WJEC/Eduqas GCSE Drama: Revision Guide

BRECHT Who was Brecht? Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956) was a German playwright, theatre critic, practitioner and director. One of the most influential figures in 20th-century theatre, he believed theatre should be political and issue- based. Where Stanislavski pioneered naturalism and emotional truth, Brecht broke the fourth wall, using placards and direct address to speak directly to the audience. Brecht believed theatre should be didactic: forcing the audience to recognise and resist political and social injustice. Among the best known of his 39 plays are Baal , Fear and Misery of the Third Reich and Mother Courage and Her Children . He left Germany when Hitler came to power in 1933 but returned after World War II. Brecht’s theatre company, the Berliner Ensemble, become one of the most famous touring theatre companies in the world. It continues to produce political theatre. What is Brechtian theatre? Epic theatre Epic theatre, which is the name often given to Brechtian theatre plays, distances the audience from the play, so they don’t become emotionally involved with the characters. Epic theatre is about big issues and it invites the audience to be aware of them in their own lives. This is called alienation because it makes the familiar seem strange, making us see things we might otherwise ignore about our world; instead of only becoming emotionally involved in the characters they address the issues. Elizabeth Cutts playing the title character in Mother Courage and Her Children . 50 part 1 DEVISING THEATRE