Category Archives: Pre-Observation

Stage and Video in “Kohlhaas”

Piece: Michael Kohlhaas | Theaterhaus Jena

Text/Direction: Hannes Weiler | Stage: Florian Dietrich | Costumes: Bettina Werner | Dramaturgy: Friederike Weidner

Focus on: Stage Design

Stage Sketch Koolhas_Claire

General Description:

Frontal to audience was a big wooden wall as projection space. During projections you could see the wooden structure in e.g. the faces of the projected people. When using the live-camera the scenes seemed often as if a hidden private issue of the characters was now enlarged for the audience. Behind the audience was a another small room with a live-camera. This room represented the kitchen of the leading actor, in which he had conversations with his wife. The walls were covered with posters of cupboards. The actors were walking during the play behind the audience into this room.

In front of that screen, on the right, was standing a huge seashell filled with water. It was used e.g. to show the cure hotel in Baden-Baden. Lights directed into the water in the shell were making moving reflections on the walls (see video). Or Kohlhaas was enjoying a bath while he was burning Leipzig (a cardboard model of a city).

Left of the wooden wall, stairs were leading to a ca. 2,5 m high metal platform whose wall was covered with cardboard pieces. These were in several occasions ripped off the wall to make it a prop e.g. a letter (see video).

 

On the platform was a blue box in which was hidden a toilet-room with posters on the walls. You first discovered this room through the use of live-camera. The same blue box became later the entry to a stable (or the stable itself), when the groom of Kohlhaas fell out of the door streaming with blood.

Left to the audience the platform was leading to a stage with two floors.
On the top floor, the back-wall was covered with oriental carpets. A cheap plastic garden chair, which was used as a throne, was standing there and a short column and a speaker’s desk out of obvious fake marble. Scenes which took place in the official part of the Kurfürst’s (electors) castle were played there or official scenes in a hotel.
A ladder was leading through a hole in the ground in the right back corner to the ground floor. There was a long table with some old fashioned chairs and an old telephone on it. The turquoise wallpaper had golden shimmering baroque ornaments on it and trophies were hanging there. This whole space was separated from the audience with a Plexiglas (perspex) wall, which could have been covered with a mesh curtain (but never was during the performance). Live-camera was often used in this room. In this part of the stage often were played private scenes in the Kurfürst’s castle or a banquet was shown there.

A table with plastic chairs and a parasol was put from one scene on in front of the audience to mark a Hotel in Dresden.

Specific Remarks:

  • The Stage design was not only frontal to the audience, but also left of it
  • Live-camera was used to enlarge scenes or show scenes from parts of the stage, which you couldn’t see from the audience.
  • Live-camera was used to bring the audience into private or “hidden” conversations
  • parts of the stage where used as props
  • besides spotlights, reflections where used for the lighting atmosphere
  • same stage areas were referred to different places by acting different
  • beside the live-camera was also prerecorded material shown on the wooden projection wall

TO BE OR NOT TO BE : PROPS!!!!

General description:

The props that were utilized in the play Michael Kohlhaas were simple props but was interactive with the characters and was used throughout the play. Some of the props that were used in the play, to show that the characters were relaxing and some when the characters were anxious or agitated. The prop that was used to show them relaxing was a shell shaped bath tub which was filled with warm water (so the actors don’t fall ill). Another prop was pieces of cartons which was used to show the audience, that the character was sending letters to ask for his horse. Another prop used to represent agitation, anxious and sometimes relaxation were cigarettes. A toy lobster was also used as a prop to enact that they were having a feast, which did not play an active role in the play.

There were also props like a small table, some chairs, cutlery and food that was used, which did not represent an important role in the play but was still used by the characters to exhibit as a meeting place. An important prop was a horse which was a main part of the play.  The horse was depicted as a dead horse, which the actor brings out towards the end of the play which persuades the audience that he found the horse but it was dead.

Specific Description:

The shell shaped bath tub and the warm water was often interactive with the actors.  When the characters decided to relax and talk about the horse they used the tub as the mode of relaxation and interacted with the warm water. A beach umbrella was also used as an interactive medium with the actor when he used the umbrella to cover his face to hide himself from Michael Kohlhaas, to enact that Michael Kohlhaas was talking to another person. Aside from some crucial props for example the paper castle, the ink and the letter the rest of the props were not so impact and they are traditional linear props.

Grill
Grill
Small table, Chairs, Beach umbrella
Small table, Chairs, Beach umbrella

table chair umbralla

IMG_20141106_211144

Shell shaped bath tub
Shell shaped bath tub
Toy lobster
Toy lobster
Cartons
Cartons
Kohlhaas writing the letter on the cartons
Kohlhaas writing the letter on the cartons
Dead horse - TheatreHaus Jena/Facebook
Dead horse – TheatreHaus Jena/Facebook
Dead Horse -  TheatreHaus Jena/Facebook
Dead Horse –
TheatreHaus Jena/Facebook

 

Kohlhaas buring the castle  Photo Credit - TheatreHaus Jena - facebook Photographer - Joachim Dette
Kohlhaas buring the castle
Photo Credit – TheatreHaus Jena – facebook
Photographer – Joachim Dette

Michael Kohlhaas: A Costume Observation

Piece: Michael Kohlhaas | Theaterhaus Jena

Text/Direction: Hannes Weiler | Stage: Florian Dietrich | Costumes: Bettina Werner | Dramaturgy: Friederike Weidner


Focus on  Leander Paul Gerdes 

Photographer: Joachim Dette

Photographer: Joachim Dette

Photographer: Joachim Dette

Photographer: Joachim Dette

What is the costume?

  • black boots
  • black trousers
  • shirt with a red-black camouflage pattern
  • red jacket with metallic knobs and white collar
  • long black leather coat
  • red “crown” consisting of branches, leaves and feathers

The costume of Leander Paul Gerdes doesn’t alter much during the play. He discards his leather coat after its first apperance, it will never be worn again. The red coat with its white lace collar represents his permanent restlessness and anger about authorities. The costume gets its “crown” in the scene where Kohlhaas burns down several cities. It has only a short scene time but nevertheless has a strong visual impact for the audience. It can be seen as a symbol of the anger, pain and desperation he is going through after the loss of his horses, seeing no other option as pure destruction.


Focus on Matthias Zera

Photographer: Joachim Dette

Photographer: Joachim Dette

IMG_8996Photographer: Tamim

What is the costume?

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Focus on Roland Bonjour

Photographer: Joachim Dette

IMG_9001Photographer: Tamim

Photographer: Joachim Dette

What is the costume?

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Focus on Anna Greta Weber

Photographer: Joachim Dette

IMG_8987Photographer: Tamim Tam

What is the costume?

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Focus on Johanna Berger

IMG_8976Photographer: Tamim

IMG_9009Photographer: Tamim

Photographer: Joachim Dette

What is the costume?

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Group Pictures

Photographer: Joachim Dette

IMG_9013Photographer: Tamim


Costume Sketch

sketch

 

Observation Example Post (Please give a new Title)

Piece: Michael Kohlhaas | Theaterhaus Jena

Text/Direction: Hannes Weiler | Stage: Florian Dietrich | Costumes: Bettina Werner | Dramaturgy: Friederike Weidner

Focus on: Costumes/Props/Stage Design, add actors names in bold if you’ve observed persons

General Description: Give an overview what it (the costumes/props/stage) was in this piece. Show pictures, sketches, general setup & overall developement according to the piece.

Specific Remarks: Happend anything special that was needed for exactly that staging? How & why? Did you observe a specific interaction btw. costumes/props/stage and the actor(s)? Also add the key points of our discussion here later.