Design
Jerzy Grotowski's 'Poor Theatre'
Design Elements
Design Elements
During this protest period, was considered the South African theatre aesthetic. Considered part of Laboratory Theatre and connected to the Physical Theatre Movement. Linked to Athol Fugard, Barney Simon, Mbongeni Ngema and others.
Actor's voice and body are central to the performance. The style rids excesses of theatre. This includes costumes, colorful or intricate lighting, and detailed sets. A handful of props and physical gesture is key to creating the surroundings.
Actor's voice and body are central to the performance. The style rids excesses of theatre. This includes costumes, colorful or intricate lighting, and detailed sets. A handful of props and physical gesture is key to creating the surroundings.
Brechtian style play
The play is stylistically unrealistic and Brechtian. Scene changes are conducted with blackouts, dimming or rising of house lights, and a single spot light from above. A wall is imitated with the use of the clothing rack, often used to hide the characters and used as a literal privacy screen for costume changes.
Songs are conducted by the singers without any microphone, unless intended for a large audience.
The scenes are generally short, but switch location frequently, not allowing characters or plot elements to transpire with any great detail.
The set consists of the rope and clothing and two tea crates. The crates themselves are shifted into various positions to imitate tables, seats, as points of elevation (such as imitating a slot machine).
Open stage or space of no particular size or shape.
Multi-role "two-hander" show requires fewer, multipurpose props and costumes. Characters are functionally a part of the set.
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Original Production Designs
Market Theatre and Baxter Theatre
Costumes
Simple, inventive and reused. Suggestive, rather than realistic.
Simple, inventive and reused. Suggestive, rather than realistic.
In Scene 10, we are introduced to Auntie Dudu, inspired by an encountered garbage diver in the local area. Costume is specified as a dust coat and shawl.
For Scene 11, the Barber Scene was also inspired by people met in the community- a barber that works in the open air due to not having premises in the township.
Character concept of the toothless old man of Scene 13 created from Mbongeni's own grandfather and a man met at a train station.
Hung costumes are used as cover while Percy sneaks up in Scene 1. The half ball nose is intentionally clownish, a commentary on the buffoonish nature of whites in authority during Apartheid. 
A Cuban army cap is specified in scene 7
"Zulu Boy" is disguised in Scene 26 in a hat and reused dust coat.
Baas Kom speaks to Bobbejaan (same character) while changing costumes.
Props
www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/Pj2V5ki8SG6LBHDiqaXpRg
Working passes as used in Albert Street, the "most terrible street in the whole of Johannesburg," where even after obtaining a pass for work, one must wait for a white employer to offer work.
Actual handheld props are typically reused and re-purposed. A read newspaper is used to swat away flies in Scene 9.
Newspaper and Bible read on the train
Meat vendor in the hot, open air market
News Network Coverage
Mimed Props and Set
A vast majority of props and set is created with actors making sound and gestures in intricate and carefully timed choreography. The set is open, allowing actors to create it situationally.
Machine guns fired at Morena in Scene
Mbongeni and Percy pushing the truck
On the train in Scene 20
Offering chips to Morena in Scene 17.
Digging with mining caps, re-purposed elastic clown noses
Others include: plates, cigars, bongos, jazz instruments, needle and thread, a microphone, a banner.
Others include: plates, cigars, bongos, jazz instruments, needle and thread, a microphone, a banner.
Modern Presentations
In a February 5th, 2012 production at the Market
Theatre complex, conventions remained the same.
Costume requirements remained track suits. Set consisted
solely of two tea chests and a hung line with costumes. Lighting was the only
difference, though supposedly only with subtle differences.
https://artscomments.wordpress.com/2012/01/12/woza-albert/
https://cuemedia.co.za/2017/07/07/woza-albert-woza-sobukwe-woza-ngoyi/
https://cuemedia.co.za/2017/07/07/woza-albert-woza-sobukwe-woza-ngoyi/
Even 40 years later, when performed at the Baxter Theatre Center in Capetown South Africa, little has changed in set, lighting or costume. Except maybe wearing t-shirts.
https://www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-2019-01-21-triumphant-return-for-woza-albert
Baxter Small Theatre performance March-April 2016
A few changes at the Lincoln Center Institute
Jocelyn Melechinsky Hall in 2011: Thrifted pieces, custom made ones, and ordered to
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Locations by suggestion
Many scenes with no fixed location
Albert Street-was the location of the government office
where black people had to apply for passes and where they waited for work. Accomplished with general overhead lighting and use of open acting space. Tea crates in usual position.
In prison on
Robben Island (the high-security institution where the regime kept its
political prisoners)
On a train where Percy reads the Bible
aloud next to Mbongeni on top of tea crates. When by the windows, they are mimed and the motion of the train is shown by the actors with gentle or aggressive rocking. Train noises are taken up by the actor not actively speaking. This is done under general lighting.
Many scenes with No fixed location
Scenes with the Prime Minister are often just alluded to as being near 'tarmac'
In the open air heat-scene with meat street vendor/
Garbage heap-scenic elements unchanged and performed off the the side in open space.
Barber shop-characters sitting either on or against the tea crates. It is suggested to be in open air.
Coal vendors selling off a lorry-characters standing on top of tea crates and characters wearing stained sheets over their heads.
At a station-Set unchanged.
Brickyard-CLothes line functions as a wall dividing the stage. Boss Kom is on the other side.
Brickyard-CLothes line functions as a wall dividing the stage. Boss Kom is on the other side.
Open space-for meeting of soldiers, the set has actually been removed, and a general wash of lighting has been given for the actors.
On a helicopter- Both actors are sitting on tea crates, while Mbongeni imitates helecopter blades with his hands. The lighting is focuses solely on the two boxes, leaving the rest of the stage darkened.
TV report-conducted in open space at front and center.
In a graveyard-The set is unchanged other than the tea crates being pushed together so that Percy may lay on them.
Screenshots from video:
Ngema, Mbongeni, Percy Mtwa, Barney Simon, and David M. Thompson. Woza Albert!San Francisco, CA: California Newsreel, 1980.
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