Brecht and Beyond: Staging Politics from the 1920s to the Present (P02929)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : LLC-P-P02929

This MSc Option investigates Brecht's theory and practice of epic theatre and the ways in which post-war German and British dramatists and theatre practitioners have responded to his legacy. During the first five sessions, we will seek to gain a nuanced understanding of the different strands and forms within epic theatre and their relationship to the theatrical experiments of Piscator and agitprop groups in the Weimar Republic. In the second half of the course, we will then investigate a cross-section of post-war responses to Brecht from dramatists in Germany (East and West) and Britain. We will focus on writers and practitioners who have engaged consciously with Brecht?s ideas but have developed them creatively to serve their own artistic and political priorities (Heiner Müller, Peter Weiss, Joan Littlewood, Howard Brenton and David Hare).

Each half of the course will start with an introductory session devoted to theories of political theatre, and this theoretical work will underpin our study of individual dramatists and productions in subsequent weeks. We will draw on a wide variety of primary sources:
not just plays and essays, but photographs, set designs, directors?
notes and theatre reviews. The main texts will all be available in English translation.

Entry Requirements

? This course is not available to visting students.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

European Languages and Cultures - German, (School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, Schedule G)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

The course will encourage participants to develop the skills of theatrical, literary and historical analysis, and to compare textual and performance strategies across a range of plays. Participants will develop a critical understanding of different genres and of the contexts in which the plays and productions sought to intervene, and they will be able to evaluate the contemporary impact and significance of the texts’ political arguments and aesthetic techniques. By the end of the course, students will be able to analyse the complex relationship between political and cultural context, and to evaluate the ideological and cultural factors involved in the creation and reception of plays and productions. In their essays, they will demonstrate the ability to conduct independent research, evaluate primary and secondary sources critically, and present their ideas and supporting evidence in a logical, structured argument.