About the Book

Routledge Performance Practitioners is a series of introductory guides to the key theatre-makers of the last century. Each volume explains the background to and the work of one of the major influences on twentieth- and twenty-first-century performance.

Bertolt Brecht is amongst the world’s most profound contributors to the theory and practice of theatre. His methods of collective experimentation and his unique framing of the theatrical event as a forum for aesthetic and political change continue to have a significant impact on the work of performance practitioners, critics and teachers alike. This is the first book to combine:

• an overview of the key periods in Brecht's life and work
• a clear explanation of his key theories, including the renowned ideas of Gestus and Verfremdung
• an account of his groundbreaking 1954 production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle
• an in-depth analysis of Brecht's practical exercises and rehearsal methods

As a first step towards critical understanding, and as an initial exploration before going on to further, primary research, Routledge Performance Practitioners are unbeatable value for today’s student.

Meg Mumford is a lecturer in Theatre and Performance Studies at The University of New South Wales, Australia. She has published widely on the subject of Brecht’s theatre and contemporary appropriations of his theory and practice.