The tamṣīr of Epic Theatre: A Case-Study of Alfred Faraǧ

Bertolt Brecht is generally regarded as the most influential and politically engaged left-wing playwright of the Twentieth century. Traces of his theory and practice are to be found around the world, including in the works of important Egyptian playwrights of the sixties such as Yūsuf Idrīs, Naǧīb Surūr and Alfred Faraǧ. Brecht’s work and ideas did permeate the theory and practice of the three Egyptian playwrights, though even if they all shared a commitment to social issues, critics agree that the Egyptians ignored the philosophical essence of Brecht’s devices or did not have a clear ideological grounding – thus concluding that their understanding of Brecht was partial. Through a study of epic aspects of Alfred Faraǧ’s theatre, this article aims instead to highlight the transformations operated by the playwright to mould epic theatre to fit his own ideology, his aesthetic and the local context in the logic of tamṣīr (Egyptianisation).

Poetics of B. Brecht’s epic theatre in terms of the cubist principle

This article is devoted to an attempt to consider the concept of B. Brechts epic theatre in terms of the cubist principle as a characteristic technique of the avant-garde and postmodernism, based on overcoming traditional mimetic forms when creating an artistic whole and suggesting such a way of organizing an artistic image in which affective involvement based on ready-made forms of perception and recognition, is replaced by the need for the so-called work of understanding. The main objectives of the article include the discovery and description of the mechanisms for the implementation of the cubist principle in the concept of Brechts epic theatre. The goal of the study is to prove the productivity of considering Brechts poetics in terms of the cubist principle. The research is carried out on the basis of an integrated approach that combines systemic-holistic and hermeneutic methods. The block of empirical materials includes Brechts works on the theory of epic theatre, as well as the works of Russian and foreign literary scholars and art theorists, devoted to both highly specialized aspects of Brechts theory of dramaturgy and issues related to the problem of authenticity of artistic expression and features of the structure of a work of art in the context of the collapse of traditional ideas about an artistic object as a result of imitation or expression of the artists inner world. The results obtained make it possible to present the concept of Brechts epic theatre as an experience of problematization of the creative act in a situation of crisis of artistic forms and reveal the expediency of considering Brechts poetics in terms of the cubist principle due to a much broader view of the technical and ideological-content aspects of his concept, in contrast to previously adopted concepts montage and separation of elements.

Vision of Gender in Girish Karnad's Hayavadana: Functions of Multiplexed Corporal Masks

Through the integration of the local Yakshagana and the western Brechtian Epic theatre practices, Girish Karnad through Hayavadana (1971) has formed a brilliant theatre show. One theatrical device, apart from the folk-theatre motifs, is the utilization of physical masks on stage. The reading examines different techniques used by Karnad, which provide the staging of masks successful in theatre. It furthermore focuses on the objectives, techniques, and types of mask treatment in expressions of disguise and revelation at the physical level. The purpose of this exploration is to make a complete study of the expressive masks used in Hayavadana (1971) to interpret the proposed reality of the characters. The qualitative approach has been adopted as a methodology where the interpretive method of investigation has been engaged to search for the secreted meanings in the text. Professed through the lens of select theoretical structure, Hayavadana becomes a site of diversity and range.

Shakespearean and Brechtian Drama and Theatre: An Audience Response Perspective

Shakespearean Dramatic theatre and Brechtian Epic theatre represent two divergent paradigms in the field of genre-drama. The plays falling under these two varying paradigms invite their readers or audience to learn to approach them by adopting a different theoretical perspective or critical stance. As per Martin Esslin “human capacities can change through time: human beings may learn to adjust themselves to new ways of perception …, and gain practice in accepting new ways of seeing both reality and art” (15). In the proposed study, the two plays chosen for comparative analyses are Hamlet by Shakespeare and Mother Courage and Her Children by Brecht: the former one centring on empathy, and the other one on alienation. Of the two paradigms discussed in the present study, in one type, admittedly, an emotional catharsis occurs and the second theoretically disclaims emotional catharsis.

