Bertolt Brecht (born Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht) was born on 10th February 1898 in Augsburg, Bavaria, German Empire. He died over 58 years later on the 14th August 1956, in East Berlin, East Germany. Brecht was a playwright, theatre director and poet. His notable works include "Life of Galileo", "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" and "The Threepenny Opera".
Brecht pushed this idea of "Epic Theatre", which proposed that the audience should not become emotionally attached to any of the characters. Brecht believed that theatre was for the brain, not the heart - theatre is to think about and not for entertainment only. Moreover, Brecht thought theatre should be representational and not realistic.
As to ensure the audience does not become emotionally attached to the characters, third person thought tracks are often used in Brechtian theatre; narration is also used for this reason. Placards are also used in this theatre as they are used to represent or imply.
Little Red Riding Hood
Our double performing arts group divided into two groups and chose a children's story each. My group chose "Little Red Riding Hood". We were told to create that story but in a Brechtian style. We began by adding mini monologues each, and then added third person thought tracks. Next, we split our piece into small sections and then changed the order of them. Finally, we added placards to our piece. This activity proved that Brechtian theatre does not have to be serious, it can be comedic.
Little Red Riding Hood
Our double performing arts group divided into two groups and chose a children's story each. My group chose "Little Red Riding Hood". We were told to create that story but in a Brechtian style. We began by adding mini monologues each, and then added third person thought tracks. Next, we split our piece into small sections and then changed the order of them. Finally, we added placards to our piece. This activity proved that Brechtian theatre does not have to be serious, it can be comedic.
