I really enjoyed performing Cathy, the performance was very successful and fun to do. What I think is one of the most incredible things about out performance is that we completely deconstructed the script and changed every scene into something more powerful and Brechtian but the essence is still so there, I actually feel I have a better knowledge of Cathy and the script even though we didn’t follow the script because we saw it from different angles and had more information and viewpoints put into the play. There was such a relaxed vibe and a sense of comfort with each other that meant we were able to really create those Brechtian over the top characters that were needed for the performance and have fun in the performance which meant the audience could have fun and enjoy it too, the ability to laugh from the side of the stage created a really energetic and exciting atmosphere in the room however it was really controlled and focused. I feel it was really powerful using the audience as Cathy because it made them question who is Cathy and put into perspective that anyone could be Cathy creating a powerful message about the housing crisis. We also showed both sides of the argument on the housing crisis so it wasn’t a one sided left rant it was a genuine discussion with right wing views aswell to allow the audience to make up their own minds and leave thinking. A performance like Cathy wouldn’t be put on in a west end theatre because of all the risks it took private funders wouldn’t want to risk it not getting money back so it was nice to be able to be a part of something unusual, because it didn’t rely on money we got to have danger and excitement in the piece. The advert break worked really well because it connected with the audience on a level they know because it was shows they know and see on TV but in the context of the housing crisis.
In the opening I think It was very difficult, because of all the noise it was hard for the audience to hear us but I had good energy and I tried my hardest to project my anecdote the the audience. I think the gestus worked well in the opening because you could visually see it. The purpose of the opening was to confuse the audience and we did this well so it was a success. I think I did well in my scene 6 section, my character Shania was very brechtian and over the top, we had lots of gestus and funny moments during the scene, I had good characterisation and a knowledge of my character and I made interesting character decisions with Shania. I think the whiteboard worked well because it showed how the things they say and do in housing offices is stupid jargon and childish games to get out of helping those in need. The dancing and music made the scene really fun and exciting, it almost had an advertisement vibe to it which links to them selling the housing. The ‘I’m a celeb’ section went well however we could have talked over each other less and had more order because the audience were missing funny moments and lines but I took on the notes given by Jack and had a larger reaction to the beans from the start. I think the multi-rolling worked well in the advertisement sections and I had very clear and well formed characters in every section, Shania was different to my celebrity and that was completely different to my tenant in the slumdog tenant’s and nightmare landlords section or my ballerina in the land banking advert.
The performance was very brechtian in how funny it was, there was a strong use of spas throughout especially with all the music and christmas songs. There was a major breaking of the fourth wall and the masks actors normally wear were completely taken off making us very vulnerable on the stage which was different and probably very interesting for the audience to watch as they weren’t watching characters they were watching real people at points. There was lots of gestus in the performance throughout to put through a political message such as during the sia song when were all dancing ignoring Cathy visually you can see an outcast from a large group of people. The gestus exercise we did with the different types of poor people and rich people helped a lot to create the over the top characters present and the gestus images we needed to create. The alienation effect was present when we were using the audience as Cathy or addressing them directly which took them out of their comfort zone making them feel uncomfortable and confused at points. Addressing the audience directly and having a strong use of multi-rolling changing characters all the time stopped the audience from being able to connect to the characters so instead of being emotionally connected to a fictional character they were connected to the true story and message. I think our performance was a really good representation of brecht, I personally believe our performance was more brechtian and entertaining than Goats at The Royal Court and shared some of the same elements and Mother Courage in the use of music and humour to put forward an issue and direct address to the audience.
Some elements of the performance that didn’t work so well was at the beginning when all the groups were talking the audience couldn’t hear what we were saying because of the bad acoustics and lack of space in the room, if we performed in the space we wouldn’t have had this issue as it’s a larger room with better acoustics. After the singing at the start there was a little bit of silence which had an awkward tension because no one knew when to start doing our introduction bits but I think the silence was a nice moment even if it wasn’t planned and eventually people just started in a mutual group decision moment. A lot of the audience were really uncomfortable which was intended but they didn’t want to go up and be Cathy in the scenes and there weren’t many volunteers for things, I think with a different audience who are more aware or people who were paying for that experience they would want to take part more and would also get more of the jokes that didn’t quite hit this time. It also felt quite unprofessional sitting on the sides enjoying the performance laughing and clapping along and it was easy to slip from actor mode into spectator mode there needs to be a bigger distinction between what is me and what is a character to make it cleaner and not look as messy when sitting on the sides because interaction and excitement was needed to create the energy and life in the room but there were moments when people would talk or laugh at the wrong point so if we were to put this on a professional stage that would need to be cleaned and there would be more of a barrier between us being spectators and us being actors.
If we were to make this a professional show I think it would work well as a touring piece of theatre because of how interactive it is with the audience and if it’s touring you get new people who understand different jokes and will interact in different ways, also as a touring piece of theatre you could target the show to a specific audience who it would work well for to get the best performance possible. Touring would also allow for more improvisation and place specific jokes. There could be more costume changes with the multi-rolling to make it more brechtian and show those big characters off more. I would also use more props and set to create the housing office illusion as some people didn’t understand it was about the housing crisis for a while and that could be cleared up with props and set. I would also make it cleaner when we are all sitting on the sides.
Overall Cathy was a really fun and interesting play to put on and learn about and i feel i have learn’t so much more about the housing crisis by doing this play. It is really nice to have the opportunity to put on something with lots of risks and fun. I really had fun doing this play and singing to all the music and laughing along with the jokes plus my knowledge of Brecht has gone from knowing nothing to feeling like I’m aware of his ideas and I have put on a very Brechtian show.
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