Quick question about Brecht & Threepenny (1 Viewer)

[green_appletini]

Hey guys, just a quick question for you Brechtians out there! See, you know how we usually say that Brecht's plays are made up of discrete Episodic scenes that don't necessarily flow on from one another and there is no central plot either? I was reading Threepenny and i suddenly thought to myself that there seems to be a plot! So now i'm in utter confusion..haha, so if i make that point about the overall dramatic structure of Brecht's plays, am i not meant to back it up with saying "Threepenny Opera demonstrates Brecht's use of episodic scenes"...?? I've always done that in my essays and my teacher said that it shouldn't be something they're gonna pinpoint and say "she's wrong", so what do you guys think?

Also, hope this isn't too late, but does someone have a good definition of "Epic Theatre"? I'm always confused about who actually started it in the first place, did Piscator start it and then Brecht built on it?

thanks guys!
good luck tomorrow
-marilia- xoxo

 

[flipsyde]

Episodic plays can still have a plot or rather a 'message' behind them. They are based on themes and issues. They may be episodic but can still have a 'backbone'.

 

[Serg01]

Agit-pop Theater is when the message/theme is more important than the Theatrical form
Epic Theater is a theatre which Brecth made himself. It a political type of theatre...

i no little about it, which i should, but you can bullshit the rest.

 

[Skillo]

Episodic plays can still have a plot or rather a 'message' behind them. They are based on themes and issues. They may be episodic but can still have a 'backbone'.

What Flipsyde said.

I've never really followed the theory that episodic don't have a central plot...cause Brecht plays are soooo rich in ideologies and philosophies...

Hehehe. I think those words are pretty.

 

[Skillo]

As for Epic theatre...we're kinda investigating it in the context of Brecht's Epic Theatre. As for Piscator...geezz...I dunno. Maybe..?!?

Here is a few points on Epic Theatre:
A form of non dramatic theatre based upon a narrative undertaken on a huge scale.
Sometimes set in foreign and unfamiliar landscapes, Epic Theatre was designed to stimulate thinking and questioning, and to disallow audience members becoming unreceptive observers.
Epic Theatre was not always successful as cooperation from audience members was required and not always offered by audiences.
Brecht used his plays as a form of propaganda that was made interesting by employing theatrical techniques unique to Brecht’s writing. (Signs, Song)
Human behaviour was studied to demonstrate why they happened and how the behaviour could be improved.
In Brecht’s plays, the scenes were independent of one another, sometimes skipping years, and moving locations regularly.
Epic theatre follows a non-linear style as it jumps from scene to scene, and the audience is on the outside, observing yet intently studying.
The core of Brecht’s theatre is the concept of ‘alienation’ (to make something strange). Brecht’s theatre was to always challenge and surprise the audience, however making sure that the audience knew that it was simply a story being told in front of them.