| Title | : | Brecht on Theatre: The Development of an Aesthetic |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0809005425 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780809005420 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 352 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1964 |
Translated and edited by John Willett, Brecht on Theater is essential to an understanding of one of the twentieth century's most influential dramatists.
Brecht on Theatre: The Development of an Aesthetic Reviews
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I've only read bits and pieces of this collection, but then I've been told by people whose opinions I trust that one only really needs to read bits and pieces, as long as one reads the right bit and pieces. From what I've read, I would suggest "Theatre for Pleasure or Theatre for Instruction," "The Street Scene," and "A Short Organum for the Theatre" for anyone who wants to get a fairly quick but really solid sense of Brecht's theories of the epic theatre and the A-effect.
Basically Brecht looms large over the history of 20th century theatre--probably larger than any other single practicioner, except maybe someone like Stanislavsky. The theory of the epic theatre and the A-effect (alienation effect) were crucial components in the turn from 19th century melodrama and realism to more experimental theatrical forms like the Theatre of the Absurd or environmental theatre. Brecht gives us the tools not only to interrogate theatrical conventions going back to Aristotle's Poetics, but also to use/see/read the theatre as a means of pushing for and effecting positive social change. He reacted against the conventions of illusion that can be traced back to Aristotle, envisioning instead a theatre that functions more like a lecture and critical dialogue--in Epic theatre we are not meant to believe that Meryl Streep IS Mother Courage (for instance), but the performance is supposed to show Meryl Streep demonstrating how Mother Courage has acted in a situation where she could have acted differently. I find this a fascinating idea, that the Epic theatre pushes against any concept of fatedness (either in the sense of Greek tragedy, where characters are literally fated by the gods and the Fates, or in the sense of Realist drama where characters and their reactions are largely determined and delineated by their social conditioning). No, for Brecht characters make choices, when they could easily have made other choices, and it is the responsibility of the Epic theatre to make clear both the process of choice making and the possible alternatives. I don't think I entirely know what this looks like (probably in part because I have grown up in a post-Brechtian theatrical situation, so it may be more that I don't know what the alternative against which Brecht is reacting would look like, if that makes any sense), but I find the idea fascinating.
https://youtu.be/DlsZEefaqUM -
اغلب اثار برتولد برشت به فارسی برگردانده شده؛ "سقراط مجروح" کیکاووس جهانداری / "در انبوه شهرها" عبدالرحمن صدریه / "استثناء و قاعده" محمود اعتماد زاده(م. به آذین) / "ان که گفت آری و آن که گفت نه" مصطفی رحیمی / زندگانی گالیله (گالیله ئو گالیله ئی) عبدالرحیم احمدی / "ترس و نکبت رایش سوم" شریف لنکرانی / "ننه دلاور و فرزندان او" مصطفی رحیمی / "آدم، آدم است" دو ترجمه از شریف لنکرانی و امین موید / "بچه فیل" و استنطاق لوکولوس" شریف لنکرانی / "زن نیک سچوان" دو ترجمه از فریده ی لاشایی و مهدی زمانیان / "دایره گچی قفقازی" دو ترجمه از حمید سمندریان و امین موید / "چهره های سیمون ماشار" دو ترجمه از عبدالرحمن صدریه و شریف لنکرانی / "داستان های آقای کوینر" سعید ایمانی / "داستان یک پولی"(اپرای یک پولی) هوشنگ پیرنظر / "تفنگ های ننه کارار" دو ترجمه از فریدون ایل بیگی و شریف لنکرانی / "ارباب پونتیلا و نوکرش مه آتی" سه ترجمه از عبدالرحمن صدریه، فریده ی لاشایی و رضا کرم رضایی / "درباره ی تیاتر" منیزه کامیاب و حسن بایرامی / "هیولا" همایون نوراحمر / "مادر" منیژه کامیاب و حسن بایرامی / "کله گردها و کله تیزها" بهروز مشیری / "بعل" خشایار قائم مقامی / "پیرزنی که پیر نمی نمود" کامران فانی / "گفتگوی فراریان" خشایار قائم مقامی / "اقداماتی علیه زور" ناصر صفایی / "حیوان محبوب آقای کوینر" / ناصر صفایی / "اگر کوسه ماهی ها آدم بودند" بهروز تاجور / "شوایک در جنگ جهانی دوم" دو ترجمه؛ حمید علوی، فرامرز بهزاد / "عظمت و انحطاط شهر ماهاگونی" مهدی اسفندیارفرد / "قطعه آموزشی" مینو ملک خانی / "اندیشه های متی" عبدالله کوثری / "محاکمه ی ژاندارک در روان" عبدالله کوثری / "صلیب گچی" سیاوش بیدارفکر / "قیمت آهن چنده" رضا کرم رضایی / "کریولانوس" مهدی تقوی / "اپرای سه پولی" علی اکبر خداپرست / "ژان مقدس کشتارگاه" دو ترجمه از جواد شمس و ابوالحسن ونده ور / "صعود مقاومت پذیر ارتورو اویی" افرویدون / "زندگی تیاتری من" فریدون ناظری / "روزهای کمون" کاووسی (فریده لاشایی) /"درباره تیاتر" فرامرز بهزاد / و بسیاری دیگر از آثار نوشتاری و مجموعه ی اشعار برشت
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A selection of Bertolt Brecht's critical writing edited & translated by John Willett.
Read it first many years ago (1965) while at the De Leon Summer Drama School, where I realised I never wanted to be an actor after all. But I did meet the amazing young Gerard Murphy with whom I corresponded for two years in adolescent years. He gave a marvellous audition from Pinter's The Caretaker which mesmerised everyone present while massively exceeding the audition time. He was the "star" of our end of term play. Of course, as we all expected, he went on to have a brilliant career with Royal Shakespeare Company & fame & fortune in film & television. It was strange to see him Vanity Fair (TV) as the vile debauched Lord Steyne - no longer the handsome young leading man but a balding older man with a fuller girth. I last saw him act at The Barbican London, UK in a Jacobean revenge drama many years ago.
So this book is full of memories. No-one interested in Theory & theatre will miss reading this still amazing text. It charts Brecht's development of his ideas, aesthetics and philosophies on theatre. It includes his ideas on Epic Theatre & Alienation. There are essays on major works & their staging e.g. The Threepenny Opera, Mother Courage & Galileo. Great photos too! -
Brecht is a charmer, if nothing else, and his plays have so much life to them that manages to succeed even when his vaunted "alienation" effect doesn't work as planned. And in his theoretical work, he's often charming too, even if his writings on theater from a technical perspective are a bit useless to me as a layman. I can't say that all of the writings here are of value -- indeed, some of the writings on theater practitioner as worker are almost comically dated -- but it's an honest voice, and one with far less pretense than most theatrical writing.
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This compilation of Brecht's writings on theater is organized chronologically, showing how his concepts of the "epic theater" and alienation developed over the course of his life. The general understanding of what is "Brechtian" today is a form of theater that alienates the audience, and this effect is usually created by making the audience physically and emotionally uncomfortable. However, Brecht's idea of alienation is far more nuanced than that; in fact, the audience should be so comfortable that they can more objectively assess the situation being presented to them (for Brecht, reason > emotion) even while realizing that they are implicated in the systems wrecking havoc on the characters' lives.
As far as this particular edition goes, the editor's notes are very thorough, but he places the contextual summaries for each of Brecht's little essays at the end of each essay - WHY? -
Highly recommend to anyone in the arts (particularly film and theatre—in my opinion, essential reading). Best engaged with after reading some Marxist theory—particularly on dialectical materialism and class struggle—to understand the political and philosophical foundation and aim. An admirable endeavour to change the world for the better through radical artistic innovation. This chronologically organised collection of Brecht’s writings is of further interest due to Brecht’s (antifascist) writing taking place through the rise of fascism in Germany. Brecht’s ideas remain painfully relevant today and are still severely underutilised whilst stagnant and hollow approaches predominate.
