Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German playwright and poet whose work transformed twentieth-century theater.
He developed "epic theater," a style that deliberately distances audiences from emotional involvement to encourage critical thinking about social and political issues.
His major works include *The Threepenny Opera*, *Mother Courage and Her Children*, and *The Caucasian Chalk Circle*.
Brecht fled Nazi Germany in 1933 and later settled in East Berlin, where his Berliner Ensemble became internationally influential.
The adjective Brechtian describes theater that employs alienation effects, visible stagecraft, or didactic social commentary.
Weimar-era satirical stage work
- GalileoRenaissance astronomer from Italy
- BaalAncient Canaanite deity
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
- characterizationDescribing distinctive qualities
Class-based revolutionary philosophy
- communismCollective ownership system
- anti-fascismOpposition to far-right authoritarianism
- exileBanishment from homeland
- agitpropPolitical art for causes
dialectical · proletariat · bourgeoisie · class struggle · ideology · socialism · HUAC · McCarthyism
Bavarian city, Roman-founded
- BerlinGermany's largest city
- Weimar RepublicGermany's 1919-1933 parliamentary government
- expressionismDistorting reality for emotion
- exileBanishment from homeland
Munich · East Berlin · GDR · German literature · modernism · interwar · cabaret · Bauhaus
Didactic, distancing stagecraft
- dramaturgyArt of theatrical structure
- stagecraftTheater production expertise
- directorialOf a filmmaker's craft
- fourth wallInvisible stage-audience barrier
audience · proscenium · theatrical · ensemble · rehearsal · performance · lighting · placards
Emotional separation between people
- distancingCreating space or separation
- defamiliarizationMaking common things seem strange
- detachmentSeparation or emotional uninvolvement
- objectivityFreedom from personal bias
disillusionment · interruption · emotional distance · social critique · disruption · reflection · analytic · coolness
Threepenny Opera
Weimar-era satirical stage work
- GalileoRenaissance astronomer from Italy
- BaalAncient Canaanite deity
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
characterization · collaboration · librettist · dramatist · scriptwriter
Marxism
Class-based revolutionary philosophy
- communismCollective ownership system
- anti-fascismOpposition to far-right authoritarianism
- exileBanishment from homeland
agitprop · dialectical · proletariat · bourgeoisie · class struggle · ideology · socialism · HUAC · McCarthyism · East Germany
Augsburg
Bavarian city, Roman-founded
- BerlinGermany's largest city
- Weimar RepublicGermany's 1919-1933 parliamentary government
- expressionismDistorting reality for emotion
exile · Munich · East Berlin · GDR · German literature · modernism · interwar · cabaret · Bauhaus · postwar
epic theater
Didactic, distancing stagecraft
- dramaturgyArt of theatrical structure
- stagecraftTheater production expertise
- directorialOf a filmmaker's craft
fourth wall · audience · proscenium · theatrical · ensemble · rehearsal · performance · lighting · placards · projections
estrangement
Emotional separation between people
- distancingCreating space or separation
- defamiliarizationMaking common things seem strange
- detachmentSeparation or emotional uninvolvement
objectivity · disillusionment · interruption · emotional distance · social critique · disruption · reflection · analytic · coolness · observation
Bertolt BrechtTennessee Williams
American Southern Gothic playwright
Eugene O'Neill · Arthur Miller · Henrik Ibsen · melodrama · romantic drama