Post from Tony Gardner

Gestus is indeed a tricky one Steve. As i understand it, the notion of gestus is a three-dimensional text that runs parallel to the words on the page. It is the text made physical and it is always political because it belongs to a world where things are learnt and nothing is a matter of instinct; nothing can exist independently of the conditions that influence it. Oooh, I know, this sounds like Marxism and indeed it is. The Mother is a play that seeks to persuade us that we cannot escape the political implications of ourselves - the views we hold, the opinions we express, the bread we eat (or don't eat). We are as political as a bomb dropped on Baghdad, or a donation to Comic Relief and we cannot alter that. Our actions betray our political intent and Brecht calls that Gestus. Phew, this is my first blog!!!!

Originally a comment on the Feb 24th post 'Different Strokes'. Thanks Tony. Very helpful.