Brecht, Bertolt
Brecht, Bertolt (1898–1956),German dramatist, poet, theorist, director, and founder of the Berliner Ensemble. Brecht drew on Elizabethan drama in the 1930s in creating the style he called epic theatre, and adapted (‘appropriated’, he said) the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries for political purpose, showing the need for progressive social change. His version of Coriolanus (first performed in 1964) resolves Shakespeare's ambiguity over the protagonist by concluding that the world can no longer afford heroes. The Berliner Ensemble's performances of Brecht's plays in London in 1956 greatly affected Peter Hall, who drew on the company's organization and social commitment when he formed the RSC a few years later. The non-illusionist ‘Brechtian’ style heavily influenced Shakespeare acting and production in the 1960s around the globe.
Dennis Kennedy
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