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What were Brecht’s aims for his directing methodology, epic theatre, and how is that methodology still utilized by contemporary practitioners with similar aims?
Bertolt Brecht was one of the greatest play-wrights of the twentieth century whose methodology
also had a huge impact on the development of the modern theatre. According to Peter Brook,
Bertolt Brecht is still one of the key figures of our time,nevertheless today 's theatre works start or
return to his statements. However, Peter Brook argues that even in his life time
Bertolt Brecht was widely misunderstood in terms of theatrical perspective. In this case, it would be
crucial to mention some of the key points of Brecht 's theatrical approach before
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There are important words to describe before referencing principles of Bertolt Brecht 's
theatre. Today as it is known Brechtian Theatre, in theory, has words like ' Epic Theatre ', ' Gestus ',
'Alienation ', 'Estrangement ' and 'V-effect '.
' 'Epic Theatre ' ' is considered to be a key term which enabled a new theatrical form from traditiona
literary. Hereby, Bertolt Brecht created his Epic Theatre based on Marxist view and tried to bring
with new theatrical aesthetics.
Karl Marx 's 'Das Capital ' influenced Brecht 's thought deeply for creating a form of political theatre
which was designed to change society. Since Bertolt Brecht was encouraged by this philosophy, his
aim was to give a new shape to German Theatre. Thus, Brecht purposed theatre for the modern
which was not only analytical. Moreover, Brecht 's aim was to analyse social actions to examine the
conflicts brought by the bourgeois society.
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' 'Brecht believed that "seducing" the audience into believing they were watching
Concluding the Federal Theatre Project, it has accomplished the goal of introducing theatre to millions who had never seen theatre before. It employed thousands of people, initiated European epic theatre and Living Newspaper theatre techniques to the United States, and for this reason could be seen as a vast achievement.
It is difficult to imagine a play which is completely successful in portraying drama as Bertolt Brecht envisioned it to be. For many years before and since Brecht proposed his theory of “Epic Theatre”, writers, directors and actors have been focused on the vitality of entertaining the audience, and creating characters with which the spectator can empathize. ‘Epic Theatre’ believes that the actor-spectator relationship should be one of distinct separation, and that the spectator should learn from the actor rather than relate to him. Two contemporary plays that have been written in the last thirty years which examine and work with Brechtian ideals are ‘Fanshen’ by David Hare, and ‘The Laramie Project’ by Moises Kaufman. The question to be examined is whether either of these two plays are entirely successful in achieving what was later called, ‘The Alienation Effect”.
Bertolt Brecht was a German playwright, theatre critic, and director. He created and developed epic theatre with the belief that theatre is not solely for entertainment but also tools for politics and social activism. Previous theatre performances offered a form of escapism. The audience would become emotionally invested in the performance. In contrast to the suspension of disbelief, Brecht never wanted the audience to fall into the performance. He wanted the audience to make judgments on the argument dealt in the play. The aim of epic theatre is to detach the audience from any emotional connection in order for them to critically review the story. The ultimate goal of this theatre is creating awareness of social surroundings and encouraging the audience to take initiative on changing the society.
The triviality of melodrama is so often the theatrical scapegoat that boils the blood of the modern-day critic: the sentimental monologues, the martyred young lovers, the triumphant hero, and the self-indulgent imagery. Melodrama would seem the ultimate taboo; another failed Shakespearean staging or even worse, an opera minus the pretty music. Ironically, Bertolt Brecht, dramatic revolutionary and cynic of all things contrived found promise in the melodramatic presentation. Brecht examined and manipulated the various superficial and spectacular aspects of theatre, establishing a synthesis of entertainment and social criticism as his fundamental goal. Bertolt Brecht employs various facets of melodramatic technique in The Jewish Wife, ultimately reconfiguring the genre and conveying his central theme; a society rendered immobile at the will of a totalitarian regime.
