10th May - Bertolt Brecht

10th May - Bertolt Brecht

Bertolt Brecht was born 10 February 1898 and died 14 August 1956. Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director; An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century.
Brecht believed the stage should be brightly lit at all times; special effects to create mood were not allowed. (Logically, he could have allowed it, if accompanied by some device to draw attention to it - such as a statement from a character.) The sources of light should be plainly visible - just as those over a boxing-ring (Brecht's comparison).
The curtain is to be used for the display of titles, captions or comments. Placards may be placed in the auditorium, bearing instructions, such as “Don't stare so romantically” ( from Drums in the Night). The set behind the curtain is suggestive, not realistic; that is to say, while very authentic props may be used, (as, say, Mother Courage's handcart) there will be no elaborate arrangement of these in a naturalistic stage set.
The music, too, must have a visible source - musicians may even be on the stage. Interruptions for songs are announced or indicated by projection of a title, or flags and trumpets will descend from the flies.
In the Epic theatre the sources of light should be visible at all times, as they are, say, in a boxing ring (Brecht's comparison). Lighting should be uniformly bright; effects of colour and dimming are not to be allowed. This is partly explicable in terms of Brecht's taste for simplicity and austerity, partly in terms of his desire to avoid creating emotional effects.