Brecht In Practice
A free-to-access resource that connects Brecht's theories for the theatre to real-world theatre practice.
Welcome to Brecht in Practice, a free-to-access resource that connects Brecht’s theories for the theatre to real-world theatre practice. The site is aimed at people who are interested in the political possibilities of theatre-making, who may have read about Brecht and his ideas, but who might find the gap between theory and practice hard to bridge.
The site offers insights into Brecht’s theories for a politicized theatre and a full documentation, in the form of a ‘virtual modelbook’ of a production based in Brecht’s method for approaching dramatic material. There is also a blog and a resource section for students, teachers and theatre-makers who want to engage with Brechtian theatre.
The site complements David Barnett’s book, Brecht in Practice, a volume in which many of the theoretical issues are discussed in greater detail.
Theory
Brecht theorized many aspects of the theatre and you will find link to a variety of headings, below. Each link introduces an idea about or an approach to theatre-making.
Productions
Brecht documented some of his productions, not merely to record that they had taken place, but to help theatre-makers understand how they were made and what they were trying to achieve. Here you can access a number of pages that document the Brechtian production of Patrick Marber’s Closer, staged at the University of York with professional actors in October 2016 and our student production of The Crucible of October 2017.
Downloads
Downloadable documents aimed at students, teachers and theatre-makers. Each document sets out ways of working that can introduce participants to key elements of Brechtian theatre.
Blog
Follow my musings on things Brechtian. You can sign up for alerts of new posts, too.