A Level Drama & Theatre Studies Bertolt Brecht – 1898-1956 Component 1 - Practitioners

BACKGROUND INFORMATION KEY TECHNIQUES IN EPIC THEATRE

1 Montage A montage is a series of freeze frames, images, projections or scenes
BORN - DIED 1898-1956.
put together in no particular order. Often music is played over the top.
2 Narration The actor tells the story out loud. Sometimes the narrator will tell us
NATIONALITY German
what happens in the story before it has happened. This is a good way
Aimed to appeal to less privileged classes, treating contemporary issues such as war, stock- of making sure that we don’t become emotionally involved in the
AIM OF WORK action to come as we already know the outcome.
markets, poverty, unemployment and corruption in high places.
INFLUENCES 3 Direct Address Speaking directly to the audience breaks the fourth wall and destroys
BIO • Born in 1898 in Augsburg, Germany. any illusion of reality.
1 Erwin Piscator’s Epic
• Medical orderly during first world war - 4 Gestus A clear gesture or movement used by the actor which captures the
• deeply affected. Theatre
attitude of a character or situation.
• Fled Germany when Nazis came to power. 2 Karl Marx’s 5 Figures (not characters) Brecht didn’t want the actors to play a character onstage, only to show
• Became ‘stateless’ and in exile. Philosophy them as a ‘type’ of person in society.
• In USA was put in front of the ‘House UnAmerican Activities Committee’ where he denied 3 Buchner’s Woyzeck 6 Third Person Narration Commenting upon a character as an actor is a clear way of reminding
being a communist. German the audience they are watching a play. It means they don’t get
• Returned to East Germany after war and
Expressionism emotionally attached to characters and think more about the message.
• ran ‘Berliner Ensemble’
4 Mei Lan(fang) 7 Speaking stage direction This device was used by Brecht more frequently in rehearsal than
• Died 1956. (Buried with stiletto in his heart
(Chinese theatre) performance. It helps distance the actor from the character they’re
playing. It also reminds the audience that they’re watching a play and
BRECHT’S THEORY AND STYLE forces them to study the actions of a character in objective detail.
8 Multi-role Multi-roling is when an actor plays more than one character onstage.
Epic Theatre: This is the term used to describe Brecht's theory and technique.
The differences in character are marked by changing voice, movement,
‘Verfremdungseffekt’: This means ‘alienation’ or ‘distancing’ effect. The familiar is made strange so the audience think about the gesture and body language but the audience can clearly see that the
issues in the piece clearly rather than getting too emotional. same actor has taken on more than one role.
9 Split-role This is where more than one actor plays the same character. For
Didactic Theatre: This means theatre that teaches the audience a moral message. instance, the actor playing the main character might rotate from scene
Makes use of a simple, "natural" incident, such as could be seen on any street corner: an eyewitness to scene.
The Street scene
demonstrating to a collection of people how a traffic accident took place. The bystanders may not have 10 Placards / Projection A placard is a sign or additional piece of written information presented
observed what happened, or they may simply not agree with him, may see things a different way'; the point onstage. Using placards might be as simple as holding up a card or
is that the demonstrator acts the behaviour of driver or victim both in such a way that the bystanders are banner. Multimedia or a PowerPoint slideshow can also be used for
able to form an opinion about the incident this effect. What’s important is that the information doesn’t just
comment upon the action but deepens our understanding of it.
Lehrstucke (Learning plays) Shorter, parable pieces - a simple story used to illustrate a moral lesson) 11 Spass Spass literally translates as ‘fun’. By presenting a serious subject in a
funny way, it makes the audience laugh, and then question why they
Dialectical Theatre Brecht’s goal or the spectator to be involved in the theatrical event—to observe objectively, ponder, develop
laughed. This makes them think about the message of the piece.
critical detachment leading to social action
15 Song and Dance This is a good way to ensure that the audience sees the theatre and are
Smokers Theatre Brecht believed that the theatre should be enjoyed by everyone, not just the upper class. He created what reminded of the fact they are watching a play. Often in Brechtian
he called a “smokers theatre” where the members of the audience could smoke and drink, thereby relaxing theatre the style of the music and the lyrics contrast each other e.g.
them and opening their minds to be inspired to act. serious lyrics with jolly music. This makes create a sinister feel and
emphasises the message.
The Boxing Ring (Sport Brecht wanted the theatre to have the “same fascinating reality” as a boxing ring. This is created by keeping 16 Visible stage Mechanics Stagehands visible when changing sets, lighting units visible etc.
analogy) the spectators aware of the fact that they are only watching a play – it is not real. The use of placards 17 Haltung A figure in a play might start off with a ‘Gestus’ but then a figure would
encouraging the spectators to think about what they are seeing emphasises this. alter their ‘Haltung’ (attitude) at a turning point in the play.
A Level Drama & Component 1 -
Bertolt Brecht – 1898-1956
Theatre Studies Practitioners