Alienation Effect in Kee Thuan Chye’s Wayang Kulit Adaptations in 1984 Here and Now and The Big Purge

Existing studies have acknowledged the respective influence of Brechtian epic theatre and the adaptation of wayang kulit in Kee Thuan Chye’s plays, though largely keeping them as two separate entities. This paper focuses on Kee’s adaptation of wayang kulit in his first two published plays, namely 1984 Here and Now and The Big Purge to examine its functions in generating the Brechtian alienation effect in the selected plays. The rationales behind the increased scale of wayang kulit adaptation in The Big Purge compared to 1984 Here and Now is also explored in tandem with Kee’s alleged increase in theatrical subtlety. In the findings, the adaptation of wayang kulit in the selected plays correlates to the Brechtian alienation effect through the means of the incongruity of the wayang kulit, the role of the dalang or puppeteer and the fragmented plot structure of the wayang kulit metadrama. In The Big Purge, Kee’s increased scale of wayang kulit adaptation reflects his swerve to a more subtle style of writing as a reaction to the public perception of 1984 Here and Now and his first wayang adaptation in the play.

A Perspective on the Progress of the Theatre of Saad al-Faraj, with Emphasis on Censorship in Kuwait and the challenged Play Custom is Second Nature

This study is an examination of the life and work of the Kuwaiti dramatist Saad al-Faraj (1938 - ). al-Faraj’s name is virtually unknown in the West – particularly in the English-speaking West, although he is well known in Arab World. Only one academic study of any significance has appeared in Arabic on this eminent and fascinating dramatist, who was honoured by NCCAL and the Arab Theatre Institute at the end of his life. This study do not attempt to be comprehensive but focus on particular stages of al-Faraj’s career. This study is, therefore, the only one to attempt to see al-Faraj whole. To do so it combines an account of his life which seeks to comprehend the various forces that shaped his thinking with an analysis of one of his main dramatic work. The study concentrates on the years following the trauma inflicted on the Arab world by the catastrophe of the defeat of June 1967. Al-Faraj’s career can be divided into two phases: the immature plays of his young manhood; his late period – the ‘Epic theatre’, when his Nasrism politics were the main factor shaping his drama. The study places al-Faraj in his historical and sociocultural context and provides a brief background explaining the literary and theatrical traditions of the Arab world that influenced his activity as a dramatist. His late work is then examined in turn and his play Custom is Second Nature is analysed in accordance with the focus of the study. This means that special attention is given to the late period, but no significant work is neglected. The study aims to trace the trajectory of al-Faraj’s development using a variety of sources: the plays themselves, al-Faraj’s own journalism and critical writings, interviews with him, and his close friends and colleagues, in addition to a number of journals, books and articles, some of which contain important interviews with al-Faraj that shed light on his thought and ways of working. Conclusions will be drawn but, more importantly, questions will be raised, and it is hoped that scholars will consider this playwright and his work a subject meriting further research.

Comic Representation of the Tragic Past in Alexey Krasovsky’s Film Feast

The article discusses the film Feast directed by Alexey Krasovsky (2018). The analysis focuses on the use of the comic genre to portray the tragic events of the Siege of Leningrad. It is shown that the director of Feast intentionally chose such comically charged, ’non-realistic’ poetics to satisfy the audience’s demand for alternative ways of depicting war, different from those employed by Russian mainstream cinema. For the director, comedy becomes an attempt to break the stereotypical depictions of war-related events in Russian cinema. By choosing an unconventional genre, Feast challenges the viewers to form their own opinions about history and art. The semantics of Feast is not limited to its underlying political message but produces a deeper aesthetic message about the fundamental impossibility of an unbiased and truthful commentary on war: whatever we try, such commentary would always remain a construct geared towards the needs, worldviews or demands of certain audiences. Keywords: Feast, director Alexey Krasovsky, patriotic war films, war theme in cinema, mainstream war films, epic theatre poetics in cinema