Dramatic Theory and Practice of Bertolt Brecht with Particular Reference to the "epic Theatre" PDF Download

Author: Louise J. Laboulle
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 946

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Author: John J. White
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
ISBN: 1571130764
Category : Theater
Languages : en
Pages : 359

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Book Description
In concert with his work as a politically-charged playwright and dramaturge, Bertolt Brecht concerned himself extensively with the theory of drama. He was convinced that the Aristotelian ideal of audience catharsis through identification with a hero and the resultant experience of terror and pity worked against his goal of bettering society. He did not want his audiences to feel, but to think, and his main theoretical thrusts -- Verfremdungseffekte (de-familiarization effects) and epic theater, among others -- were conceived in pursuit of this goal. This is the first detailed study in English of Brecht's writings on the theater to take account of works first made available in the recent German edition of his collected works. It offers in-depth analyses of Brecht's canonical essays on the theater from 1930 to the late 1940s and early GDR years. Close readings of the individual essays are supplemented by surveys of the changing connotations within Brecht's dramaturgical oeuvre of key theoretical terms, including epic and anti-Aristotelian theater, de-familiarization, historicization, and dialectical theater. Brecht's distinct contribution to the theorizing of acting and audience response is examined in detail, and each theoretical essay and concept is placed in the context of the aesthetic debates of the time, subjected to a critical assessment, and considered in light of subsequent scholarly thinking. In many cases, the playwright's theoretical discourse is shown to employ methods of "epic" presentation and techniques of de-familiarization that are corollaries of the dramatic techniques for which his plays are justly famous. John J. White is Professor of German and Comparative Literature at King's College London.

Author: Bertolt Brecht
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 354

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This volume offers a major selection of Bertolt Brecht's groundbreaking critical writing. Here, arranged in chronological order, are essays from 1918 to 1956, in which Brecht explores his definition of the Epic Theatre and his theory of alienation-effects in directing, acting, and writing, and discusses, among other works, "The Threepenny Opera, Mahagonny, Mother Courage, Puntila, "and "Galileo," Also included is "A Short Organum for the Theatre," Brecht's most complete exposition of his revolutionary philosophy of drama. Translated and edited by John Willett, "Brecht on Theater" is essential to an understanding of one of the twentieth century's most influential dramatists.

Author: David Barnett
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1408184389
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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David Barnett invites readers, students and theatre-makers to discover new ways of apprehending and making use of Brecht in this clear and accessible study of Brecht's theories and practices. The book analyses how Brecht's ideas can come alive in rehearsal and performance, and reveals just how carefully Brecht realized his vision of a politicized, interventionist theatre. What emerges is a nuanced understanding of Brecht's concepts, his work with actors and his approaches to directing. The reader is encouraged to engage with his method which sought to 'make theatre politically', in order to appreciate the innovations he introduced into his stagecraft. Barnett provides many examples of how Brecht's ideas can be staged, and the final chapter takes a closer look at two very different plays: one written by Brecht and one by a playwright with no acknowledged connection to Brecht. Through an interrogation of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui and Patrick Marber's Closer, Barnett asks how a Brechtian approach can enliven and illuminate production.

Author: Bertolt Brecht
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 0809005425
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 346

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Essays of Brecht translated and edited to explain his theories and discussion of his dramatic works.

Author: Hilda Meldrum Brown
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN:
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Wagner and Brecht are seemingly opposed in their approach to drama, music, and visual representation, the former believing in the integration of these different elements in the "Gesamtkunstwerk", the other in their separation. However, they share common ground in their sophisticated use of leitmotivic networks, a bridging device for Wagner who builds onto its verbal and semantic foundation a unique and complex musical language. Both use the device to explain and evaluate a dramatic action as it unfolds, i.e. as a major form of perspectival commentary. Brown discusses the paradox that Wagner's theory can shed light on Brecht's dramatic practice, since Brecht's own thematical concerns focus almost exclusively on the gestic and disjunctive perspectives identified with epic theatre.

