Bertolt Brecht 1898-1956

Bertolt Brecht, Expressionist.

To Brecht, realism and the styles of acting that had developed in response to Stanislavski's System and the Method seemed dull and bourgeois. Influenced by the new expressionist drama, with its cinematic style, which incorporated larger-than-life sets and elaborate and symbolic lighting, he saw theatre as a powerful political force, capable both of entertaining and of changing society for the better. He felt that audiences should learn to be emotionally uninvolved: If the spectator watched objectively, he or she could then think objectively. This new view of the purpose of theatre came to be known as Epic Theatre, and was characterised by an acting style called the verfrumdungs effekt (distancing or making strange) This affected acting in the following ways;

- A return to the idea of the actor as the presenter. Emotions are externalised; actors frequently comment on their characters or on the action. The actor may also function as a narrator, addressing the spectators directly. This is the crux of the Verfrumdungs effekt, drawing on techniques from classical and medieval theatre;

- Replacement of the question'How do i feel?' by 'Have i ever seen it?';

- Elimination of the fourth wall: actors do not try to re-create reality;

The use of various techniques to maintain freshness and objectivity in characterisation, including swapping roles in rehearsals, rehearsing in dialects or accents, and speaking parts in the third person, using the 'he said', or 'she said'.

In addition, Brecht also strove to establish the formation of a close-knit company in which all actors had creative input, and rejected type casting and the star system.

(Mackey, S (1997) Practical Theatre - A Post 16 Approach, England: Stanley Thornes LTD)

Brecht: His Life, His Works.

The below link will take you to information about the life and works of Bertolt brecht. It will also discuss his influences and writings. Make note of this information as you will need it to have read it for the initial Brechtian Workshops. Note in particular Charlie Chaplin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertolt_Brecht

Research Elements.

The links on this page will guide you to information regarding Bertolt Brecht and Epic theatre. These are just a few ideas for research. You should be applying self directed study to all aspects dicussed in class. This is an online resource to aid your studying. You will need to bring in your log books every week to show your work. This work will prove invaluable when applying to the text that will be discussed. Remember we cannot apply all study hours necessary for this unit during class. The remaining hours need to be applied with personal study and used when rehearsing for the performance to be held at the end of this unit - a date will be confirmed.

Exercise.

There are video links on the bottom of this blog page. These videos break down Brecht and his system in an easier format. You should find this less difficult to interpret. Following the information given devise a mind map recalling all information learned so far. You need to have a strong understanding of Epic theatre to hold in comparison with Naturalism and Stanislavski (particularly when producing the text).

This mind map should also be included within your log books.

Exercise

Click on the below link and read the document that it displays. You should all make notes and include the information within your log books. Take a special focus on the grid displaying the differences between Dramatic Theatre vs. Epic Theatre. It is this that will be the base for comparison in our performance. Also take note of Brechtian Techniques toward the bottom of the document. We will be reviewing this in class.

Bertolt Brecht - An Overview