This production of ‘Measure for Measure’ takes Shakespeare’s original language and attempts to present it in a way that resonates today, not by replacing and resetting it in a parallel era or context, but by drawing on many different ideas, concepts, styles, techniques and quirks, and bring them together to form a unique, explorative and un-unified piece of theatre. In this sense we have utilised theories from philosopher Gilles Deleuze.
Deleuze believes ideas, concepts and philosophies are not set solidly, but are physical, living, moving, and inconstant and will subsequently change and react.
Elizabeth Grosz talks about Deleuzian theory in her book Space, Time and Perversion.
"It would be good to dynamiz thinking, to think of a text, whether book, paper, film, painting or building, as a thief in the night. Furtive, clandestine and always complex, it steals ideas from all around, from its own milieu and history, and, better still, from its outside and disseminates them elsewhere."
Deleuze refers to ideas as being "Rhizome" meaning a thick underground stem or root system. It stretches out, reaching into all dimensions, rebelling against its own foundations and outgrowing beginnings and endings.
For example we have integrated into our performance music from the 50’s including some 50’s dance and jive moves. The Derridean logic would then be to use 50’s style for the set, costume and the rest of the dancing, to unify this theme, but we didn’t. Instead we drew on Contemporary dance, and were inspired by a costume style from the choreographer Mats Ek.
The 50’s music was not picked randomly and irrelevantly. The 1950’s reflect a time of sexual conflict, where rock and roll music begins to create a tension between innocence and sexual liberation, a very similar tension to that of Measure for Measure. So this integrating of different ingredients is not just an eclectic collage or pastiche of things slapped together, but rather a layering of different elements complex and multi-faceted.
Originally this piece was developed for a festival in Poland and we faced practical challenges in terms of transporting set and props and adapting our piece to a new space a short time. We developed a beginning where we, as ourselves, a group of travelling performers enter in basic minimal clothing with only our luggage. Music starts and costume and props erupt from the suitcases, so it is as though our show has exploded onto a blank space within seconds. From this came the idea of ‘a play within a play’ - something common to Shakespeare’s work - and we found it a useful tool to be able to drift between our roles as performers and active spectators, finding a ground somewhere in-between.
We also drew on feminist concepts for our production. Particularly that of the French feminists Helen Cixous and Luce Irigaray, exploring the idea of women viewed as commodities, particularly relevant in characters such as Mariana and Mistress Overdone whose status and even character seem to be ultimately determined in relation to men (or in Mariana’s case a particular man). Cixous critiques the use of binary structures as a male pre-occupation, which has various reflections in the text, as Lucio labels Mariana "My lord, she may be a punk, for many of them are neither maid, widow nor wife."
The most prominent binary structure in Measure for Measure is that of Logos/ Pathos. The characters are constantly in a state of judgement towards themselves or others, wavering logic and reason against mercy and empathy. This sense of Logos is something that has often been attributed to the male, whilst Pathos is accredited to the female. It is important to note that what we see in Isabella is a complex use of both, and hence a high level of intelligence. Claudio says of her "There is a prone and speechless dialect, Such as move men; beside, she hath prosperous art, When she will play with reason and discourse, And well she can persuade.".
What we gain from this is a female character that really resonates, ringing true to many women today.
All these different elements that we draw on are linked by reason, but do not result in one unified ending or liberal humanist conclusion, they extend in different directions, exploring and discovering, destabilizing meaning, pulling against each other and creating a tension on the stage.
Gian Carlo-Rossi, one of the original directors, said of the production.
"With this model of text in mind, we take –in Deleuzian terms- a "rhizomatic" approach. It is about taking imaginative and intuitive leaps in the dark and finding out later where you land… This is not the lazy and sloppy postmodern practice of ‘anything goes’ and juvenile pastiche, but the exciting and invigorating postmodern practice of ‘force’ rather than ‘form’, a practice that destabilizes form and makes it ‘shake rattle and roll’ as The Champs bump into Merce Cunningham, who ricochets off Shakespeare, who nods a wink at Mats Ek who as he’s leaving shakes the hand of Jan Klata to say, ‘great work, how about doing something together in the future?’"
Outlining all this theory behind the work should not make the production seem outlandishly heavy, convoluted or serious, because infact the result is a diverse, witty and entertaining piece of theatre, well suited to new and young audiences.
About Metra's Production of Lysistrata:
This upbeat and riotous production of Lysistrata, the Classical Greek comedy, is less of a modern interpretation, and more of a distorted echo of the original text.
Continuing with the Deleuzian, Rhizomatic approach that Metra Theatre used in their first production of Measure for Measure, they intuitively jet through a range of different sources and concepts which have a root in the context of the play, without feeling any pressure to be part of unified theme or universal conclusion.
Lysistrata, set during the Peloponnesian War in Greece, tells the story of a group of women, who come together from all the opposing regions, with the aim of bringing peace, by means of a teasing sex strike, much to the dismay of the men, who are outraged that women are involving themselves in the political arena.
This Production draws on music and dance from the 1920’s, evoking a time when women were slowly but firmly rejecting the image of the submissive, dependent housewife. Extremities of War had shifted boundaries and changes that began as necessities, such as women going into the work place, gave rise to a new liberation, as women began seeking work, education and even social freedom. With the rise of Cinema, projecting the image of this new woman, it not only became accepted, but even became fashionable for women to be seen naughtily dancing the night away.
