Brecht

Archetype 
Art is not a mirror with which to reflect reality but a hammer with which to shape it — Bertolt Brecht

The playwright Bertolt Brecht was born in 1898 in the German town of Augsburg. After serving as a medical orderly in the First World War and appalled by the effects of the war, he went first to Munich and then to Berlin in pursuit of a career in the theatre. That period of his life came to an end in 1933 when the Nazis came to power in Germany. Brecht fled and during this period the Nazis formally removed his citizenship, so he was a stateless citizen.

As an artist, Brecht was influenced by a diverse range of writers and practitioners including Chinese theatre and Karl Marx. The turmoil of the times through which Brecht lived gave him a strong political voice. The opposition he faced is testament to the fact that he had the courage to express his personal voice in the world of the theatre. He also had an original and inspired talent to bring out a dynamic theatrical style to express his views.

His most acclaimed work is Mother Courage and Her Children. Although it's set in the 1600s, the play is relevant to contemporary society and is often regarded as one of the finest anti-war plays. 

Brecht has had such a huge impact on theatre and any of his revolutionary ideas shaped what we now see as modern theatre. When naturalistic theatre was at its height and nearly all performances were just a mirror of what was happening in society, Brecht decided that (as a theatre practitioner) he wanted this to change and for people to think about his plays and judge the ideas behind them. He famously said that theatre audiences at that time "hang up their brains with their hats in the cloakroom". In naturalistic theatre the audience becomes connected and cares for the lives of the characters. They forget their own lives and become immersed in the lives of others. When the audience cries or feels emotions through the events of what is happening on stage it is called catharsis. 

Brecht was against cathartic theatre. He believed that the audience became too emotionally involved with the action onstage and therefore lose the ability to think and judge. He wanted his audiences to remain objective and distant from being emotionally attached so that they could make well-thought and rational judgements on any social comment or issues in his work. To do this he created a range of theatrical devices and techniques which would remind the audience that they are in a theatre and they are watching a representation of life not real life itself. This kind of theatre is called Epic Theatre. He called the act of distancing the audience from emotional involvement the verfremdungseffekt. 

Verfremdungseffekt is translated to 'distancing'. Brecht definitely wanted his audience to remain interested and engaged by the drama otherwise his message would be lost. It was emotional investment in the characters he aimed to avoid. 

Some techniques include:

• Narration (Demonstration) - Narration is used to remind the audience that what they're watching is a presentation of a story. Sometimes the narrator will tell us what happens in the story before it has happened. This is a good way of making sure that we don't become emotionally involved in the action to come as we already know the outcome. Another form of narration is demonstration which is when an actor will step out of character, all other characters would be in a tableau, and narrate their feelings on the situation. They may also comment on what they're character is feeling to make that all the more obvious to the audience. 
• Swapping Characters - Swapping characters in another effective technique in distancing the audience from the characters as not only do you get two different interpretations of the same character you also get a small break in the scene where you are snapped out of being this fly on the wall. 
• Contrasting Characters - This is when the actors will play characters which are complete opposites, for example a priest and a politician. This can make for some comedic scenes and make them realise the flaws of each character easier. Building on this is contrasting ideas, attitudes and arguments. 
• Breaking the Fourth Wall - This can be in many forms, for example involving the audience in the piece such as handing them a prop or breaking character to speak from the actor to the audience. This helps to distance the audience from the characters and make them think about what is being asked of them. 
• Speaking the stage directions - This technique was used more in rehearsals of Brecht pieces as it would help the actor distance themselves from their character and remind them that they are only acting and forces them to think thoroughly about what their character is doing. 
• Direct Address - Direct address is a form of breaking the fourth wall and is another form of alienation. It breaks down the imaginary wall between the audience that is normally there and makes them more involved. An example would be the moment where Grusha pleads to save baby Michael in The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Brecht: "I brought him up, shall I also tear him to bits? I can't". This is a great example is it is a thought provoking question for the audience to contemplate. 
• Placards - Placards are an amazing Brechtian technique as they have so many uses. It is as simple as writing down some information on a piece of card or a whiteboard and holding it up to the audience (PowerPoints and slideshows are other examples). For example, you can write real world facts and figures to reinforce the point that the actors are making. This can be a shocking fact about a horrible situation to make the audience feel uncomfortable and surprised. Another example is writing down the thoughts or feelings of a character that might not be immediately obvious. 
• Song and Dance - This is another 'v' effect and it reminds the audience that they are watching a play. It's worth listening to the song 'Mack the Knife' from The Threepenny Opera by Brecht and Kurt Weil. Notice how the musical arrangement and melody are upbeat and joyous, yet the lyrics are sinister and dark. This is a very Brechtian approach. One of the most famous lines from this work would still appeal to a modern audience: "Who is the bigger criminal: he who robs a bank or he who founds one?" This is another example of contrasting in Brecht. 
• Montage - It's no accident that montage is a term that we'd more readily associate with cinema. Brecht consciously borrowed the idea from silent movies. A montage is a series of short self-contained scenes grouped immediately after each other whose juxtaposition or contrast highlights the important issues with absolute clarity. This idea of separate scenes also allows for a focus on minute details if the situation of the play demands it. 

Brechtian Staging: 

Brecht would always use simple costumes, set and props. He thought elaborate sets, props and costumes might mean that the sense of theatre, of pretending to be something else, was lost. Props would be more symbolic, for example a suitcase could be used as a table, a bomb and a chair all in one. Furthermore, props could also just be card with the name of the prop on it. This is another form of distancing. 

Brecht believed in keeping lighting simple as he didn't want the production values to overshadow the message of the work. He believed in using harsh white light as this illuminates the truth. However, many modern productions do use lighting effects. The important thing is that the audience still see the theatre, so often they will see production personnel, such as backstage crew, in action on the stage rather than hidden.

Another example of Brechtian staging/ technique is multi-rolling, multi-rolling is when an actor plays more than one character onstage. The differences in character are marked by changing voice, movement, gesture and body language but the audience can clearly see that the same actor has taken on more than one role. This means the audience are more aware of the fact that they are watching a presentation of events. 

BBC. "Epic Theatre and Brecht - Revision 2 - GCSE Drama - BBC Bitesize." BBC Bitesize, 2019, www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zwmvd2p/revision/2.