Berkoff

"The brain of a spectator is... a playful child that will seize upon the suggestion of a think and eagerly fill in the rest" - Berkoff

History:

Leslie Steven Berks was born on the 3rd August 1937 in Stephney, London. He comes from a Jewish family who emigrated to England in the 1890s. Berkoff described his relationship with his father as 'strained' (this is actually part of the reason he was prompted to adapt metamorphosis). His father was largely absent (he called his father 'a strange beast).  Their relationship really derailed when they returned form New York after WW2 finished. His father has returned first and not long after formed a gambling addiction. From 11 onwards Berkoff was very used to the bare minimum (single rented room). 

n 1968, Berkoff formed the London Theatre Group, which developed its own theatrical language through mime, ensemble work, and voice. This is when his career really kicked off both as a director and an actor. Berkovian theatre allowed for a different perspective on a piece, for example Berkoff made many adaptations of plays such as Metamorphosis. 

Inspirations:

• Greek Theatre - . Berkoff often uses the chorus in a stylised sequence of movement, usually heightened both vocally and physically. Just like a traditional Greek chorus they reflect the mood of the story and express what the main characters cannot say. He uses bouffon as well as chorus.
• Japanese Noh and Kabuki Theatre - The Kabuki concept of jo-ha-kyo is common in Berkoff's work. Scenes are done at a certain pace; the action is slow, speeds up and ends quickly. This Japanese concept governs actions of actors, structures of plays and scenes. To break it down further, jo is a slow and auspicious beginning (the way Berkoff often introduces character and plot), ha speeds events up (Berkoff often uses this and culminates the story with a moment of tragedy) and ku is a short, satisfying conclusion. Many of Berkoff's characters move on quickly after tragedy
• Shakespeare - Berkoff's one-man show examines the psychology of Shakespeare's most infamous villains, including Iago, Shylock, Richard III, and the Macbeths. Berkoff's love of Shakespeare's work stems from his complex characterizations, especially the role of the protagonist. Berkoff has written his own interpretations of many famous texts and stories, few of which are not adaptations or are stimulated by existing writers.
• East End Music Hall - Berkoff grew up near the East End, his first ever play was inspired by 'fighting and jiving' which he saw in the East End. 
• Jewish Heritage - Berkoff has explicitly identified with Franz Kafka and his characters, such as Gregor Samsa and Joseph K. He has also projected himself as a "Jewish outsider". Berkoff's early plays, such as East (1977), West (1985), and Decadence (1982), feature cockney rhyming slang and streetwise exchanges. These were inspired by his troubled adolescence in London's Jewish East End. 
• Lecoq - Berkoff studied with Claude Chagrin, a pupil of Jacques Le Coq, and later briefly with Le Coq himself. This is where Berkoff's mime comes from. Miming has become a core part of Berkovian theatre. An extension to this is body-centred theatre - this is focusing on the relationship between movement and acting. This allowed Berkoff to be very creative in his acting. 
• Stanislavski - Steven Berkoff's acting training mainly consisted of the Stanislavski method, using emotional truth, emotion memory and breaking down scenes into smaller goals to find truth and justification for getting from one scene to the next. 
• Artaud - Artaud's main ideas include... Total theatre: A style that uses non-naturalistic and stylized techniques to tell a story without a set. Theatre of Cruelty: A concept that advocates for a theatre language that's a unique combination of thought and gesture. Physical expression: The belief that all theatre is a physical expression in space. Use of gesture and facial expression: The idea that gesture and facial expression can communicate more than words. Simultaneous action: The use of combined moments of calm and chaos to unsettle the audience. Berkoff was very adamant about making the audience feel uncomfortable when watching his performances and even the actor performing should feel somewhat awkward on stage. 

• Brecht - Many Berkovian technique are inspired from Brecht. For example in order to distance the audience from the events of the play actors break the fourth wall, use asides and direct address to wake the audience up. The movement is very similar in the way that it is exaggerated. Berkoff has over the top mime and stylized movement and dancing to tell the story. The voice (pitch, pace, tone) is also very exaggerated, this is often specific to characters. When conveying emotions the pace, tone and body language associated with that emotion will be over the top. Fear = small, face paced, high pitch and shaky voice. Brecht used contradictions to create complex characters, and Berkoff often uses larger than life stereotypical characters. Brecht's work was intended to make the audience think, and Berkoff's work aims to give the audience an overwhelming experience.

Key Characteristics of Berkovian Theatre: 

Berkoff tells stories in a poetic and heightened way, both vocally and physically using minimal set and a non- naturalistic style with lighting and music. Characters use a mix of poetic language, sometimes Shakespearean, often vulgar and muscular, almost physical. Imagine throwing their words out into the air. Berkovian theatre is often described as in-yer-face theatre due to the loud intense acting and the often taboo topics which are often looked past. To me this type of theatre is very engaging and thought provoking as it is memorable and challenges society. 

• Total theatre: Telling the story without a set, using the physical abilities of performers instead. Minimalist set. 
• Stylized movement: Abstract and sometimes surreal movement, including slow motion and robotic
• Exaggerated facial expressions: Using the face to convey emotions or feelings
• Direct asides: Short comments made directly to the audience, this is usually distinguished by a change of tone and lighting
• Grotesque/stylized use of gesture/movement: Merging the influence of Brecht's gestic acting and Kabuki theatre's use of "mie" (a picturesque pose) to establish character
• Exaggerated mime: Replacing props and furniture with what can be personified/created by the actors' bodies. For example in Metamorphosis the family act out the blinds and the clock. 
• Exaggerated use of voice: Exploring vocal placement, pitch, pace, and intonation to an extreme 

Berkovian theatre is a product of Berkoff's reaction to naturalism. He thought that theatre had lost its meaning, it once was a tool for playwrights to express their views and cause real change in society. However this slowly changed into a theatre being viewed as a luxury. 

Working method:

 If you are working on a Berkoff text or using Berkoff's style with another text, try this rehearsal process:

• Start with a warm up. 
• Learn or refresh a specific technique such as action mime or choral focus. 
• Divide your session between ensemble work and detailed character work.
• Only sit and read the play together when you have found your group ensemble and at least your individual character's mie.
• Sometimes Berkoff uses one to one sessions with his actors to work on a scene and sometimes he will focus on detailed choral sequences.
• If you are doing two heavy sessions of physical make the next session vocal work on monologue and language. 

Berkoff's Political Views:

Berkoff is a Marxist, this made it difficult for him to employed in major roles which is why he preferred to write his own characters. His political aims were essentially to avoid all mainstream themes and ideas: "it is when we look at those who appear to be on the margins of mainstream society that we see this struggle writ large". 

Marxism - Marxism was developed in the 19th century by a German philosopher named Karl Marx. It is a social, economical and political philosophy. It is mostly about the battle between the working class and the ownership class. It favours socialism and communism over capitalism. 

Marxism hypothesised that the struggle between capitalists and workers will inevitably lead to a communist rise up. There are the business owners and workers. Workers have little power and they are also readily replaceable. To maximise profits business owners have an incentive to pay workers less and get the most work out of them. Because workers have no personal stake in the production Karl Marx believed they would become alienated from it and their own humanity and turn against business owners. Finally this will lead to a revolution were capitalism is abolished. 

McGrath, N. (2010). Steven Berkoff: My family values. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/sep/18/steven-berkoff-my-family-values.