“These women moved confidently into a once male world. With a dashing spontaneity they rushed onto dance floors, lept into swimming pools, and accepted any dare…They were an ambitious group, determined to use their bodily charms to make their way in the world.” Mary.P Ryan, Decades of Discontent, the Womens Movement 1920-1940
Metra Theatre utilises the kind of Essentialist Feminism that is present in the text, which accepts and embraces an intrinsic difference between male and female, deeming neither right or wrong, it does however imply that masculinity has taken a dominant role in society and that the rise and respect of femininity (not just women, but feminine qualities in general) should be given more precedence to bring equality and balance in the world and make it a better place for both women and men. This is a feeling that still resonates today for many people around the world.
Metra fundamentally tells a story about equality and peace, both for the nations and for the sexes. At the same time there is awareness that it is a classical play from the great literary cannon, and although Aristophanes writes ahead of his time in terms of feminist thinking, it is nether-the-less a male voice. The Symbolic Order and Literary focus (in a Lacanian sense) is broken down, by interjecting the text with song, dance and circus skills, and also by sometimes moving out of the illusionary Realism that feminist Sue-Ellen Case refers to as ‘The prisonhouse of art’ by communicating with the audience as performers as well as characters, making at least part of it’s voice genuinely female.
In the Choral Episodes the focus is the traditional Greek idea of the chorus acting as a ‘voice of the people’ and in true Metra style the audience are really involved. Actors sit masked amongst the audience, cajoling and interacting, moving through them, and encouraging them to help in the scuffle against the opposition. Masks are also sometimes shoved aside as the actor underneath bequeaths the audience with little comments that they just can’t hold in.
This is a fun production full of vitality and vigour. It is as though the female characters of Lysistrata written in 411BC have come alive, jumped off the page and given Aristophanes a slap in the face!
About me: Metra Theatre is a London based theatre company that strives to awaken dormant texts, making them accessible to modern theatre audiences.
Metra Theatre was formed in August 2005 when 9 graduating Performing Arts Students of LMU were selected to perform 'Measure for Measure' at the annual International Shakespeare Festival in Gdansk, Poland. In between taking in an Armenian 'Macbeth' and a Polish 'Hamlet', enjoying the beaches of Sopot and sipping cocktails in the Old Town of Gdansk, an ideology was born!
Metra Theatre enjoyed success with their 2007 production, 'Lysistrata', performed at the now defunct Brickhouse on Brick Lane.
Their third show 'The Revenger's Tragedy' was performed as part of the Enterprise 08 festival at the Space, in Isle of Dogs.
Metra Theatre is embarking on a tour of their fourth production...
Enjoy tea on the high seas (Regent's Canal) with the three sisters, on the voyage Chekhov never let them take.
Will they ever get to where they want to be? Will it be the same as they remembered? Was it ever what they remembered?
Join Metra Theatre on this insane aquatic misadventure, coming soon to a canal near you...
Directed by Tanya Roberts.
Cast: Francesca Hyde, Josephine Rogers, and Jessica Stanley.
Photography by Harry Sewell.
WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE'S BLYSH FESTIVAL: 17TH-20TH JULY
(IN ASSOCIATION WITH CARDIFF WATERBUS)
Info & booking: tickets on sale from May
08700 40 2000 / http://www.wmc.org.uk
Times: 13.00, 14.30, 16.00, 17.00, 19.30.
Price: £7/£5
EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL: 14TH-23RD AUGUST
Info & booking: tickets on sale soon
0131 226 0000 / http://www.edfringe.com/
Times: 13.00, 14.30, 16.00, 17.30.
Price: £7/£5 concessions
REGENT’S CANAL, LONDON: TBC
Info & booking: Email metratheatre@hotmail.com
check www.metratheatre.co.uk for details
Times: TBC
Price: TBC
Just Passin to show some love.....Album launch IN 2 WEEKS, ALL INVITED!!! No ticket needed, just pay on the door. The 1st video from my album's on my page, should give u an idea of what the album's like. Do ya thing anyway, stay safe. H
Congratulations on your fourth show! Good luck with "3 Sisters"! I'm loving the publicity design! Wish I could make it! I will be thinking of you all. x
INSATIABLE 4 FILM!!!! the film screening day is booked in a venue called The Ship in Old Leigh (near southend - 40 mins from central london)
If you would like to submit a film or music video please let me know asap, people have been very eager to show their work and there really are limited slots of time. The first screening is 1pm and the last will be 9pm with a band finishing off the night by 10pm.
Should be a great day and lots of opportunities to meet creatives, support our british independent film-makers or just watch some cool movies!!!
There are only 100 tix available. Concessions will be given to cast and crew of submitted films; otherwise its just £5 for the whole day. Thats just to cover the costs basically.
How are you my dearest sistas???
Missed you loads - will def catch up this weekend!!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
hey, just thought if you ever want me to arrange a recording of your performances on HDV, all you have to do is ask. It could help you all with showreels and you could put show highlights on your myspace etc. like a trailer for anyone who might miss them. Insatiables xxx
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