Bertolt Brecht, an outstanding German playwright of the twentieth century, changed the course of modern European theatre. He broke away from the traditional reliance on the unities of time, place, and action—clearly directed toward a climax and a catharsis that leads to exhaustion of all passion and calm of mind. Though familiar with the impact of symbolism, expressionism, and realism on dramatic form and structure, and other similar suggestions for alternative theatre and method of play production, he formed his own distinct form of theatre and declared, “The modern theatre is the epic theatre”
(Brecht 1964b).
As a Marxian playwright, Brecht’s aim was to ensure a radical paradigm shift of the theatre into a productive critique of society. He wanted his theatre to evoke a critical response from the audience so as to transform the society. He also called for a major revolution in the role and function of the actor. Brecht employed certain techniques to keep the audience critically detached from the characters and situations that would make the intended “estrangement” or “alienation.” The idea of distancing or making strange formed the very core of his epic theatre. |
