We are the Red Brick Company which is the Student Acting Group of Kassel University. There has been a German theater group at the university for some time but the Fachbereich 02 was missing an English theater group. The founding of the drama group came at a time when there were quite a few staff changes in the Fachbereich and among the new members was Dr. Lars Heiler who then set the ball rolling for the Red Brick Company in summer 2006. He came to Kassel from Mannheim where he had been doing theater for years.
Though most students of literature come into touch with drama sooner or later, especially because of Shakespeare’s influence on English writing, for instance, in the drama group, they are able to deal with drama on an entirely different level by actually bringing the play to life, rather than by just reading and interpreting the text. As the dramatis personae emerge from the pages, new connections and depths can be explored from a totally unique point of view. Actors become characters and learn about their motivation and psyche in a one-of-a-kind experience. In addition, speaking English, practising pronunciation and playing with accents boosts the language learning experience in a playful way.
Those who want to become teachers learn valuable lessons for their own teaching; Bachelor or Magister students can add special soft skills to their curriculum; and even though the students do not receive any acutual ‘Scheine’ for their commitment and dedication, they gain something even more precious: the audience’s reaction and their applause after the performance! Acting in the drama group is mostly about fun and hanging out with an extremely interesting mix of people. Having a beer or two after the rehearsals has become a beloved tradition.
We have come quite a long path from our first production of Alan Ayckbourn’s Confusions in winter semester 2006/07. For our first production, we chose four small plays which allowed us to discover skills and talents and to find out who was committed to the task.
The second production in summer 2007 was more an experiment than a thoroughly thought through project. We chose to play twenty-two small and smaller plays and sketches and tried to perform them in eighty-eight minutes. Due to the predominance of British dark humor, the revue was called Red Brick Company Goes Black. As we never managed to finish in those eighty-eight minutes, we had to make amends, so, in the end, Miss Death payed a visit.
For the third production in winter 2008, we had a few new actors. After some discussion, we decided to perform Black Comedy by Peter Shaffer. The farce in one act was a new challenge as most of the actors did not leave the stage once had entered it and they had to be present all the time even when they did not have any text. Furthermore, even though most of the cast was accustomed to American English, we had to at least try to speak with a British accent. Also, the female leading was a double-casting and this was quite a challenge during rehearsals as well as performances because the four performances were divided among the two actresses. Despite all these tricky parts, the play went very well in the end.
In summer 2008, the fourth production, Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) by the Canadian playwright Ann-Marie MacDonald, was the biggest task so far. We had more actors, more props, more text and more changes of scenery than ever before. The text in blank verse and Shakespearean style was more difficult to understand and to learn than plain British English by Peter Shaffer. The number of costumes and props soon increased without boundaries. Luckily, we were able to ensure the services of two tailors who designed and made all dresses for free. The part of Constance Ledbelly included more lines than Hamlet and the actress playing Juliet had to change her dress several times, always having just one minute to do the job. However, maybe it is because of these challenges that production has been our greatest success so far.
The English speaking audience in Kassel is not huge but big enough to fill our rows. In the two winter productions, we were able to perform at the K19 and seat 60 people per performance. In the two summer productions, the K19 was not available and we had to play in seminar rooms where we could place more chairs but where we did not have an elevated stage. Nevertheless, we became more famous with each production and we managed to be sold out in advance thanks to numerous pre-bookings. Several people came twice to watch Goodnight Desdemona which made us very proud.
The third winter production in 2009 Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime took place in the K19 again which made organizing the stage much easier, especially as a second production was being prepared during that semester: The Night of the Living Bricks. This guided tour was the creative outlet for the many actors and crew members who were not part of the big play as the company was growing considerably in the fall.
Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime was our most traditional production so far, presenting themes from the late 19th century. The short story by Oscar Wilde that was adapted for the stage by Constance Cox deals with love, marriage and a series of unfortunate events. Lord Arthur desparately tries to kill someone in order to prevent committing such a crime later in life when he is married. All problems arise due to the deep mistrust of the fiancée’s mother and because of the greedy fortuneteller who blackmails every possible victim. The stage set was very static but the characters kept walking on stage and offstage all the time, which made choreography, rehearsals and concentration quite a challenge. Nevertheless, everything worked out fine and each performance was a great success. We were even sold out at the dernière.
The Night of the Living Bricks on the other hand, was totally new and experimental. It was a guided tour across campus, telling a fictional story of how the buildings were first created. It involved many true events and locations, raising the question about how fictional the story really was. Three different guides led the group to the different locations, while many minions scared the bloody daylights out of people! Even though it was either freezing cold or raining during the events, the four tours were successful. Only the promotion hadn’t been quite as successful and many people learned too late about it… The tour might be repeated, though…