Principles
“Verfremdung” = defamiliarization, alienation
Aristotelian Theatre Epic Theatre
entangles the spectator
distances the spectator
evokes feelings in spectator
demands decisions from spectator
experience it
develop world view, study
the conditions
spectator is immersed
spectator is faced with something
is suggestive
is argumentative
universal, unchanged humans
humans who are changeable and
able to change
want to know to end
want to know the process
play grows, develops
montage of independent scenes
linear plot
plot goes in curves, circles, …
evolutionary necessity in the plot
jumps, turns, breaks
emotion
intellect, rational thinking
build and maintain the illusion
destroy the illusion
“Verfremdungseffekte” = alienation effects:
direct address to the spectators
banners with captions or projected text
commentary: by narrator or through songs
open stage, visible machinery, no curtain
different method of acting:
no identification with character, but
move in and out
of role, “show” the character, not “be”
the character;
actor has distance to role, may step out
of the role
possible use of masks
different role of music:
not illustrating, but commenting, contradicting
episodic structure, scenes, not acts
can have short, subsidiary skits in between
scenes
interpolated songs
distant setting/place/culture; exotic,
non-realistic or “anywhere”
distant/historic time; broken chronology