Station 2 · Criterion A(ii) · max 8
Critique Berkoff's Metamorphosis
A detailed critique of the elements, techniques and context of the Tokyo production. Recognise the Expressionistic techniques the company uses and explain why each one was done: how it communicates the production's artistic intention.
The production
“Ability to present a detailed critique including elements, techniques and context of the artwork or performance chosen.”MYP Arts PCUP, May 2027, Task 1, A(ii)
A critique is not a review. The examiner isn't interested in whether you enjoyed it. They want to see you recognise the Expressionistic techniques the company used, explain how they were performed and staged and show why they were done: how each one communicates the artistic intention of the production.
Source text
Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis, first published in 1915. Gregor Samsa, a travelling salesman who supports his whole family, wakes to find he has turned into an enormous insect.
Adaptation
Steven Berkoff adapted the novella for the stage and first performed it in 1969 at the Roundhouse in London with his London Theatre Group, playing Gregor himself.
This recording
A Japanese production directed by Berkoff and filmed live at the Parco Theater in Tokyo, with Mirai Moriyama as Gregor. Check the credits on Digital Theatre+ for the full cast and the date, then use them in your writing.
Language
It's performed in Japanese, so you'll rely on subtitles for meaning. That means you can listen to the voice for tone, pitch, pace, volume, rhythm and unison without being distracted by the words, so use this to your advantage.
The mark bands for A(ii)
The official MYP Arts assessment criteria.
How to write it
The balance to get right
Every paragraph needs all three of elements, techniques and context. Then give the impact on the audience and the why: why the technique was used and how effectively it communicates the artistic intention of the production. The why is the part students most often miss.
That you can recognise the Expressionistic techniques in this production and link the style to its context. At 5 to 6 you need all three of elements, techniques and context. At 7 to 8 you evaluate how effectively each technique communicates the artistic intention, with the impact on the audience made clear.
- Introduction, paragraph 1. The production: Kafka's novella, Berkoff's adaptation and this Tokyo staging. Add the context that matters, such as Kafka's world of work in 1915 and the Expressionistic style the production draws on.
- Introduction, paragraph 2. The artistic intention. In one or two sentences, say what you think the production sets out to communicate and how that links to power and privilege. Every analytical paragraph then shows how part of that intention is communicated.
- Four to six analytical paragraphs. One moment per paragraph, each built with what, how and why. Across them, cover three performance elements and three production elements.
- Conclusion. How effectively the production communicates its artistic intention as a whole. End by naming one technique you intend to use in your own devised piece and why.
- What. Name the moment with a timecode. Name the element (voice, movement, set, lighting and so on) and the Expressionistic technique.
- How. Describe exactly how it was performed or staged. This is where precise, Expressionistic vocabulary earns marks.
- Why. Why it was done. Link the technique to its context, explain the impact on you as an audience member and evaluate how effectively it communicates the artistic intention of the production.
Elements, techniques and context in every paragraph, with the impact on the audience and the intention behind each choice. That balance is what gets you into 7 to 8.
Elements to cover
- Performance, choose three
- Voice (pitch, tone, volume, pace, unison). Movement and physicality (gesture, posture, rhythm, levels). Facial expression and masklike faces. Proxemics (distance and status between characters). Ensemble and chorus work.
- Production, choose three
- Set and use of space. Lighting. Sound and music, including percussion and silence. Costume and makeup. Props, or the lack of them.
Context you can use
The Expressionistic style.
Link what you see back to what you found in Station 1. Which techniques come from the Expressionist tradition and what did that tradition set out to show?
Kafka's 1915 world of work.
Kafka worked for the Workers' Accident Insurance Institute and saw how workers lost their value once they were injured. Gregor's worth to his family disappears the moment he can no longer earn.
A Tokyo audience.
Japan has had a word for death from overwork, karoshi, since the 1980s. You could argue that a story about a salesman who lives only for his job lands differently in Tokyo. If you make this argument, research it properly and reference your source.
Other people's interpretations.
There's nothing wrong with reading reviews of the production to get a sense of how other people interpreted it. Reference any review you use.
Moments to log while you watch
Tap to open
These moments are all in Berkoff's script. Watch closely for how this production stages them and record exact timecodes. Don't describe a moment you haven't seen in this recording. Log more moments than you'll write about so you can choose the strongest.
The opening, as the family are introduced and Gregor transforms
How is the insect created with the actor's body alone? What does it say that the family's routine carries on around him?
The family at the table
Who sits, who serves and who eats? How does the staging show that the family lives on Gregor's wages?
The Chief Clerk's visit
How is the employer's authority shown in voice and body? How do the family behave in front of him?
Mr Samsa attacks Gregor with apples
The father reclaims his authority in the house. How is the violence staged without realism?
Greta plays the violin for the lodger
The family now serve someone else. How does the staging show the shift in who holds power in the home?
Gregor's death and the family afterwards
What does the family's relief tell us about how they valued him? How does the production make you feel about them?
Words to get you started
Tap to open
These are a starting point, not a limit. Find your own words for what's in front of you. There are many more in the Expressionism section of the glossary.
Voice
fragmented dialogue choral speech Telegrammstil clipped staccato chanted mechanical strangled
Body
robotic angular contorted rigid puppetlike grotesque masklike synchronised
Set and space
oversized set distorted perspective towering cramped caged exposed
Light, sound and texture
metallic the use of metal harsh textures stark shadowed percussive oppressive the aesthetic
What a top grade 7 paragraph looks like
Band 7 to 8Real coursework
“In Simon McBurney’s, The Encounter, non diegetic, overlapping sound effects and projections are utilized in illustrating emotional turmoil and stress that Loren McIntyre encounters amidst his fragmented state of mind as he struggles to reconcile his past, his own identity, and disconnection from the modern world. This is evident when McBurney, portraying Loren McIntyre, is rapidly pacing around the stage, hammering materials on the ground, and vociferously yelling ‘this is too much’ (1:35:03). … As he was an American photographer, a nation typically connoting busy roads, loud crowds and lively streets, the utilization of sirens, chatter, and percussion signifies his roots, illustrating how the familiar concepts loop in his mind. … This evokes a sympathetic response from the audience, as the oppressive and overlaying sound effects convey a sense of powerlessness and suffocation to the audience, inviting them to indulge in Loren’s crisis and express despair for him.”
From a 2025 student's top grade 7 critique of The Encounter, a different production. Here is where each part is:
- Elements
- Sound and projection, then movement and voice.
- Technique
- An overlapping, non diegetic soundscape.
- How
- “Rapidly pacing”, “hammering” and “vociferously yelling”, with a timecode.
- Context
- The sounds of an American city tie the technique to who the character is.
- Impact
- “A sympathetic response” and “a sense of powerlessness”.
- Intention
- “Illustrating emotional turmoil” in his fragmented state of mind.
Your paragraphs need the same parts. Name each technique as Expressionistic and link it to Kafka's context and the style.
Language for the why
- This technique communicates the production's intention by…
- This is Expressionistic because…
- Seen in the context of Kafka's 1915 world of work, this moment shows…
- For a Tokyo audience this may have suggested… whereas for me…
- The most effective moment for communicating the intention was… because…
See the structure in a top grade 7
Last year's critique is of a Brechtian production, so borrow the structure, not the content. Read how it sets up the production in one paragraph and then gives each technique its own section.