Document Type
Paper
Publication Date
4-27-2020
Abstract
Playwrights have long drawn inspiration from a variety of muses in order to flesh out their works. The use of art and literature to critique society presents one such example, especially with regard to theatre when it critiques politics and human nature. In the case of German playwright Bertolt Brecht, one cannot fully understand his plays and the concept of epic theatre without looking at the influence of Marxism in his work. Indeed, it permeates his work through the years, with Brecht’s understanding of Marx’s writings evolving with clarity in his later works. Through sampling a variety of plays from the diverse corpus of Brecht’s writing (such as The Threepenny Opera, Mother Courage and Her Children, and Life of Galileo) and selected essays written by Marx, political theory becomes married to artistic direction. Culminating in a director's proposal for a production of Life of Galileo, this project yields a new understanding of how directors can utilize political theory to further creative performance.
Recommended Citation
Anderson, Wyatt, "Revolutionary Artistry-- Brecht, Marx, and the Evolution of Epic Theatre" (2020). Honors Capstone Projects. 15.
https://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/honors/15
Primo Type
Text Resource