Brecht, Bertolt

Bertolt Brecht was fuelled by his belief in the need for social-political change. Growing up in Germany during the early 20th century, he saw the rise of the Third Reich first hand and did everything in his power to fight Hitler's regime, as well as many other key social problems.

 

He based his theatrical style on Vsevolod Meyerhold's ideas to create 'Epic Theatre'. His most important principle was that of the Verfremdungseffekt (translated as "defamiliarization effect" or 'making strange'). His plays do not use naturalistic approaches to theatre as Brecht felt that allowed the audience to relax and become passive. Instead, he would break the fourth wall, break character, use dischordant song, humour and 'demonstrative acting' to engage the audience so they would consider the themes of his plays.

 

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