Introduc)on into Brecht By Nicole Smith (Haileybury)
Bertolt Brecht Epic Theatre Aliena/on
Brecht Theatre: The Focus Brecht set out to change people s minds. He aimed to use theatre to show his audience what was wrong with society and then convince them to go out and change it. Brecht s EPIC theatre was a way of presen)ng his poli)cal views. (Influenced by Marxism and its belief that many of the world s problems are a result of capitalism) Types of human behaviour were studied to show why they happened and how that behaviour could be improved. The plays tell stories in a way designed to make the audience feel they are simply observers, watching the events happening on stage and making judgements about them. He altered the actor audience rela)onship by encouraging them to think in an ac)ve and cri)cal way. Historifica)on: Brecht s plays were always based on history. He wanted the audience to look at the present through the past and see both objec)vely, unemo)onally and with detachment.
The Brecht Technique Alienation or verfremdungs (to make something strange). Brecht s aim was to constantly surprise, shock and challenge the audience, while reminding them that the play they were watching was simply a story being told to make a profound poli)cal point. Through the aliena)on technique, the audience were encouraged to remain objec/ve. Brecht adopted a number of structural devices to create aliena/on
Structure: Episodic and Disjointed scene were used rather than have one scene flow smoothly into another, he wished to call anen)on to the knots of puong a scene together. Stagecraft: (symbolic staging, costume and props that suggest loca)on). There are no curtains in Brech)an theatre Sets and costume were o1en changed in front of the audience, reinforcing the idea of aliena7on. Ligh/ng- bright light regardless of night/day.
Narration- Brecht s plays made use of screens, large no)ces (made comments about the ac)on happening on stage). Brecht some)mes used a narrator: an actor who talked directly to the audience, giving them informa)on and reitera)ng the message of the play. Actors some)mes even narrated their stage direc)ons
Song: the use of song was another aliena)on effect that could break the mood or ac)on of the scene, reminding the audience that they were indeed watching a play. Songs were oten used to comment on the ac)on. Movement: inspired by Asian theatre. In par)cular, stylised, unemo)onal and formal gestures. Voice: singing, chan)ng, use of mechanical, strange sounded voices, disconnected non- human voices, accents
Acting Technique: Perform with an awareness of being watched The actor should remove themselves from the other actors both physically and emotionally. Focus performance to people (or groups of people) in the audience. (Breaking the 4 th wall) Be critical of their characters, as through all the actions had happened in the past and you re now judging them Stand in front of the mirror to study their gestures. Use robotic, mechanical, dreamlike and other non-realistic movements and voice Incongruity-Use opposite styles of acting, such as acting a series of death scenes in an outrageous way.
These conventions may suggest that Brecht was a little DIDACTIC. BUT His stories are balanced with songs and other devices intended to CAPTURE and hold the ATTENTION of the audience. Brecht s concept of ALIENATION is often misinterpreted as a demand that spectators be continuously distanced from the events. In actuality, Brecht engages the audience empathetically, then through some
The task: Perform The Giving Tree in the Style of Epic theatre In groups, devise a performance of the giving tree, experimen)ng with the conven)ons of Brecht s Epic theatre. What do we learn from this story? What should the audience be aware of?
hnp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tzcp6oqrle&feature=related
What does The Giving Tree reveal about our true nature?