BRECHT AND THE EPIC THEATER (2)

Brecht, the Epic Theater was supposed to instruct its audience, therefore he also called it the Instructive Theater, and wrote the following about it:

The stage began to be instructive.

Oil, inflation, social struggles, war, the family, religion, wheat, the meat market, all became subjects for theatrical representation. Choruses enlightened the spectator about facts unknown to him. Films showed a montage of events from all over the world. Projections added statistical material. And as the "background" came to the front of the stage, so people's activity was subjected to criticism. Right and wrong courses of action were shown. People were shown who knew what they were doing, and others who did not. The theater became an affair for philosophers, but only for such philosophers as wished not just to explain the world, but also to change it. So we had philosophy and we had instruction. . . .

NOW READ ON!

A comparison of the Epic Theater and the traditional theater: Brecht (3).

Historischer Hintergrund.

Literatur 1925-1945.

ljking@orst.edu germlit@mail.orst.edu