Producing Woyzeck Statement

     As with any production, Woyzeck has problems within the text that must be addressed during pre-production. Upon the playwright’s death, the scripts’ scenes were left unassembled and, some argue, missing the rumored ending with Woyzeck being on trial. As a whole, the play is considered an “unstable” text which poses many problems concerning author’s intent, story line and etc. These concerns raise the question that if produced, should the text be approached as a fragmented piece or should there be an attempt to piece it together to make a comprehensible story? Another problem would arise when coming up with a set design because the script calls for numerous locations throughout the show and we spend very little time there. Even the transitions pose a problem as there are so many of them. How would a production team handle the transition between scenes so as to avoid blackouts in order to keep fluidity of the piece and hold the audience's attention and interest? Would the actors do the transitions themselves or have crew members do the work? Since Woyzeck is so fragmented, how would a production team set the appropriate mood for the entire show?
     If Sam Houston State University were to produce Woyzeck in the upcoming UTC production season, there would be some problems in that area as well. We would have to decide which space would be most suitable for the play (Erica Starr or Showcase) so that the audience can either feel more connected to the characters or feel a sense of alienation. If it were decided to produce Woyzeck in the Showcase, the problem of having a substantially smaller budget would emerge. What kind of accommodations would need to be made in order for the show to work on a mere $200? Would it be best to take a minimalist approach or to allow the designers free reign with what was already available in the theatre? The community itself may pose a problem as they are more comfortable in seeing a Tennessee Williams or Rogers and Hammerstein show than one of this nature. Patrons may feel that it is a waste of their money to see a show that they don't fully understand.  
   Past productions of Woyzeck have overcome the aforementioned obstacles in numerous creative, and effective ways. In 2006, the California Institute of the Arts approached Woyzeck as a work of art (as it is such) and literally presented it that way. They performed the show in a form of gallery setting where the audience followed a green line on the floor that led them around the space as scenes were happening. The show was performed in a 40 minute loop repeating three times and the audience could stay as long as they liked. Showcasing the piece in this manner would negate the need to make Woyzeck into a totally comprehensible story with a beginning and end. The Clarence Brown Theatre took a different approach by presenting the work with all the familiarities of a normal play but used minimal props accompanied by artistically simple lighting which is the current style of plays done in the Showcase theatre (it's easy on pocketbook). The Rough Magic SEEDS ran away with the "theatricality is key" idea by presenting the show in a cabaret style. By adding that layer of artificiality to the play would allow the audience to grasp the dark message but at a safe distance. 
   The critiques had mixed reviews about the various styles of Woyzeck but a trend that I found was that if you shouldn't stray too far away from the script and that the show is more easily digested if it is almost presented in circus form. In 2008, The Brooklyn Academy of Music wrote music for the show, gave the characters different jobs, and would occasionally recite scripted lines from Buchner's version. The critiques were in awe over the piping, the tank the actors would swim in, but Charles Isherwood felt that they went too far. Rachel Andrews felt that the Rough Magic Seeds version of Woyzeck had just the right amount of theatricality because the director knew when to pull back. In the majority of the reviews I read, the critiques respected the non linear style and the focus of the delusional "antihero" in the text and as long as they could see that respect in the productions, it was an overall good review.