Topic-On Experimental Theatre

On Experimental Theatre
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1. Comment on Brecht’s analysis of the experimental trends in modern theatre with reference to the works of Erwim Piscator.

Or
Write a short note on Brecht’s concept of alienation theory.
Answer:-
In 1936 a wide range of experimentation and innovation had established in the contemporary theatre. The training of actors and directors in the western theatre has since become more organized to take in programmed from the earlier innovators. Among them, Brecht remain a towering personality above all other. Brecht’s essay “On Experimental Theatre” in which he reviews some prominent dramatist’s works and comments on the type of experimentations. Brecht traces through the modern theatre the 2 lines running from naturalism and expressionism. Naturalism, as he finds the assimilation of art to science which gave the naturalist theatre a great special influence. Brecht’s Marxist political convictions lead him to invent an alternate direction for the theatre that would mingle the two functions of instruction and entertainment.
In this way the theatre could project a picture for the world by artistic means and offer the models of life that could help the spectator to understand their social environment and to think both rationally and emotionally. The main concept of Brecht’s program which he called the ‘Verfrem dung-effect’ or alienation theory. In order to induce a critical frame of mind in the spectator Brecht considers it necessary to dispense with the emphathetic involvement with the stage.
Originally presented as a lecturers to the students of drama in Stockholon University in May 1939, this new conception tears a revolution in dramatic practice in the Western Theatre. Brecht offers his response to the changing circumstances in which theatre flourished in the early decades of 28th century. Brecht initials his discussion by tracing the two most important features in the modern theatre they are entertainment and instruction which actually plays in opposite direction. These two concepts influenced the playwrights and thinker of the stage and they advise their methods for the up gradation of the modern theatre.
The Greek work for actor is “hypocrites’ and there is a great deal of anxiety in modern drama about hypocracy to be someone other than who really is. Brecht provided a solution to the problem of the actor’s potential hypocracy by saying that the actors must always be aware of and make the audience aware of the distance between actor and the role. He should identify himself as a person portraying a part and observing it from outside. In this way he can allow his audience to observe his acting or his role critically.
Many of Brecht’s genius involve the question of the spectator’s relationship to the action on the stage. Brecht discourages identification on sympathy between the audience and character which had been one of the primary goals of mellow drama and of romantic theory. It was also implicit in Aristotle’s notion of pity and catharsis. Instead of identifying with the characters on stage, Brecht wanted the spectator to maintain an intellectual distant from the action to find reason about the dramatic sequence rather than just responding to it emotionally.
This process involves the use of techniques design to distance the audience from emotional involvement in the play through jolting reminders of the artificiality of theatrical performance. Examples of such techniques include explanatory captions or illustrations projected on the scene, across stetting out of character to give a lecture or summarize or sing songs and stage designs that don’t represent any locality, and also by exposing the lights to keep the spectator aware of being in a theatre. The audience’s degree of identification with characters and events is control. Brecht’s conceived alienation effect not only as a specific aesthetic program but also as a political mission of the theatre. Inspired by the philosophies of Karlmarx’s, Brecht regarded his method as a way of helping the spectators to understand the complex nexuses of historical development and social relationship.

Regarding the alienation effect Brecht was influence by Chinese theatre. The traditional notions of characters are called into question because Brecht believed, “The human being is the object of inquiry and he is alterable and able to alter”. By creating stage effects that were strange and unusual, Brecht intended to involve audience into an active role in the production. This alienation theory had a far reaching impact on the modern theatre. Brecht’s work is regarded as the most important and original form in European drama. There are few areas of modern theatrical culture that have not felt the impact of Brecht’s ideas and practice. In Addition to the theatre Brechterian theories and technique had a considerable sway over theory and cinematic practice film.

Q-2 Discuss About Brecht’s concept of epic theatre.
Or
Write about Brecht’s conception of theatre and how it is different from Aristotle’s conception.
Answer:-
To describe ‘epic’ Aristotle said. “As to that poetic imagination which is narrative in form” and regarding tragedy he said, “In the form of action, not in narrative”. So, Aristotle means that the prominent element of drama is action and not narration. But rejecting this “Aristrolian theory” Brecht called his drama as “epic theater” giving importance on narration. Bur. Brecht is one of the most influential figures of 20th century. theatre and most significant practitioner since World War II. Brecht’s theories for the stage, including his well known epic theatre and alienation technique made him a force to be reckoned with. He was a theorist, poet, playwright and above all a trend settler in dramatic form as he applied his theories to the works of one of the great theatre companies of the world, The Berliner and Ensemble.
 Brecht preferred to demonstrate his concepts for Epic Theatre in performances instead of acting exercises. Unlike Artaud, Brecht’s ideas were concrete and translatable for actors for generations to come. A firm Marxist, Brecht’s plays often had a political and social message for those viewing them. According his dramas include songs, projection, playards, narrators and story tellers who brings home the message of the play by directly addressing the audience.
Brecht’s theory of Epic theatre was designed to encourage the audiences to remain alert by reminding them that they are watching a play. Brecht in his notes of stage direction for the play, “The Life of Galileo”, writes, “The Stage décor must not be such that the public believes itself to be in a room in Medieval. Italy or in the Vatican, the public must remain always clearly aware, it is in a theatre.” Associating epics with the ancient standards which range of heroic deeds to an audience who set back and reflect those happenings in their mind.
Brecht’s explain that emphasizes emotion. What Brecht called Aristotelian theatre relied to a great extent on empathy on the ability to identify with the protagonist who was traditionally a figure of genuinely heroic proportions.
Aristotelian theatre as Brecht believed was to arouse in the spectator the feelings of pity. Pity for the suffering individual and fear that it might happen to oneself.
Brecht by contrast wanted spectators to retain some distance from the events depicted on the stage. Audience should not be encouraged to think that the action of the play occurs in the present. To prevent such illusions the epic playwright makes use of various distancing devices, called in German “Verfremdungs effekte”, a term which Brecht condensed into v-effekte or in English A-effect. Here, A represents alienation.
The ability to form independent judgment must not be compromised. Brecht believed that the audience will reach the necessary and desired conclusion that the world needs changing and they must help bring about the change. He thought that actors too must avoid identifying with their parts, thinking of themselves in the third person as demonstrating rather than enacting events. Consequently Brecht advocated a number of unorthodox devices. Brecht has a brief verbal summary of the contents of each upcoming scene projected on to a screen, sub-ordination the “Dramatic” to the “Epic” aspect.
Brecht was influenced by the ‘Chinese Theatre’ regarding the epic conception of drama. On a trip to Moscow in 1935 Brecht viewed ‘Chinese Theatre’ and one of its actor, Mei-Lan-Fang for the first time found that traditional Chinese acting also used alienation effect. After sometime Brecht founded his world famous ‘Three Penny Opera’, an adaption of the 18th century, Beggars Opera by John Gay. This three Penny Opera popularized the concept of epic theatre worldwide. So, we can conclude by the words of Martin Esslin regarding Brecht’s epic theatre, “The Brechtian theatre is a theatre designed to arouse in the audience a sense of dissatisfaction, a realization of contradictions, it is a theatre supremely fitted for parody and caricature, therefore essentially a negative theatre.”

“The Brecht theatre is a theatre designed to arouse in the audience a sense of dissatisfaction, a realization of contradiction it is a theatre supremely fitted for parody & caricature, therefore essentially a negative theatre.”

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