Caucasian Chalk Circle: Performers’ physical interpretation of character (build, age, height, facial features, movement, posture, gesture, facial expression)

Understanding the Characters

Build, age, height are crucial in the portrayal of the characters. For example, Grusha is a young woman of average height and build, representing her strength and resilience, whilst the Governor, a powerful and imposing figure, is usually portrayed as tall and broad.
Facial features are able to express a character’s personality traits. Natella’s severe and cold facial features illustrate her cruelty, while Simon’s kind and approachable features demonstrate his warmth.
Movement and Gesture are critical tools for conveying character nuances. Grusha’s movements are resilient and determined during her journey across the mountains, whilst the Governor’s movements are often pompous and overly theatrical.
Posture greatly impacts the portrayal of a character’s social status or current emotion. The Governor carries himself erect with arrogance, whilst his wife, Natella slouches, casually ignoring the responsibilities she is tasked with.

Facial expressions can reveal the characters’ inner emotions, often contradicted by their words. Michael’s scared and confused facial expressions provide insight into his inner turmoil, in contrast to his brave words.
The performers must display varying emotions through facial expressions, like fear and courage in the face of danger for Grusha, or mocking contempt from the fat prince, Azdak.
The portraying of Tension within the characters adds depth to their performances. Grusha’s struggle between her own safety and protecting Michael is a significant example of this.
The performers should communicate the sense of ** urgency and panic ** effectively during the civil war scenes.

Using tableau (a still image using the actor’s bodies) effectively can be beneficial to understand and represent significant moments in the story.
Gestus (physical embodiment of a social commentary) is a key aspect of Brecht’s work and should be used sparingly yet effectively in the performance, to accentuate the social or moral conflicts faced by the characters.
Brecht’s concept of ** Verfremdungseffekt** (better known as the ‘alienation effect’) should be used to ‘distance’ the audience from being fully emotionally engaged in the play. This can be achieved by performers periodically breaking character or speaking directly to the audience.
Physical characterization is also a useful tool to highlight the character traits. The character of Azdak, for example, may be portrayed with a consistent slouch or a particular manner of walking, to hint at his deceitful nature.