The influential 20th Century German playwright Berthold Brecht was responsible for developing a theatrical technique called Verfremdungseffekt, or in English, “Alienation. ” The idea is that, throughout the course of the play, the audience should be forced to engage with the drama intellectually rather than emotionally. This was achieved by the characters stepping out of their roles to address the audience, thereby breaking what he thought was the dangerous theatrical illusion that one was watching something real rather than a dramatic performance. Brecht would have been proud of the splendid Nursery Nativity which occurred this week during which Verfremdungseffekt was much in evidence. No sooner had the curtain opened upon the glorious technicolour scene of the stable in Bethlehem, when one of the shepherds waved heartily at his parents. Meanwhile the Angel Gabriel, beaming at the audience, started to direct some of the other performers. At one point the baby Jesus was slung forwards from behind one of the character’s back, landing somewhere near the crib, and on another, the donkey had to catch up rapidly with Mary and Joseph who had already set off for Bethlehem without him. But this, I have to say, added to the charm of the occasion and I, like everyone else watching, loved this wonderful performance. Indeed, it was the first time that Nursery has performed its nativity in the Hall. The costumes were brilliantly done and all the performances were full of character and life. It was an unforgettable start to the Christmas festivities.
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