Author: Henry Bial
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134637101
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 420

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Bertolt Brecht is one of the most prolific and influential writer-directors of the twentieth century. This fascinating anthology brings together in one volume many of the most important articles written about Brecht between 1957 and 1997. The collection explores a wide range of viewpoints about Brecht's theatre theories and practice, as well as including three plays not otherwise available in English: The Beggar or The Dead Dog, Baden Lehrstuck and The Seven Deadly Sins of the Lower Middle Class. Editors Martin and Bial have brought together a unique compendium which covers all the key areas including: * the development of Brecht's aesthetic theories * the relationship of Epic theatre to orthodox dramatic theatre * Brecht's collaboration with Kurt Weill, Paul Dessau and Max Frisch * Brecht's influence on a variety of cultures and contexts including England, Italy , Moscow and Japan. Together these essays are an ideal companion to Brecht's plays, and provide an invaluable reconsideration of Brecht's work. Contributors include: Werner Hecht, Mordecai Gorelik, Eric Bentley, Jean-Paul Sartre, Kurt Weill, Ernst Bloch, Darko Suvin, Carl Weber, Paul Dessau, Denis Calandra, W. Stuart McDowell, Ernst Schmacher, Hans-Joachim Bunge, Martin Esslin, Artuto Lazzari, Tadashi Uchino, Diana Taylor, Elin Diamond, and Lee Baxandall.

Author: Meg Mumford
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134188056
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Routledge Performance Practitioners is a series of introductory guides to the key theatre-makers of the last century. Each volume explains the background to and the work of one of the major influences on twentieth- and twenty-first-century performance. Bertolt Brecht is amongst the world’s most profound contributors to the theory and practice of theatre. His methods of collective experimentation and his unique framing of the theatrical event as a forum for aesthetic and political change continue to have a significant impact on the work of performance practitioners, critics and teachers alike. This is the first book to combine: an overview of the key periods in Brecht's life and work a clear explanation of his key theories, including the renowned ideas of Gestus and Verfremdung an account of his groundbreaking 1954 production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle an in-depth analysis of Brecht's practical exercises and rehearsal methods As a first step towards critical understanding, and as an initial exploration before going on to further, primary research, Routledge Performance Practitioners are unbeatable value for today’s student. Meg Mumford is a lecturer in Theatre and Performance Studies at The University of New South Wales, Australia. She has published widely on the subject of Brecht’s theatre and contemporary appropriations of his theory and practice.

Author: John Willett
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Author: David Barnett
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1474299458
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 387

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Book Description
With over 70 scholarly articles, reviews, and critical interventions from the last 50 years, Bertolt Brecht: Critical and Primary Sources set covers the key periods of Brecht's life, from his time in Augsburg (1898-1918) through the Weimer Republic (1918-1933), exile (1933-1948) and the German Democratic Republic (1949-1956). It also explores his theories, fundamentally his belief in the theatre's ability to represent and change the world, core practices and relationships. Alongside primary sources that include writings by Brecht published in English for the first time, such as his short but important reflection in 'originality' in theatre production, key featured scholars include Fredric Jameson and his essay 'Episch, or, the Third Person', and pieces on Brecht's collaborative working methods by Claus and Wera Kuchenmeister, and the director Egon Monk. Volume 1 covers Brecht's life and work, including essays on his famous Mother Courage and Her Children, production reviews, poetry, novels and short stories, with some thoughts on his journals. Volume 2 covers theory, containing essays and primary writings on Brechtian terminology, and some of the more enigmatic terms like 'Epic theatre', 'Verfremdung', 'Gestus' and 'Fabel', features a survey of important theoretical works, a section on Brecht on non-theatre media, his relationship to other major thinkers, ideas and sources and the reception of his ideas. Volume 3 covers practice, including Brecht's practice as documenter and director, beginning with his disastrous start in the Weimar Republic through to his later role as director as the Berliner Ensemble, his relationships with other practitioners and his own collaborators, reviews of important productions and global receptions.