Epic Theatre--A Peek Into Bertolt Brecht's Vision of Theatre

Last semester I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to perform in a Brechtian inspired and directed version of Friedrich Durrenmatt’s The Visit. I had always been familiar with Brecht’s vision of Epic Theatre, but it was not until I had worked with a director who chose this aesthetic did I fully understand the concepts and theories behind Bertolt Brecht’s method. Started in the early to mid 20th century, Bertolt Brecht, in conjunction with numerous theatrical practitioners, developed the Epic Theatre mainly in response to the most popular movement of that time, Naturalism. Established by famed Constantin Stanislavski, naturalism strives to pull the audience members into the world of the play, allowing them a cathartic theatrical experience by creating the perfect illusion of reality. Epic Theatre, on the other hand, endeavors to keep the audience at an emotional distance, always reminding the spectators that what they were watching is indeed just a play. Brecht thought that plays should not allow the audience to identify emotionally with the characters, but should instead allow the audience to participate in self-reflexivity and therefore create a critical perspective about what they were viewing on the stage. Brecht did this in a number of ways, mainly by straying from the Aristotelian model of a “well-made play”—consisting of unity in time, place and action—and preferred instead a series of detached narratives, or montages, that allowed a fragmented and interrupted experience. He also rejected theatrical conventions of turning house lights down before the play commenced, as well as the convention of the fourth wall. He would often give audience members synopses of the play before it began and would break up scenes with interspersed songs and dances performed by chorus members. All of these tactics made up his Verfremdungseffekt, or the “distancing effect.” By distancing the audience, Brecht reminded the audience that what they were watching was fiction, and in turn, would create a critical discourse surrounding what they were seeing acted out in front of them.
While I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in a production that utilized these techniques, the ideologies inherently built into this movement are in direct conflict with my own beliefs about theatre and how it can affect audience members. I believe that a vital aspect of performance is the ability to motivate change by striking an emotion chord. While Brecht strove to bring about change by distancing his audience members and encouraging them to pay attention to themes rather than characters and storyline, my opinion is that audience members will be more likely to think critically about the themes of the play when they are emotionally invested in what is happening. Regardless, Epic Theatre is, and will continue to be, a part of my theatrical experience that I will always appreciate and view with a critical, and Brechtian, eye.

These two trailers for University of Colorado Denver's theatrical production of Caucasian Chalk Circle, written by Brecht, are good examples of Verfremdungseffekt.