Although Brecht evolved his dramatic theories over 50 years ago his ideas are often applied in contemporary theatre practice. Refer to any productions you have seen or participated in, asses the effectiveness of a range of Brechtian techniques.

Many of the Verfremdungs (alienation) effects used to achieve this purpose are employed to be a constant reminder that what they are watching is a play and nothing more or less. Devises such as the “half curtain” were used in a practical sense on stage showing the technical workings of the play so there would be nothing “magical” about it which would have “swept away” the audience. In the Production of “The Good Person of Setzuan” I saw in Manchester the set consisted of a series of scaffolding constructions from which the props and costumes for the play were hung, throughout the play costume changes took place in full view of the audience. The sound booth and instruments were also on stage and were actually being tuned when the audience was entering the auditorium. In the production of “Mother Courage” by the “Shared Experience Company” actors were also seen warming up and making last minute adjustments to the set before the play began. In the Manchester production a “bike gismo” was also added on which an audience member would have to ride to supposedly provide the electricity for each scene. With this kind of use of the set it was impossible for the audience to be “swept away” as their connection was firmly established with the actors and their messages rather than their characters. Like the “bike gismo” used in “The Good Person of Setzuan” in a production of “The Mother” by the “Irondale Company” irregular props were also used. Cardboard cut-outs in the shape of Pelegea’s (the mother’s) furniture were used so that when the soldiers came to ramsack her home they could simply tear her belongings apart. These props were employed under the Brechtian principle that the audience could not lose themselves if they had to stretch uncomfortably to connect with the commonist of objects.

Yet many performances use the “half curtain” principle, not just those which are written by Brecht, in a production of “Antigone” by “The Actors of Dionysus” (AOD) set changes were taking place throughout the performance and irregular, non-classical props were used such as a garden bench. In my own performances these techniques have also been used: in a production of “Richard III” for example a throne was the only piece of scenery used and it would be manipulated and used in unusual ways by the actors throughout the play. I feel that this technique really does alienate the audience as throughout the set-changes the flow of the play is disturbed leaving the audience in limbo, knowing that what they are watching is a play and also giving them time to reflect on the messages the play is pushing. In the production of “Antigone” this was emphasised as one of the actors pretended he couldn’t fit the set apart, after a while the audience began laughing and so the actor with a theatrical bow struck the set and forced it together.

Another Brechtian alienation effect used to distance the audience from the play was direct addresses, in which the actor would talk to the audience there by reducing the amount of empathy and also increasing the possibility for the audience to learn. In the performance in Manchester an ingenious idea was used to separate the acting in the play and the direct addresses which took place in between the scenes. Whist a red light was on we were told that the acting was taking place, when it was off we were told we would possibly be asked our opinions. Throughout the performance of the actual play we were constantly aware of the actors as the actors and not the characters and made more of an effort to learn from the piece. During the actual direct addresses the actors encouraged the audience into a debate over one of the key issues of “The Good Person of Setzuan”: whether it was possible to remain good constantly and survive.