Round Heads and Pointed Heads
Encyclopedia
Round Heads and Pointed Heads is an epic
parable
play written by the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht
, in collaboration with Margarete Steffin
, Emil Burri, Elisabeth Hauptmann
, and the composer Hanns Eisler
. The play's subtitle is Money Calls to Money and its authors describe it as "a tale of horror." The play is a satirical
anti-Nazi
parable about a fictitious country called Yahoo in which the rulers maintain their control by setting the people with round heads against those with pointed heads, thereby substituting racial relations for their antagonistic class relations
. The play is composed of 11 scenes in prose
and blank verse
and 13 songs. Unlike another of Brecht's plays from this period, The Mother
, Round Heads and Pointed Heads was addressed to a wide audience, Brecht suggested, and took account of "purely entertainment considerations." Brecht's notes on the play, written in 1936, contain the earliest theoretical
application of his "defamiliarization" principle to his own "non-Aristotelian" drama
.
, the theatre and film director, the play was first conceived in November 1931 as an adaptation of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure
for the Young Actors' Group, to be premièred in January 1932 at the Berlin Volksbühne
. Brecht considered this play to be Shakespeare's most philosophical and progressive work, which argued that "those in positions of authority [...] ought not to demand of their subjects a moral stance which they cannot adopt themselves." Rehearsals for Brecht's play The Mother
distracted him from developing the Round Heads project in December and its planned production in January failed to materialise, but Brecht and his collaborators returned to its development during 1932. The play was re-written in 1934 in preparation for a planned production under the direction of Per Knutzon in Copenhagen
, which fears of censorship prevented.
After another re-write in light of its première in 1936, the play was published in German in 1938. Brecht did not return to the play after that date, though he did include it in his collected works of 1955.
and offered it to theatres in Paris, London, New York, and Prague. Erwin Piscator
considered directing the play in Moscow several times during 1935-36. Fears of censorship had prevented a planned production in Copenhagen
in 1934 under the direction of Per Knutzon.
The play finally received its première in a Danish-language
production there two years later, which Ruth Berlau
instigated. It opened on 4 November 1936 at the Riddersalen Theatre (a 220-seat venue), under the direction of Knutzon. Niels Bing played the Landlord, Lulu Ziegler (Knutzon's wife) played Nanna Callas, while Isbella was played by Astrid Schmahl. Svend Johansen designed the sets
, based on ideas by the American designer Mordecai Gorelik
. The critical response was mixed. Brecht was not upset by this — he remarked some years later that he had seen some people crying at the same scene that others were laughing at, "And I was satisfied with both." Brecht thought it was "one of his best productions" so far, while it provoked a storm of protest from local fascists
. The production ran for 21 performances.
The play received its German première in 1948 in Dresden
. Manfred Karge directed a production in 1993 at the Akademietheater in Vienna
. Brecht's own company, the Berliner Ensemble
, staged the play in 1998.
In New York City
, an Off-Broadway
production was mounted in 1985 from a new translation by Michael Feingold. The Feingold translation also served as the basis for Uncivil Wars: Moving with Brecht and Eisler, an adaptation of the play which was created and directed by David Gordon. After several years of development, it officially premiered at the Walker Art Center
in Minneapolis in March 2009, and was subsequently performed at the Alexander Kasser Theater of Montclair State University
in November 2009. Gordon's production used all but one of the original Eisler songs, performed by Gina Leishman on piano, pump organ, accordion and ukelele.
Non-Aristotelian drama
Non-Aristotelian drama, or the 'epic form' of the drama, refers to a kind of play whose dramaturgical structure departs from the features of classical tragedy in favour of the features of the epic, as defined in each case by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle in his Poetics .The German...
parable
Parable
A parable is a succinct story, in prose or verse, which illustrates one or more instructive principles, or lessons, or a normative principle. It differs from a fable in that fables use animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as characters, while parables generally feature human...
play written by the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
, in collaboration with Margarete Steffin
Margarete Steffin
Margarete Emilie Charlotte Steffin was a German actress and writer, one of Bertold Brecht's closest collaborators, as well as a prolific translator from Russian and Scandinavian languages....
