Brechtian Influence

German theatre practitioner Bertolt Brecht was a major developer of epic theatre, a style of theatre that uses transparent theatricality to constantly remind audiences that they are watching a play. To achieve this, Brecht conceived several dramatic conventions that are characteristic of his work, including songs that interrupt action at the most emotionally charged moments, signs that tell the audience what is about to happen in a scene, and actors playing multiple characters and directly addressing the audience. Brecht also used a technique called historization, or setting at least some of the action in the past. In doing so, audiences can then compare and contrast the events of the play with the present while remaining removed from them. Brecht believed that, by distancing audiences from the reality of the play, they would be compelled to take action to improve society.

Since she began writing plays in the 1960s, Caryl Churchill has used Brecht’s epic theatre techniques to explore societal and political issues like gender, foreign policy, identity, and economics. This guide will explain the influence of Brecht’s theories and style on Caryl Churchill’s plays.

Terminology

• Epic theatre: A style or genre of drama characterized by realism and an absence of theatrical devices. Often associated with the work of Bertolt Brecht.
• Brechtian: Theatre that is inspired by the work of Bertolt Brecht, especially in its use of unconventional storytelling, political message, and experimentalism.
• Verfremdungseffekt: A distancing device or defamiliarization effect.
• Non-linear: Not sequential or straightforward.
• Catharsis: A term from Ancient Greek tragedy, meaning the purging of pity and fear.
• Historization: A dramatic technique in which events in a play are placed in the past.

Key Dates & Events

• 1918: Brecht writes his first play, Baal.
• 1936: Brecht first uses the term “verfremdungseffekt” in an essay titled “Alienation Effects in Chinese Acting”.
• August 14, 1956: Brecht dies in Germany.
• 1972: Caryl Churchill’s first professionally-produced play, Owners, premiers in London.