Prompt 5

Having an object represented in theatre as opposed to being shown in its entirety can have a very powerful effect on the audience. It creates a sense of mystery by not allowing you the satisfaction of knowing what it is while it simultaneously forces one to use his or her imagination to see the object for themselves. I think a perfect example of this use of representation is the contents of the briefcase in Pulp Fiction. The entire film revolves around the existence of a briefcase and the contents which remain unknown throughout the duration of the film. All we know is that it is extremely valuable to the interested parties. The most information we get as to the contents is that when the briefcase is opened, a golden light glows from within. Even the light being emitted is not necessarily a naturalist convention. The light itself could easily be considered just another representational tool to express the value of what is actually contained inside when considering the narrative. As an audience member, we must rely heavily on the other factors to discover what is so special about this mysterious object. For one, we must pay extra attention to the circumstances surrounding the briefcase. This would be the fact that everyone and their mother is trying to acquire it for themselves. A group of young thugs steal the case from their employer, disregarding their own lives by forfeiting their own loyalty. When the briefcase is involved in a robbery in a diner, it is the only valuable item that is not stolen (apart from Jules wallet proclaiming "bad motherfucker" which is stolen then returned out of fear). Also, we must rely on the reaction from the actors upon seeing what's inside. Each actor who opens the case, releasing the all-powerful light from within are stunned by what the find inside. It is clearly breathtaking to behold and can only be the most desirable object to have ever been presented to man kind. This reaction never changes no matter who encounters the briefcase, and so we know that it is an object that everyone wants, needs, etc.

Personally I think an abstract representation of the holocaust could be very effective. While a naturalistic view of the holocaust tends to be jarring, graphic, and emotionally disturbing, I think it can sometimes keep the audience from an emotional response. It is difficult to see those events which occurred in concentration camps and know exactly what that feels like to undergo. Instead I think there are better ways to evoke an emotion by relating the pain, fear and suffering in a way that the general population can understand. I think that this puts alot of pressure on spectacle to make this happen. In a modern day theatre, a production team would need to make the theatre feel smaller than it is, darker and full of sounds that would be common to hear. The lack of light, creating fear, faceless Nazi soldiers each as ruthless as the next. We must find ways to feel a fraction of the fear and chaos that was at one point a reality, and only through this simulation can we succeed in representing the holocaust abstractly. As a related topic, I once read a graphic novel called Mous. Mous is the story of a holocaust survivor, and what's interesting about it is that each nationality is represented by a different animal. The Jewish are mice, the Nazis are cats, the Polish are pigs, the Americans are dogs, etc. I thought this was a very interesting way to portray the events which had occurred and served in successfully representing the holocaust in a different way. It would be interesting to see how symbolism and association can play into a staged representation of the holocaust and how an audience would react to that.