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Brecht and Epic Theatre: Epic theatre is a theatrical movement, popularized in the early 20th century. It came about as a reaction to realism, which was the accepted style of most artists at the time. Brecht and a few of his contemporaries found realism to be overplayed and did not promote individual criticism. They began to crave a style that would counteract this. What was popular at the time was for people to present a play from the hero’s perspective and encourage the audience to view from that angle as well. Brecht’s notion with epic theatre was that the spectators should see a particular scene or circumstances from more than one viewpoint and form their own judgments about what was going on. In epic theatre, stage mechanics and set changes are generally not hidden; rather, the audience is encouraged to view the technical processes of the theatre. Therefore, the audience will not get so drawn in that they forget they are watching a dramatic production. Verfremdungseffekt, commonly referred to as the V effect or Alienation Effect, is a term Brecht used to describe the actor’s technique employ in creating characters in Epic Theatre. Verfremdungseffekt is often erroneously referred to as an “alienation effect”. This is partially due to the inaccurate translation of the word “verfremdung”. In actuality, Brecht probably meant to use a word closer to “estranged”. According to former National Theatre School’s director Wolfgang Kolneder, Verfremdungseffekt “means to look at something and, in another light. It looks different” (Donnelly par 3). In dramatic (or Aristotelian) theatre, the actors aim to become their characters, so that the audience will not see the persona they are presenting, rather than the actual personality of the actor. Epic actors are vessels of representation that reveal that there is an actor behind the mask. Contrary to popular belief, Brecht did not invent the concept of epic theatre. However, he is recognized as its theorist and most fervent defender in theatre practice. Epic theatre artists have different goals and intentions than dramatic artists, but they are not opposites. Below is a chart highlighting many differences between the two. “The epic writer Döblin provided an excellent criterion when he said that with an epic work, as opposed to a dramatic, one can as it were, take a pair of scissors and cut it into individual pieces, which remain full capable of life.” ~John Willet Dramatic Theatre Epic Theatre Plot Narrative Implicates the spectator in a stage situation Turns the spectator into an observer but Wears down Arouses his capacity for action Provides him with sensations Forces him to take decisions Experience Picture of the world The spectator is involved in something He is made to face something Suggestion Argument Instinctive feelings are preserved Brought to the point of recognition The spectator is in the thick of it, shares the experience The spectator stands outside, studies The human being is taken for granted The human being is the object of inquiry He is unalterable He is alterable and able to alter Eyes on the finish Eyes on the course One scene makes another Each scene for itself Linear development In curves Evolutionary determinism Jumps Man as a fixed point Man as a process Thought determines being Social being determines thought Feeling Reason Source: Brecht on Brecht (Bertolt Brecht). The Use of Epic Theatre Techniques in UAB’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle Production “It’s being able to [play] a character and at the same time, being able to step out of that character and [observe] it,” UAB Theatre director Jack Cannon says of epic theatre. “A lot more emphasis has to be placed upon the actor rather than the character,” says Cannon. In UAB’s production, this method will be used to help the audience to distinguish between various roles the actors are playing. In The Caucasian Chalk Circle, it is not uncommon to have around twenty characters in a scene at one time. Elements of clowning are present and work to highlight the humor of the work as well as to distinguish archetypal characters. University productions of Chalk Circle provide an opportunity for students to learn other acting techniques that will enable them to broaden their repertoire of skills. The design team used the transcendent nature of the play to produce a highly theatrical and culturally ambiguous standard of presentation. Cannon states that the aim is to create an “exotic foreign environment”, with less importance placed on the “reality of their environment, but rather the results of theatre.