Fawlty Towers

Some comedy television series are almost timeless, aren't they?

It always seems to amaze me how each year Rowan Atkinson and his character Mr Bean appeal again and again to a new group of students. In the past, I've watched Mr Bean with students for fun on days when I had to babysit, with younger students for a carefree example of comedy, with middle school students for a more sophisticated analysis of the comic genius portrayed and even with seniors when studying the actor's use of body and gesture. Mr Bean seems to appeal to all ages and in a Drama class, all levels of skill. It's the closest thing to favourite movies young children seem to watch over and over again, as if each viewing was brand new and fresh.

Today in Drama we were studying Farce at Year 9 level (14 year-old girls). Now after twenty minutes of giving notes on this form of comedy, even I was getting a little bored with my own information and started dictating the last few paragraphs in ridiculous German, Chinese and Indian accents. Well, it certainly livened up the room a bit! Then it was time to watch Fawlty Towers, starring the very talented British actor John Cleese. I seriously thought no matter how much I wrapped this show up in the lead-in, this baby would bomb and my students would neither enjoy the humour or 'get' the farce being presented.

How wrong I was! They loved every minute of it. About a third of the class had never seen an episode of Fawlty Towers before, but after watching only one episode (The Hotel Inspector), everyone realised Cleese certainly makes comedy (and farce, in particular) a very physical form of entertainment. What better example is there of absurd activity and ridiculous plot lines than Fawlty Towers (or Monty Python films/Monty Python's Flying Circus)? So if you intend to study Farce with your students, watch Fawlty Towers for a prime example of the genre (or is it a style? ...... nope ..... the debate of genre vs style wil be left for another post altogether!).

Brecht + Bono = Social Activism

Today in Year 12 Drama we were undertaking theory on Brecht and his Epic Theatre (at this point it is worth warning you that I think Brecht will probably feature prominently in this blog over future months). Although the class had covered this topic several times before in a variety of guises over the past three years, this was Part 1 of the end of the road on the man many consider to be the most influential theatre practitioner since World War II.

A PowerPoint presentation/lecture that will take three 80-minute lessons to complete is fairly serious stuff, but I believe well worth it. The more knowledge that can be retaiined in my students heads, the better they will be for their upcoming written and practical work and end of year examinations.

(BTW, if you would like a copy of the PowerPoint presentation on Brecht and Epic Theatre to use with your students, just email me and I'll be happy to send you the file!).

I have always believed the most effective method of getting students excited about something educational is to give them an example they can relate to. So right in the middle of discussing how Brecht's theatre was deliberately designed in order to instruct the spectator to achieve social change outside the theatre in the world around him/her, it hit me that today's example is the lead singer of arguably the biggest rock band in the world, U2.

If Brecht used his theatre for social change, then isn't Bono doing the same thing? A critic in the room quickly snapped 'yeah, like that's original!' and right she was. Bono is far from the first musician to use music for social activism. He may not be the first (Bob Geldof and Sting are just two that come to mind) but he is definitely one of the best.

Love or hate U2's music, it's hard to ignore the fact that Bono is no idiot. Having met many of the world's leaders over the past few decades for meetings on social and economic issues, the man has a serious world agenda that is being carefully considered by some of the most powerful people on the planet.

Bono played at the Live Aid concert in 1985 and the Live 8 concert in 2005. He is the co-founder of DATA (Debt, Aids, Trade, Africa) and is involved in the Make Poverty History campaign. Along the way, he recently played a pivotal role in convincing several of the world's wealthiest nations to wipe the slate clean of African debt and provide drugs and care for victims of AIDS on the African continent. He was one of TIME Magazine's Persons of the Year in 2005 and was this month nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

So it is pretty clear that what Brecht was trying to achieve with his theatre (propaganda or not), Bono is trying to achieve with words in his songs and at his concerts. He recently said in a 60 Minutes interview that whatever the price is for cashing in his celebrity status for the good of social and economic change to help the poorest people on Earth, then it is worth it.

I recall a haunting comment by Bono on World Aids Day a few years ago stating that in the future, this generation will be remembered for just two things ......... the Internet and AIDS.

Rock on Bono...........

Brecht + Bono = Social Activism

Bono's Speech, National Prayer Breakfast, 2nd February 2006
DATA (Debt, Aids, Trade, Africa) Mission Stratement