brechtian terms

Question 1

epic theatre

Answer 1

type of theatre which addresses contemporary issues and encourages social change.

Question 2

episodic

Answer 2

a play which is presented in many short acts or scences which each bear their own story

Question 3

alienation

Answer 3

a technique used to avoid the audience’s feelings of any pathos or being emotionally invested in the play. it encourages the audience to watch with their heads and not hearts and they ensure this by having an actor walk across the stage reminding the audience which scene they are on or change of costumes and props right on stage in front of the audience

Question 4

historification

Answer 4

ensures alienation because it reuses materials, because the audience already knows the basic storyline they do not focus much on the emotional aspect of the play

Question 5

gestus

Answer 5

when a character physically embodies a specific theme of the play or any other aspect it places a lot of social relation on a character which serves as motivation for his or her behaviour

Question 6

agitprop theatre

Answer 6

this style of theatre uses propaganda as a technique to intensify the message of play, this is to make the audience uncomfortable enough to strive for change and action in reforming society

Question 7

multi-rolling

Answer 7

this technique is used to keep the audience from the events of the play by having the actors play different roles, this transformation would take place in front of the audience.

Question 8

metatheatre

Answer 8

refers to a play that takes place within the plot of another play.