Brecht, Bertolt. Brecht on Theatre: The Development of an Aesthetic. Hill & Wang New York,
The Brechtian style of performance is a style of theater in which the audience is balanced between two modes of viewership. On the one hand the Brechtian style requires that the audience watch the show engaged emotionally, but not in the classic Aristotelian cathartic way. On the other hand it requires that the audience stay critically active in dealing with the performance, thus, achieving an alienated political and educational response among the members of the audience. Naturally this style of theater produces a conflict of interests in the direction of a show. Should the performance focus on garnering political influence and sway, or should the production be emotionally compelling and relatable, or perhaps a combination of both? In order
During the time period of and between World War I and World War II, major societal changes began to occur. Fascism, totalitarianism, and socialism began to take hold in certain societies, and economies began to fall. The general social unrest that was occurring throughout the world was also being reflected in theatre, which is when new forms of theatre such as expressionism, futurism, Dadaism, surrealism, and epic theatre began to emerge. Among the pioneers of these avant-garde forms of theatre was Bertold Brecht, a philosophical dramatist who was known for his socialist ideals. He believed that theatre was meant to instruct, not to provide the means for emotional stimulation and purging. Brecht’s ideal form of strictly intellectual epic theatre is not possible, because without catharsis and some form of emotional attachment to theatre, society will be unmotivated to effect change without some element of care for the piece of theatre that they are experiencing.
During the Splendid adaptation, it was clear that they mainly focused on style, using a Brecht as an influence. At the beginning of the performance, the audience was greeted
Bertolt Brecht and Constantin Stanislavski are regarded as two of the most influential practitioners of the twentieth century, both with strong opinions and ideas about the function of the theatre and the actors within it. Both theories are considered useful and are used throughout the world as a means to achieve a good piece of theatre. The fact that both are so well respected is probably the only obvious similarity as their work is almost of complete opposites.
Societies progress can lead to intercultural similarities, and vastily obvious differences. These influences can be seen within the contemporary theatre of the times, explaining and progressing the status of community through storytelling and performance. The reactions to these changes are important, and help shape the society we have today. These elements are best seen between the medieval ans renaissance period.
“The theatre was created to tell people the truth about life and the social situation,” says Stella Adler. Theater is unique and intriguing because it blends literary and visual arts to tell a story. Before Theater 10, I viewed theater on the surface level: cheesy plot lines with dramatic scenarios for entertainment purposes. Throughout the course, I have learned what it means to appreciate theater, such as understanding Brechtian and Chinese theatre; however, I believe understanding theater’s ability to convey crucial historical and social messages, such as in the production of RENT, is more relevant and important for theater appreciation.
Willett, John, trans. and ed. Brecht on Theatre: The Development of an Aesthetic. New York: Hill and Wang, 1986.
The name most associated with excellence in theatre is William Shakespeare. His plays, more than any other playwright, resonate through the ages. It may be safe to say that he has influenced more actors, directors, and playwrights than any thespian in the history of the stage. But what were his influences? During the Middle Ages theatre was dominated by morality, miracle, and mystery plays that were often staged by the church as a means to teach the illiterate masses about Christianity. It wasn’t until the early sixteenth century that Greek tragedy experienced a revival, in turn, inspiring a generation of renaissance playwrights.
Theatre as we know it now was born more than two thousand years ago and has gone through many streams until it reached the current modernity. Among these streams is the avant-garde theatre. This theatre achieved a break in the traditional theatre and became the forefront of a new experimental theatre. Therefore it is necessary to ask how this theatre started, what impact it had on society and if this type of theatre is still common in our modern era.
A word that is very closley linked to drama is the word theatre. Unlike drama, theatre must have three basic properties; a space to perform, actors, and an audience. In the 'space' a drama is brought to life by the ideas of a dramatist, or playwirght, the ideas of a director, and the actors' skill which combine to make an audience believe that what is happening on stage -the drama- is real.