This document provides guidance and learning materials for students studying the play "Metamorphosis" by Steven Berkoff. It includes assignments on vocal awareness, language, and non-verbal communication in the context of the play. Students are instructed to practice techniques for demonstrating non-verbal communication and transforming physically into a beetle. They will present next week on the historical, social, political and cultural contexts of the play.

1. Unit 1 Exploration of Drama & Theatre
Metamorphosis by Steven Berkoff

2. Exploration Notes (3000 words)
• The response to a practitioner
• Language
• Vocal Awareness
• Characterisation
• Non-Verbal Communication
• The Social, Cultural, Historical and Political Context
• The visual, aural and spatial elements of a production
• Interpretation
• Theatre Review (1000 words)

3. Work due
• 500 words due today on Vocal Awareness and
Language in the context of Metamorphosis.

4. Learning Outcomes
• To understand the different elements of non
verbal communication in the context of acting
• To be able to apply non verbal elements of
your acting in workshop and performance of
Metamorphosis

5. Starter work
• In pairs
• Without using words, each member of the
group take turns to demonstrate or explain
different types of non verbal communication.
Once it is clear the partner has
understood, move on to the next.
• Share ideas with the group, using your
partners to demonstrate. (5 mins max)

6. Non-Verbal communication
• The language of theatre is about more than spoken
language.
• Non-Verbal communication refers to any form of
action on stage which conveys meaning to an
audience.
• This includes gesture, facial
expressions, movement, mime, tableaux, physical
theatre, dance and mask work.

7. Realism vs. Artaud
• We accept that normally the majority of NVC supports the
attitudes, feelings and character of an individual within a play. E.G.?
• How does Artaud’s vision of ritualistic, symbolic imagery challenge
this?
• External representation of the unconscious within mankind
• Show and reveal mysterious elements within man’s psyche
• Representing humankind
• Gesture reveals subconscious and impacts on audience’s
imagination

8. Practical Task
Artaud and the Body
• Lie on your back, put your hands by your sides and bend your knees so the soles of your feet are flat on
the floor.
• Breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Monitor your breathing and try to slow it
down.
• Every time you exhale, turn the breath into a hum.
• Try to maintain for as long as possible.
• Continue to do this while focussing your body. How do your feet feel? Are they comfortable, tired, tense?
Work your way up through your body.
• Focus on your stomach. Is it full? Bloated? Is it hungry? Instead of humming, try to express how your
stomach feels through abstract noise.
• Now focus on the heart. Is it fit and healthy? Does it feel like blood is flowing freely or is it a real effort to
send it through the body?
• Vocalise this feeling. Use the rhythm of your heart, convert this feeling into a combination of vocal and
physical work.
• Operating room – part of body being cut into but still alive in some way – become it, using vocals (not
word) as well to express pain, fear, shock of how body part reacts to being torn from its place in the world.

9. Transformation into a Beetle
• The transformation of Gregor into a beetle is the pivotal
action of the play and the catalyst that allows the audience
to see the changes in other characters. How this
transformation is achieved theatrically is vital to the
success of the play.
• Berkoff chose to represent the beetle physically through
the actor’s voice, body and space. This allows the actor
playing the beetle to slip easily into human form when he
needs to be in flashback or to communicate to the
audience.

10. Practical Task - Beetle
• Lie down face on the floor.
• Now pull your knees up and cross your arms in front of your face so that you are resting on
your forearms, knees and shins.
• Through this simple and yet physically demanding position, Berkoff was able to mimic the
legs, head and thorax of the beetle.
• His fingers, arms, head, upper body and legs could all work in isolation and begin to emulate
the movement and manner of an insect. Move your head mechanically and in a jerky
fashion.
• Push your arms forward and drag your body forward supported by your knees. Try to create
a continuous movement with this action.
• Berkoff also found that by swapping his crossed arms and having them on the correct side of
his body, but forcing his elbows up by pushing his shoulders down, he could find another
dynamic that enabled him to ‘ooze’ as well as crawl.
• Experiment with this physicality.
• Show how he could move when frightened/angry/hungry/sick

11. Q+A
• Why do you think Artaud wanted actors to be
representations, rather than real-life
individuals?
• Why do you think Artaud placed such a strong
importance upon the actor’s use of gesture?

12. EXPLORATION NOTES:
• Individually:. Using
your notes from the
practical session
exploring Language

13. Next week
Student Presentations
• Next week YOU will be presenting your
findings on the Historical, Social, Political and
Cultural contexts of the play.
• In groups of 2/3 you will present to the group
from your research and discussions in your
study periods.
• This PowerPoint will be on Moodle (link on the
course blog) to support your notes.

14. Social/Cultural
• Social Context • Cultural context
• The environment the • There may be stereotypes or
characters are placed in prejudices
• The background or • Certain cultures can have
different traditions or rituals
lifestyle that the audience which people perform
comes from
• Culture is something that is
• The social positions and learned, so look at the
roles of the characters education of the characters
• The female characters • Do the audience share the
positions in society same cultural experiences as
• Do all characters share the the characters in the play
same social context? • Do all the characters share
the same cultural
experiences and beliefs?

15. Historical/Political
• Historical • Political
• Refers to the time that the • Is there a particular
play is taking place political message the play
• Whether the history of the wishes to get across?
play affects the meaning • Is it still relevant today as
and your interpretations at the time of writing?
• Think about what was • Would anything have to be
going on in the world changed to make any such
when the play was both message still relevant?
written and set • Is the play intended to
• Consider how the play can inspire political change?
be interpreted • Is it aimed at a particular
differently, across different group in society?
ages and times.