An Introduction to Brecht

Our theatre practitioner for this term is Bertolt Brecht who completely contradicts our work on Stanislavsky last term. He may of respected his work as a man, yet their theatrical beliefs are two polar opposites. In class today we were given a insight into who Brecht is and how he is going to effect the work we do this term.

Brecht defies realism by making everything on stage over exaggerated and somewhat fake. He wanted his audience to question everything that was happening on stage; he wanted them to be active viewers. To accomplish this he employed a whole spectrum of techniques. The barrier created in traditional proscenium arch theatre is broken by Brecht, keeping the audience harshly lighted in the same way as the stage, putting the audience on show just as much as the actors- there are no quick naps in a Brechtian piece. Moreover, the audience were 100% aware that the actors were just that, so as to discourage them in investing themselves in the story emotionally, keeping the mind sharp, so you can be constantly questioning the piece. He employed techniques such as signs, multi-rolling, change overs on stage and intense lighting and music all to create a unnatural atmosphere. By detaching themselves from what was happening on stage and the people performing, the audience could  remain astute, critically analysing the what, why and how of the performance.

A video that helped me truly understand Brecht, was from the National Theatre website, giving me example of Brecht's own writings and the workings of a Brechtian piece:

My take on Brecht's techniques are, to me, strange and highly out of my comfort zone, but a challenge I am willing to tackle. I believe a performer is comforted by, and somewhat relies on the fourth wall between the audience and the actors, to remind ones self that the audience believe you are a character and are not judging you. By dismembering this it puts us as performers completely on show, a concept that although daunting is new and exciting. Brecht's work is a huge oxymoron- investing in the piece fully, but withdrawing emotionally, balancing belief and disbelief in one moment. Of one thing I am sure; experimenting with Brecht's copious techniques will open up doors for me as a performer whether or not I study Brecht or naturalism.