DESIGN FEATURES IN BRECHT’S WORK KEY BRECHT QUOTES

MARXISM AND BRECHT 1 “Art is not a mirror held up to reality
1 Karl Marx German philosopher, economist, historian, 1 Minimal Set, costume and props are all kept simple and representational.
but a hammer with which to shape it.”
sociologist, political theorist, journalist and design Although the stage setting was usually minimal, there was always a
2 Audience “hang up their brains with their
socialist revolutionary. The belief of sense of authenticity to production elements (this means real,
hats in the cloakroom.”
Marxism is that the victory of the accurate props from the time period, for example).
3 “What is the robbing of a bank compared
proletariat (THE WORKERS) over the 2 Costumes Archetypical
to the founding of a bank?” (3p Opera)
bourgeoisie (THE UPPER CLASSES) will Or authentic/distressed/worn/
eventually heal the division that has split Actors get into costumes on stage/apply
humanity and which has existed since the makeup 4 “If in art an appeal is made to the emotions
division of labour. 3 Set Design Caspar Neher - Set Designer it means reason has to be switched off.”
2 Marxism A type of economic system proposed by - unfinished set, placards, projections…
Karl Marx in which there are no classes. The - realistic stage properties, distressed,
government would control all resources and ‘authentic’. Characters often seen
means of production to, in theory, ensure ‘working/doing’…
equality (the stepping stone to 4 Lighting Brecht believed in keeping lighting simple as he didn’t want the
communism). production values to overshadow the message of the work. He
3 Capitalism An economic system based on the private believed in using harsh white light as this illuminates the truth.
ownership of the means of production and Harsh White Light
their operation for profit (Marx was against Audience lights on
this). (3p Opera - use of ‘cabaret lights’)
4 Brecht’s In his theories Brecht was against: Music: (major collaborator: Kurt Weill)
theories -The fourth wall Musicians on stage. Songs commenting
linked to -Anything that reinforces Capitalist thought on action and separate from story
Marxism -Bourgeois theatre 5 Props Often one item can be used in a variety of ways. They are
-Plot representational
-Spectator sharing feeling of actors on
stage. 6 Visible Stagehands visible when changing sets, lighting units visible etc.
stage
In his creation of Epic Theatre, Brecht was Mechanics
rebelling against all of the constrictions of
the bourgeoisie theatre, or dramatic
theatre, as it was commonly known.
He shows his loathing of the Capitalist Contextual Links: An Introduction to Brecht (National Theatre):
society through most of his plays, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-828KqtTkA
persuading the audience that only Marxism Five Truths (Brecht): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62-gYcO6jrY
could truly rule in a just civilization.
A Level Drama & Component 1 -
Bertolt Brecht – 1898-1956
Theatre Studies Practitioners

Plays & Productions Techniques and Theories

Mother Courage and Her Children
1938–39/1941 Epic Theatre Breaking the Fourth Wall Acting Techniques
The Threepenny Opera Brecht believed that an actor should
The term used generally to describe Brecht's theory and 'The Fourth Wall' is an imaginary wall
1928 present a character in a way that
technique. His plays were 'epic' in that the dramatic action separating the audience from the action on the
wasn't an impersonation, rather, a
was episodic - a disconnected montage of scenes, non- stage. In realistic productions this wall remains
Life of Galileo narration of the actions of the
representational staging, and the 'alienation effect'. All intact and the performers do not acknowledge
character. He did this because he
1937–39/1943 elements contribute to Brecht's overall purpose which was to that they are being watched. The audience are
wanted to constantly remind his
comment on the political, social and economic elements that observers who are conditioned to believe that
audience that they were watching a
The Caucasian Chalk Circle affected the lives of his characters. the world of the play is 'real'. It is a suspension
play.
1943–45/1948 of disbelief. Like most theories of realism,
Lehrstücke Brecht wanted to disrupt the notion of the
fourth wall. 'Breaking the fourth wall' involves Gestus
The Good Person of Szechwan
the characters directly addressing and
1939–42/1943 Short, parabolic pieces written between 1928 and 1930. A theatrical technique that helps
acknowledging the audience, whether they
These plays were experimental pieces, written with a number break character or perform with an awareness define the emotion within a character
of collaborators including Kurt Weill, Hanns Eisler and of being watched. and the context they are in. It is the
Elisabeth Hauptmann. There are also three longer combination of a gesture and a social
propaganda plays, one of these being Die Heilige Johanna der Verfremdungseffekt/Alienation meaning into one movement, stance
Schlachthöfe (Saint Joan of the Slaughterhouses). This or vocal display.
parodies Shakespeare, Schiller and Goethe. It contains many Technique.
devices later labelled as part of Epic Theatre, such as a Narration and Song
loudspeaker announcing political events of the time or It is a technique which 'estranges' the audience
projection of captions commenting on the drama. The and forces them to question the social realities
intention in writing these plays was not necessarily to of the situations being presented in the play. The purpose of song in his plays is not
culminate in a finished, final product. The performances Brecht achieved this by breaking the illusion to heighten the emotion of the scenes
synthesised audience and performers, opening up a new created by conventional plays of the time. He but as a means to commentate or
realm of possibilities for action and choice within the believed that the 'suspension of disbelief' narrate what is going on.
framework of the play. In focusing not on one final product, created by realistic drama was a shallow
but rather on the process of artistic development as in a spectacle, with manipulative plots and
rehearsal, the Lehrstücke aimed to bring about a kind of self- heightened emotion.
realisation in those taking part.