Woyzeck by Georg Buchner
Scene Productions have another hit on their hands with their production of Georg Buchner’s bleak realisation of Woyzeck. It’s a real delight to see this travelling company doing so well; Katharine Hurst along with actors Mark Rush and Mark Morgan enthralled the audience of drama students at Rainham School for Girls.
Inviting in theatre companies is a win-win strategy for busy schools with lots to juggle; supporting drama modules in this way seems cost effective – and a good experience on what live theatre is really about. My student guide told me: ‘I had to help them unload their van!’ That’s a glimpse of life on the road.
Scene Productions, set up by Hurst and her co-artistic director Kelly Taylor-Smith, specialise in presenting physical theatre influenced by Berkoff and Artaud, and use every device to tell their story effectively from animation, sound, puppets, dance and song, to name just a few.
This version of Woyzeck’s bleak tale is set in the First World War and follows the lowly soldier as his experiences plunge him into an intense descent into madness. Buchner wrote the play as a series of scenes as different ‘slices’ of the hero’s life; so there are fast-paced ‘moments in time’ portrayed by the players with undiminished energy and focus. The climactic scene was particularly effective and moving. The girls in the audience were stilled; watching intently and intelligently.
As they waited for the Q&A session to start they chattered excitedly about the performance, discussing ways they could use the devices they had seen in their own GCSE drama pieces.
As Katharine faced the questions, the two Marks tidied up behind her. Committed, hardworking, generous in their determination to share the beauty of their craft, this production deserves your booking!
Woyzeck continues to visit locations across the country until March 20th. For further information, visit the Scene Productions website at sceneproductions.co.uk