Theatertheorie

Brecht's theory of theatre grew over more than thirty years: in newspaper articles, in notes on his plays, in lectures given in exile, in dialogues, poems and rehearsal notes. This volume collects 66 texts from the years 1926 to 1956. It ranges from the notes on the Dreigroschenoper and on Mahagonny, through »Vergnügungstheater oder Lehrtheater?«, »Verfremdungseffekte in der chinesischen Schauspielkunst«, the »Straßenszene« and the dialogues of the Messingkauf, to the complete Kleines Organon für das Theater and the late texts on dialectics in the theatre. Eleven theatre poems, the model books for Antigone and Mutter Courage and the working notes from the Berliner Ensemble show how theory passed into practice. What becomes visible is a Brecht who proclaims no dogma but keeps testing his concepts – and who in the end replaces »epic« with »dialectical« theatre. Annotations explain the genesis, first printing and occasion of each text.