Welcome to My Bitesize, let's get you set up!

Add your subjects to find the right study guides, track progress and keep everything in one place.

Add my subjects
My Subjects

Epic theatre and BrechtBrechtian techniques as stimuli for devised work

German playwright, Bertolt Brecht's ideas are very influential. He wanted to make the audience think, and used a range of devices to remind them that they were watching theatre and not real life.

Part ofDramaStyles, genres and practitioners

Brechtian techniques as a stimulus for devised work

You might choose to adopt Brechtian techniques because you’ve been told that you must exploit the ideas of a major practitioner in your work. Or it may be that the objectivity of the style suits your piece. There are several elements you should consider if you’re going to create a piece in this style:

  • The narration needs to be told in a montage style.
  • Techniques to break down the fourth wall, making the audience directly conscious of the fact that they are watching a play.
  • Use of a narrator. Because this character is outside the character framework, they change the relationship with the audience.
  • Use of songs or music. Songs and dances are likely to provoke a more objective viewing, particularly if what you’re watching is serious and not the schmaltzy environment of a typical musical.
  • Use of technology. If you project ideas onto a screen in a slide show or even have a still image there throughout each scene, it makes the audience analyse more thoroughly.
  • Use of signs. If an actor starts each scene with a placard naming the scene or you have a board which is changed at the start of each scene, you’re reminding the audience about the fact that they are watching a play.
  • Use of freeze frames / . This is obviously unnatural in the simple sense of that word, and should make the audience think about the frozen moment.