss Cheese seem to have had a fight. What do

you do?Leave them to sort it themselves

Yell at them to leave their complaints off

stage.

Whew, it’s been a tiring process but your almost at the performance

date! But wait! The actors for Mother Courage and Swiss Cheese seem to have had a fight. What do

you do?Leave them to sort it themselves

Request for their sympathy and to work together.

Tomorrow is the big night however you are slightly conflicted with the scene where Mother Courage’s

mute daughter is shot and killed when trying to warn the town of soldiers coming to kill them. The

scene is very emotional which goes against Epic Theatre what do you decide to do?

Add more alienation to the scene to make it truer to the style

Keep the scene, Mother Courage

guiltless conscious will be judged greater.

Also holds message of

“Actions speak louder than

words”.

Wow! Your first rehearsal everything is going pretty smoothly before one of your actor question what acting style they should use, what do you decide

on?No particular style

Method ActingA technique used by actors to put themselves in the thoughts and situations of their character in order

to create the most believable performance

Stanislavski’s System

Using physical actions to produce emotion

Game Over

Chickening out already?

You’re just not cut out for this industry kid. Better luck next time.

Game Over

The performance goes fine however the last thing you want to do is make enemies, it’ll haunt you in the long run. Connection are everything.

You’re just not cut out for this industry kid. Better luck next time.

Congratulations

The performance goes fine however it could have been better.

Due to your knowledge of Epic Theatre you have reached the end!

Congratulations

The performance was a hit! Kattrin’s scene was heartbreaking and

Mother Courage's attitude to her death really made the audience question her morals.

Due to your knowledge of Epic Theatre you have reached the end!

Game Over

The performance ends up flopping due tonon-cooperative actors.

You’re just not cut out for this industry kid. Better luck next time.

Game Over

What? You’re using THAT theatrical style for Epic Theatre? You should really hit the books since the whole purpose is to alienate the audience.

You’re just not cut out for this industry kid. Better luck next time.

Game Over

Ha. Directing isn’t something you can improvise. You are unprepared and unreliable. You’ve beenreplaced.

You’re just not cut out for this industry kid. Better luck next time.

Game Over

Oh no, seems like you didn’t check your stage setting and placed Mother Courage’s cart a bit too down stage left when she fell off and broke her leg.

Literally.

You’re just not cut out for this industry kid. Better luck next time.