三文錢的歌劇 Threepenny Opera @ DesigNing

《三文錢的歌劇》是1920年代編劇貝爾托‧布萊希特和編曲庫特‧威爾的傑作。本齣劇是為了諷刺當代其他的歌劇，並傳達兩位作者的想法。布萊希特思想的主軸就是以戲劇做為政治工具。這齣「乞丐為乞丐寫」的歌劇背景設在倫敦蘇荷區，是關於當地一位惡名昭彰強盜的捕捉與釋放。

當我聽著《三文錢的歌劇》的歌時，它強烈噹啷的節奏讓我想起中國的京劇。因此，我研究京劇不同角色化妝的臉，發現每一個顏色和臉都代表著不同的特徵和個性。有了這些資料，我開始了設計流程，將歌劇裡的人物給予不同的京劇臉。

Threepenny Opera, written in the 1920s by playwright Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill, is a satire on contemporary operas as well as a vehical to convey the ideas of its two creators. Using theatre as a political tool is the central theory of Brecht's works. Set in Soho, London, the piece is an opera "by beggars for beggars," and focuses on the capture and pardon of notorious bandit Macheath.

While I was listening to the music of Threepenny Opera, the strong beats and clunkiness of the songs reminded me of traditional Chinese opera. Therefore, I researched the different face makeup of Chinese opera characters, and discovered that every colour and face represents a different characeristic or personality. This begins the design process, assigning different colours and faces to each of the characters in the musical.