, Emil Burri, Elisabeth Hauptmann
Elisabeth Hauptmann
Elisabeth Hauptmann was a German writer who worked with Bertolt Brecht....
, and the composer Hanns Eisler
Hanns Eisler
Hanns Eisler was an Austrian composer.-Family background:Eisler was born in Leipzig where his Jewish father, Rudolf Eisler, was a professor of philosophy...
. The play's subtitle is Money Calls to Money and its authors describe it as "a tale of horror." The play is a satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
anti-Nazi
Anti-fascism
Anti-fascism is the opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals, such as that of the resistance movements during World War II. The related term antifa derives from Antifaschismus, which is German for anti-fascism; it refers to individuals and groups on the left of the political...
parable about a fictitious country called Yahoo in which the rulers maintain their control by setting the people with round heads against those with pointed heads, thereby substituting racial relations for their antagonistic class relations
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
. The play is composed of 11 scenes in prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
and blank verse
Blank verse
Blank verse is poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. It has been described as "probably the most common and influential form that English poetry has taken since the sixteenth century" and Paul Fussell has claimed that "about three-quarters of all English poetry is in blank verse."The first...
and 13 songs. Unlike another of Brecht's plays from this period, The Mother
The Mother (play)
The Mother is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. It is based on Maxim Gorky’s 1906 novel of the same name.It was written in collaboration with Hanns Eisler, Slatan Dudow and Günter Weisenborn from 1930–31 in prose dialogue with unrhymed irregular free verse and ten initial...
, Round Heads and Pointed Heads was addressed to a wide audience, Brecht suggested, and took account of "purely entertainment considerations." Brecht's notes on the play, written in 1936, contain the earliest theoretical
Dramatic theory
Dramatic theory is a term used for works that attempt to form theories about theatre and drama. Examples of ancient dramatic theory include Aristotle's Poetics from Ancient Greece and Bharata Muni's Natyasastra from ancient India.- External links :...
application of his "defamiliarization" principle to his own "non-Aristotelian" drama
Non-Aristotelian drama
Non-Aristotelian drama, or the 'epic form' of the drama, refers to a kind of play whose dramaturgical structure departs from the features of classical tragedy in favour of the features of the epic, as defined in each case by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle in his Poetics .The German...
.
History
At the suggestion of Ludwig BergerLudwig Berger (director)
Ludwig Berger was a German film director, screenwriter and cinematographer. He directed 36 films between 1920 and 1969...
, the theatre and film director, the play was first conceived in November 1931 as an adaptation of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure
Measure for Measure
Measure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604. It was classified as comedy, but its mood defies those expectations. As a result and for a variety of reasons, some critics have labelled it as one of Shakespeare's problem plays...
for the Young Actors' Group, to be premièred in January 1932 at the Berlin Volksbühne
Volksbühne
The Volksbühne is a theater in Berlin, Germany. Located in Berlin's city center Mitte on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz in what was the GDR's capital....
. Brecht considered this play to be Shakespeare's most philosophical and progressive work, which argued that "those in positions of authority [...] ought not to demand of their subjects a moral stance which they cannot adopt themselves." Rehearsals for Brecht's play The Mother
The Mother (play)
The Mother is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. It is based on Maxim Gorky’s 1906 novel of the same name.It was written in collaboration with Hanns Eisler, Slatan Dudow and Günter Weisenborn from 1930–31 in prose dialogue with unrhymed irregular free verse and ten initial...
distracted him from developing the Round Heads project in December and its planned production in January failed to materialise, but Brecht and his collaborators returned to its development during 1932. The play was re-written in 1934 in preparation for a planned production under the direction of Per Knutzon in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, which fears of censorship prevented.
