1. An Introduction to Bertolt Brecht and his Work
Epic Theatre
An Introduction to
Bertolt Brecht and his Work
Information from:

2. Bertolt Brecht 1898 - 1956 German playwright and poet
Started to write political poetry and plays at an early age about social issues
Interested in Karl Marx’s Theories of Socialism
Loathed Realism Theatre

3. Marxist and Socialist Theories
Social Justice
Critical of Captialism
Questions who has power and money
Industrialisation and how it effects workers
Power Structures in society
THESE ARE COMMON THEMES IN EPIC THEATRE

4. Pre Epic Theatre Realism, Melodrama and Naturalism were highly popular
They attempted to create real life on the stage (Realism and Naturalism) OR focused on stock characters (Melodrama – Hero always beats the villain)
Audiences were looking for escapism. Looking in to other characters lives and getting emotionally involved.

5. Brecht and Realism He hated it
“He likened realism theatre to the effects of a drug, in that the performance pacified its audience”
Waste of an audience.
Theatre should not be escapism.

6. Brecht and his Audience
Called them “Spectators”
Question and challenge
Not accept and enjoy
Design a theatre to make the audience question what they were watching.
Step back and view the message, rather than enjoy the spectacle.

7. Epic Theatre 1920s – 1950s World War II era Socialist Theatre
“Lehrstuck” meaning, “learning-play”
Political Theatre

8. Epic Theatre Plots and Structure
Large narrative – spanning many locations and time frames (hence, it was “epic”)
Non- Linear plots
Broken up into “Episodes” (Not scenes) – self contained stories, not a direct result of what happened in the episode before
“Historification” – setting the action of the play in the past, to draw parallels with contemporary events

9. Epic Theatre and Spectators
Emotionally detached from the action
Characters were representatives of society – not well rounded
Forced to think about the message
Use of the “verfremdungseffekt”, or “V-effekt” (German) translated to “alienation – effect” (English)
“To make the familiar, strange”

10. Alienation - Effect Estrangement
Prevent the audience from getting “pulled in” to the emotional aspects of the story
Think about the messages and challenge their own acceptance of society
Conventions were designed to keep the audience (spectators) “alienated” from the action

11. Conventions of Epic Theatre
Narration
Direct address to audience
Spoiling of dramatic tension in advance of episodes (telling spectators what is going to happen)
Disjointed time sequences (flash backs and flash forwards. Large jumps between episdoes)
Historification
Song – used to convey a message or theme
Multiple roles – actors performed more than one part
Demonstration of role – actors not emotionally invested in character
Gestus – symbolic action
Tableau

12. Stagecraft and Epic Theatre
Use of placards
Fragmentary costumes
Costume changes in front of spectators
Fragmentary props
Minimalistic Sets
Open white lighting
Kneehigh Theatre production of The Red Shoes (Uses many Epic Theatre Techniques)

13. How to perform Epic Theatre
Brecht believed that the actor should:
Move as if blocking movements on stage for the first time or in a robotic, dreamlike way
Treat voice and movement so that they do not match
Speak as if quoting someone else rather than speaking dialogue
Speak the stage directions aloud
Remain physically and emotionally detached from the other actors
Play scenes with mismatched emotions, for example, humour in a sad scene
Perform directly to the audience
Exchange roles with other actors
Perform the role as if critically appraising the actions from afar.

14. Brechts Famous works Mother Courage and her Children – 1939
Theme of the devastating effects of a European war and the blindness of anyone hoping to profit by it
The Good Woman of Szechuan – 1943
Questions economic systems of society and the impact they have on individuals morality
What does it mean to be “good”. To be “good” means to be taken advantage of in modern society
The Caucasian Chalk Circle – 1948
A parable about a peasant girl who rescues a baby and becomes a better mother than its wealthy natural parents.
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui – 1958
It chronicles the rise of Arturo Ui, a fictional 1930s Chicago Mobster and his attempts to control the cauliflower racked by ruthlessly disposing of the opposition. The play is a satirical allegory of the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Germany prior to World War II

15. Brecht in his later life
Fled Nazi Germany
Lived as a scrit writer in Hollywood in 1940s
Died of a heart attack and requested that he be buried in a lead lined coffin with a stiletto heel through his heart (WEIRD!)

16. Influence of Epic Theatre
Managed to transform theatre from pure entertainment
A tool for looking at the big issues that affect us all
Theatre can make a difference