Brecht

Brechtian theatre is a form of epic theatre that has developed from the German playwright Bertolt Brecht. the style of theatre aims to portray politically and socially relevant points of interest in order to make the audience think and question the world around them. Brechtian theatre is commonly described as 'Theatre for the Brain'.

in order to understand Brechtian theatre in lessons we first had to grasp the common techniques used such as, exposing the method ( this refers to things such as breaking the fourth wall via direct address to the audience or actors coming out of character on stage) and gestus, which are physical movements and gestures used to distinguish physical and stereotypical characteristics of characters.

seen above is a mind map of a variety of method used for Epic/Brechtian theatre

Brechtian theatre has had a lasting affect on modern theatre, playwrights and directors. While not as prevalent as in the mid-20th century, elements of Brechtian theatre can still be found in many modern productions that seek to engage audiences in social and political discourse.

whilst learning about Brechtian theatre during lessons we focused mainly on techniques such as gestus. Gestus is a movement or physicality you give a character to show a feeling such as greed, sadness, etc. whilst doing this we attempted to show a contrast between to characters in a pair to further show the gestus.

detailed notes for revision in handout in folder.