After another re-write in light of its première in 1936, the play was published in German in 1938. Brecht did not return to the play after that date, though he did include it in his collected works of 1955.
Productions
After going into exile from Nazi Germany in 1933, Brecht sent the play to the Soviet playwright Sergei TretyakovSergei Tretyakov
Sergei Mikhailovich Tretyakov was a Russian constructivist writer, playwright and special correspondent for Pravda. He graduated 1916 from the department of law at Moscow University...
and offered it to theatres in Paris, London, New York, and Prague. Erwin Piscator
Erwin Piscator
Erwin Friedrich Maximilian Piscator was a German theatre director and producer and, with Bertolt Brecht, the foremost exponent of epic theatre, a form that emphasizes the socio-political content of drama, rather than its emotional manipulation of the audience or on the production's formal...
considered directing the play in Moscow several times during 1935-36. Fears of censorship had prevented a planned production in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
in 1934 under the direction of Per Knutzon.
The play finally received its première in a Danish-language
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
production there two years later, which Ruth Berlau
Ruth Berlau
Ruth Berlau was a Danish actress, director, photographer and writer, known for her collaboration with Bertolt Brecht and for founding the Bertolt-Brecht-Archiv in Berlin....
instigated. It opened on 4 November 1936 at the Riddersalen Theatre (a 220-seat venue), under the direction of Knutzon. Niels Bing played the Landlord, Lulu Ziegler (Knutzon's wife) played Nanna Callas, while Isbella was played by Astrid Schmahl. Svend Johansen designed the sets
Scenic design
Scenic design is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers have traditionally come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but nowadays, generally speaking, they are trained professionals, often with M.F.A...
, based on ideas by the American designer Mordecai Gorelik
Mordecai Gorelik
Mordecai Gorelik was a theatrical designer who also wrote, produced and directed plays. He was a 1920 graduate of the Pratt Institute, and worked principally as a scene designer. However, he also designed costumes, directed lighting and taught theater...
. The critical response was mixed. Brecht was not upset by this — he remarked some years later that he had seen some people crying at the same scene that others were laughing at, "And I was satisfied with both." Brecht thought it was "one of his best productions" so far, while it provoked a storm of protest from local fascists
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
. The production ran for 21 performances.
The play received its German première in 1948 in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. Manfred Karge directed a production in 1993 at the Akademietheater in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. Brecht's own company, the Berliner Ensemble
Berliner Ensemble
The Berliner Ensemble is a German theatre company established by playwright Bertolt Brecht and his wife, Helene Weigel in January 1949 in East Berlin...
, staged the play in 1998.
In New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, an Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
production was mounted in 1985 from a new translation by Michael Feingold. The Feingold translation also served as the basis for Uncivil Wars: Moving with Brecht and Eisler, an adaptation of the play which was created and directed by David Gordon. After several years of development, it officially premiered at the Walker Art Center
Walker Art Center
The Walker Art Center is a contemporary art center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is considered one of the nation's "big five" museums for modern art along with the Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum and the Hirshhorn...
in Minneapolis in March 2009, and was subsequently performed at the Alexander Kasser Theater of Montclair State University
Montclair State University
Montclair State University is a public research university located in the Upper Montclair section of Montclair, the Great Notch area of Little Falls, and Clifton, New Jersey. As of October 2009, there were 18,171 total enrolled students: 14,139 undergraduate students and 4,032 graduate students...
in November 2009. Gordon's production used all but one of the original Eisler songs, performed by Gina Leishman on piano, pump organ, accordion and ukelele.
External links
- audio snippets of songs from Breitkopf & HärtelBreitkopf & HärtelBreitkopf & Härtel is the world's oldest music publishing house. The firm was founded in 1719 in Leipzig by Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf . The catalogue currently contains over 1000 composers, 8000 works and 15,000 music editions or books on music. The name "Härtel" was added when Gottfried...
website