Weaving New Designs – Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was born in Bavaria in 1898. He started writing plays after Germany’s defeat in World War One, as he felt the government was disloyal. His playwrights introduced a new style of theatre that sought to redefine the relationships between the audience and performance. The techniques he used to accomplish this theatre are still used in a wide variety of plays and films today. His dramatic statements are studied all around the world and illustrates that the issues he raised prove his theatrical genius. This confirms that the statement Peter Brook raised of “Brecht is the key figure of our time and all work today at some point starts or returns to his statements and achievements” and emphasises the importance of Brecht’s Epic theatre. There are countless theories and practices that Brecht is well known for, but the one at the centre of them all is alienation. Using this technique, Brecht was challenging the audience to think on an intellectual basis instead of an emotional one. In his play “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” there are many scenes that demonstrate Brecht’s alienation techniques. One of these is on page 161 where Grusha and the guests at her wedding are standing around her fiance’s deathbed. The monk opens the . . .
Another example is “American Beauty”, were a narrator is used. This idea of symbolic representation also saves money and the hassle of dramatic scene changes. service with this speech, “Dear wedding ……Amen” Meanwhile there are people standing around eating and eagerly waiting for the man to die. Peter Brook’s statement suggests that, “Brecht is the key figure of our time” which implies that his statements and achievements are still used today. Many of his plays are still being studied and preformed today with audiences astounded by his statements and achievements. This action alienates the audience from the real message of death and the serious pain and hurt that follows. Brecht is generally considered as one of the great playwrights and directors of the 20th century. Another form of alienation was for characters to randomly burst into song, which didn’t necessarily make sense, but was portraying an extremely important message. On page 162 of “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” a drunken peasant breaks into song singing the following passage; “Miss Roundass took the old old man And said that marriage was the thing To everyone who met’ er She later withdrew from the contract because Candles are better” This is an excellent example of song as it breaks the action and mood of the scene. Many films are guilty of adopting Brechtian techniques but are unaware of it. For example in the film “Arlington Road”, where there is no ending, allows the audience to go away and decide for themselves what ending they think fits appropriately. Brecht’s techniques are also common in many stage productions. Secondly, there were signs and figurines hanging from the roof that symbolised scenes throughout the play. One side of the stage was used for scenes such as a coffee shop and a bedroom, whilst the other an office.
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