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yeah my man bertie is funny. nice and contextualised so you can see the evolution of his funny thoughts about theatre! good shit.
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This book has informed my artistic practice ever since I first encountered it over thirty years ago.
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There’s a lot to taken in, a few decades and several different countries as Brecht progressed his epic theatre into something more didactic. Most of the essays, interviews and extracts feel like he was always mad at something, but between the lines there is the sheer joy of putting on a show in a way that audiences would not have seen before, the a-effect he crafted throughout his career. At other times, the chapters read like a highlight reel of personal plays like Threepenny Opera, Galileo, Mother Courage and Just a bit of Coriolanus. To think all the while he had these items working there way through print media, he also had his Me-Ti aphorisms in addition to the many plays I still have to read. Der Mann ist eine Maschine!
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In this series of notes and essays, we can follow how Brecht theorizes a new theatre that exposes class contradictions and goad the public to action for social transformation.
Brecht's interventions are at once very practical (as guides to theatre production and acting) and clarificatory of aesthetic issues such as realism, formalism, popular culture, among others.
Breaking with the old theatre which has served to conjure illusions about an exploitative social order, Brecht's innovations not only gives theatre a great service.
It is another step in the development of an aesthetics that serves the people's struggle. -
Lol ... this will say more about my level of intellect I presume than the quality of the work, but I would much rather read about Brecht from other people's words than from the man himself! It was tough going and I don't feel as though I'm any better equipted to teach his theatrical techniques now, than what I was when I started reading this text! He is not a man I would have called friend! :)
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Good insight into Brecht's thoughts. While the first part makes it look as if Brecht is a little maniacal and rigid, he makes it clear later in the book his sense of humor and that he is merely describing one (new) way of doing things. Some essays are incredibly obtuse, but many are very enjoyable.
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It would be nice if theatre ran in this vein more often. It's helpful to read through his conception of it.
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Ok, in all fairness, I didn't read the whole thing, but I did love the parts I read... :) Used parts of it as I was researching Brecht for my Fear and Misery project in college.
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It's better to read other people talk about his theories than he talk about them himself. But it's a foundational tome, nontheless.
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I read this for a German class. I can't say I was very interested in theatre or in Brecht's opinion on it. I just needed the credits.
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Crazy SOB
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I haven't actually read the entire book but it's one of the greatest sources I've ever used for research and is incredibly interesting, to boot.
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It makes me smile and inspires me!
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Practically already worship Brecht. Really great to dig into his own thoughts with the context of his time and location.
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Read: Alienation Effects in Chinese Acting.
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Double-synchronicities occurred here, as I found an echo of the character of Morat, the younger son of Aureng-Zebe, in a play by John Dryden that I read today (I recently read 3 plays by John Dryden, both All for Love and Marriage a la Mode, in addition to A.-Z.), in the recurrent use of the name Moritat, which is a derivation of what is presumably a Biblical name - this demonstrates that the song "Mack the Knife" comes out of the Bible ! The second synchrony was the repeated reference to the poetry of Rimbaud, whose complete works, including un saison en inver and le bateu ivre I read at my parent's home on 4th of July weekend, 2021. This work is important to take in before I begin reading Brecht's plays seriously. Enjoy !
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Does what it says on the tin, and features a wide range of Brecht's essays on the subject of theatre. Used this as one of my secondary sources for an English literature assignment.
A huge selection of the essays are brilliant, but there are a few that feel as though they've been butchered in translation, and some of them just aren't relevant. The editorial notes at the end of each essay add a nice amount of context, but at points they become rambling and incoherent, talking about everything but the piece that they're attached to.
Was absolutely invaluable for my essay, though. Fingers crossed I'll get a good mark! -
The mind of genius. An essential read for any theatre professional. Can be problematic if you have little familiarity with the plays referenced... but then again a professional who doesn't know these plays are not professionals.
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CRUCIAL reading for any writer
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marvellous, and interesting to see his thought develop in response to practice
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I read this because I was studying gcse drama, but turns out I couldn't understand anything (exaggerating) he was talking about after three attempts at reading it. dnf 😐
