Shakespeare's Sonnets (Berliner Ensemble) Play Analysis

1.    Theater in Context-

a.     How did it relate to your culture?

• This play relates to my culture in the sense that gender shouldn’t restrict the performer's (or anyone’s) abilities and opportunities. The United States has come a long way since the 1800’s. Today, women are allowed to work and gain an equal education to men.

b.      How did it relate to other cultures?

• From another culture’s perspective, the play reflects how strange it is for gender roles not to exist as a social norm. It could be viewed that the lack of gender of the characters results in confusion and absurd.

c.       How did it relate to society today? Your personal world?

• Today, we live in a world where gender roles and preference are continuously being questioned. It’s interesting how theatre has used this into postmodernism and made it it’s own type of theatre (open mindedness theatre). In my personal world, I believe that progress and success require open mindedness and optimism.

2.     Theatre Processes-

a.     What processes were used to interpret/translate/adapt the play for the audience in terms of script and performers?

• Since we live in South Korea, most of the audience members were Korean. The host auditorium the play was held at, used Korean subtitles. At times during the performance, I didn’t entirely understand what the actors and actresses were saying - half due to the fact Shakespearean literature can be hard to comprehend and the other half because of some of the performer's thick accents. Whether the thick accents were intentional or not, I wish I would have read the sonnets prior to coming to the performance.

3.     Presentation-

a.     How was the story communicated?

• The story was communicated through the performer’s movement and energy, the sounds, and lines from Shakespeare’s sonnets. The actors and actresses posture conveyed numerous messages as the responded to the actions of others. The background music of the play helped create the illusion and set the mood on stage. The speed of the performer's movement and energy were crucial. The ensemble worked together as one to communicate to the audience.   

b.      How was it presented?

• The Berliner ensemble presented the Shakespeare’s sonnets in a comedic approach. They did this by incorporating humor and sarcasm expressed through the performer's’ facial expressions. The roles of the female characters were acted by men, while the male characters were acted by women, which happens to be an example of open mindedness theatre. This challenges the way we view traditional theatre.

c.      What was the role of the set design?

• The set design was absolutely incredible. The opening scene started out with minimal props. However, as the play continued, the set really helped bring the play to life. The set design was a powerful tool when changing the mood of the stage. One of my most memorable moments was watching the man riding a humongous bicycle backwards, while another was riding a tiny bicycle forwards. The background was beautifully done.

d.      Use of media?

• Media was used to modernise the play. When cupid spoke to the audience, he mentioned how love, death, tragedy, happiness and more were his favorite kinds of subjects. He also asked the audience why after hundreds of years plays such as these still exist. He continued to question if the play has evolved. The play did evolve and became live theatre. During one of the scenes, a modern beat was used. The performers then recited their lines to the beat. Even after the beat had faded, the actor and actresses continued to move and kept repeating the same lines as if the song had never stopped.

e.      Lighting?

• The lighting was used as transitions from one scene to another. In addition, the lighting also helped set the mood. Whenever the spotlight was on a certain character, the audience immediately knew that the character was about to speak. The background colors (from the light) set the tone on stage.

f.       What was the response of the audience?

• The audience’s response to the play was very positive. Since the performers were successful in catching the audience’s eye, they responded as being attentive. The performers were able to do this by using facial expressions and actually interacting with the audience. On multiple occasions, Cupid directly acknowledged the audience’s presence and asked them questions.

g.     What was the impact and the intention of the performance?

• The impact and intention of the performance was to explore postmodernist theatre, specifically open mindedness theatre. The director and performers didn’t want to limit themselves to social norms and how traditional theatre should be formed. Instead, they challenged the view society has on Shakespeare’s sonnets and uniquely bring it back to life.

Think as artists and ask:

4. What influences and inspirations might you use in your work as:

a.     performer

• I really liked how gender roles weren’t necessary to create live theatre. Even the main characters, such as Queen Elizabeth, were performed by a male. Since we’re living in a time of change and acceptance, I liked how gender didn’t restrict the performers.

b.     creator

• As a creator, I would like to modernise an old play as well. I thought it was very clever and changed the perspective. It also captured the audience’s attention since it was something that had never been performed. In Peter Brook’s “The Empty Space,” he describes the different reactions of actors if one was to ask them to perform a piece from one of Shakespeare’s plays. Due to our traditional view of his plays, many will try to mimic what others have done, which results in a bored audience.

c.      designer

• From the moment I saw the set design, I fell in love. I loved how simplicity was used in the opening scene. In my opinion, I think if the opening scene started out with a grand entrance, it would probably overwhelm the audience. However, as the play continued, it was clear that the flow of the play used more than just minimalism. It also incorporated, incredibly detailed props. I also enjoyed looking at the costumes. I felt that the costumes helped the performer stay in and build character.  

d.     director

• If I were ever to direct a play, I would want to incorporate the idea of using a narrator as one of the characters within the play. Not only would I like the narrator to be an actual role, but to interact with the audience, just like Cupid had done in Shakespeare’s Sonnets. I found this as a brilliant way to engage the audience’s attention without being overly demanding.

·      What do I learn as an artist from this play?

• I learned that multiple “isms” can be used when creating the set design. Both were used to highlight different key points of the play.

·      What works and what doesn’t work and why?

• I think everything worked. The humour used engaged the audience and was a clever way to make the play unique.

·      What do I learn about gesture/movement/face/body and voice?

• I learned that facial expressions are crucial when communicating with the audience. Since half of the time I didn’t understand what the performers were saying, their facial expressions conveyed many messages.

·      What do I learn from the use of mis en scene?

• I learned the position and the direction the props were faced plaid an important role. Many props were recycled. They did this so the audience could infer that the characters had gone back to a few places throughout the play.

·      What did the director do to have an impact and intention?

• Robert Wilson was not only the director, but also in charge of the design. He had a major role in illustrating the impact and intention of the play. He was able to visualize his perspective of Shakespeare’s sonnets in a modern world.