Culture and the Middle Classes by Simon Stewart

Author:Simon Stewart [Stewart, Simon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780754675334
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Published: 2010-04-28T00:00:00+00:00

the spectator was no longer in any way allowed to submit to an experience uncritically (and without practical consequences) by means of simple empathy with the characters in the play. The production took the subject-matter and the incidents shown and put them through a process of alienation: the alienation that is necessary to all understanding (Brecht, 1997, p. 71).

To achieve this effect, Brecht argues that everything magical and unreal needs to be swept away, so that the audience is able to contemplate the social and historical complexities raised by the play. It is, he asserts, a way of making the world manageable. He also suggests regular use of the third person in dialogue, a way of delivering the lines that owes more to doing an impression of someone, or to relating what someone said than to transforming oneself into that very person. According to Brecht (1997, p. 140), this brings about the technical device of historicization. This is a way of presenting a play that is about today’s society, and yet speaking about it as though it is a thing of the past, as though the action occurred already, and is now only being related. When we reflect on historic events, we are more inclined to be critical because the moment has passed and it is easier to be objective about what happened. To use this technique when speaking about contemporary society is a way of creating a distance that will further the alienating effect and allow the audience to engage at a more critical level. Ultimately, Brecht envisages that drama is capable of playing a significant role in the political transformation of society, a way of raising class consciousness and combating oppression.

The examples provided above do not represent a history of theatre-going. Rather, they are chosen so as to demonstrate that theatre-going has a disjointed history, one that has been associated with various sectors of society. Its many protagonists have sought to influence its course in a variety of directions and with varying degrees of success. One thing has been established from such digressions: theatre-going is by no means inextricably linked with middle classes.

The theatre experience at the Capitol has neither the earthy excitement of Marlowe’s world nor the political radicalism of Brecht’s epic theatre. The drama is much more middle-brow. For example, as well as light comedies and thrillers, there are many adaptations, which provide accessible versions of legitimate cultural forms (such as dramatized classic novels). The Capitol also stages music, which is predominantly middle-brow. For example, before his death in 2007, George Melly’s New Orleans jazz regularly featured at the theatre. This type of jazz is a form of music once the preserve of intellectuals and a young generation of enthusiasts (in England, at least). It was considered sexy and daring in 1920s America, and was associated with the red-light districts of New Orleans and criminal elements of society. However, Melly and his associates, continuing a trend of cultural assimilation of jazz music into mainstream culture, turn

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