The Power of Storytelling: Brecht's Caucasian Chalk Circle

One of the most powerful yet underappreciated person in society is the storyteller. As a society, we see stories as a luxury and a means to escape. They are so much more. Stories move us to action. They help us understand the connections that we have to each other despite the many barriers, natural and fabricated, that may divide us. Stories are how we discover what it means to be human. 

Storytellers come in many different varieties. We tell our tales through song, the written word, as actors. Of course, there is a place for these stories to engage in the frivolity of humanity. They can act as an escape. There is value in this. However, I think back on what Sam said to Frodo on their journey to Mordor about the power of stories:

It's like in the great stories Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. Because they were holding on to something. … That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.

We find ourselves in a time where the stories we tell matter. There’s still room for pure entertainment, but it’s also imperative that we create art and tell stories that bring us together in our common humanity. This is perhaps why I feel so privileged to be working on a production of Bertolt Brecht’s Caucasian Chalk Circle. It’s a story that matters, and I do feel the weight of its importance.

In this production, I am playing the Singer, the embodiment of the storyteller. Most productions this part is played by a man, which I am most certainly not. We are in the early stages of rehearsal, and the ensemble of actors around me are truly incredibly storytellers in their own right. Our director has such a strong point of view for this piece. It is her passion project. I want so much to do justice to the story. 

Brecht believed in the power of stories to teach. Theater to him was a means by which we could enact social change. This is evident from the very beginning of the story he is telling Caucasian Chalk Circle. This particular tale comes from a Chinese story and has elements of the King Solomon story in two mothers sought custody of a child and the wise king said that the baby should be cut in half to give each mother a piece.

Throughout the play, Brecht reminds us about the corruption of the rich. As the Singer comments early on in the play:

When the house of a great one collapses

Many little ones are slain.

Those who have no share in the good fortunes of the mighty

Often have a share in their misfortunes.

Much the Chorus in the tragedies of the Greeks, Brecht uses the Singer and a Chorus to fill in the gaps in the story and comment upon the action. It is also the task of the Singer and Chorus to act as the inner monologue of the characters. 

The story of the Chalk Circle demonstrates the timeless nature of stories and our desire to connect with one another through time and space. It is the job of the artist to encourage those connections, to hold the mirror up to society, and pursue something better.

But you who have listened to the Story of the Chalk Circle,

Take note of what men of old concluded:

That what there is shall go to those who are good for it,

Children to the motherly, that they prosper,

Carts to good drivers, that they be driven well,

The valley to the waters, that it yield fruit.

Prenzie Players' presents Brecht's Caucasian Chalk Circle 
July 14th, 15th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd - 8 pm.  
July 16th - 2 pm
QC Theatre Workshop - 1730 Wilkes Ave Davenport, IA