The Caucasian Chalk Circle

Theatre and society were inextricably linked for Brecht in a way which only people from countries which retain censorship, political oppression and violence — or at least marked social divisions — can relate to first hand. Such is the world of our play, Caucasian Chalk Circle. The country is set somewhere in the Middle East — the specific location is really not important. These people in this region have been at war for thousands of years — led by political regimes that have forgotten why the war started and who have no clear plan that might lead to peace in the region. Fed by the need to right a wrong, to win back land, to perpetuate a political ideology — these world leaders continue to fight their battles at the expense of the disenfranchised.

Our current media is full of stories and pictures of the refugees from these war torn countries. In our society of spectacle, previous children reach from the paper for help and the bloodied bodies of those who are the collateral damage of the latest schoolyard spat lay just beyond our ability to feel deeply connected. We have become numbed out to the latest gruesome details and the plight of the poor and oppressed. It is the dilemma of these oppressed people that Brecht explores in all his works. For him, the oppressed are those who feel they have no voice. It is the role of theatre in culture to create a voice for these voiceless souls.

With Caucasian Chalk Circle, Brecht brings the story out of the headlines and the CNN soundbites. Grusha, a simple maid is forced to make a decision that will change her life forever, It was not a casual choice to adopt the infant, Michael, and to defend him and care for him at all costs. “Terrible is the temptation to do good.” Is it possible to practice compassion in wartime? Would it make a difference? Or are we better off just not feeling too deeply and simply turning off the media bombardment that continues to fill our lives with white noise.

Brecht explores the fickle concept of justice - one that tends to change with each passing election and regime. “Do rights make right?” Azdak finds himself torn between his simple concept of justice and the expectation that is placed on him each time the regime changes. It is hard to take justice seriously when the definition and expectations keep changing. In the end, it is out of the mouth of the fool that true justice is meted out.

Brecht writes plays that remind us that we are watching theatre - not seducing us into believing that we are watching real life, leaving us in emotional turmoil. It is his hope that the audience will play a role int he story - where ideas will flow in both directions. This is theatre that will invite the “spectator” to be intellectually and emotionally engaged and leave the experience considering what he/she might do to make a difference in a world that seems to have gone so far astray.

“Change the World - it needs it!” - Bertolt Brecht