Brechtian

Brechtian refers to the ideas, practices, and influence associated with the German playwright Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956). Developed in the 1920s and 1930s in reaction to naturalistic theatre, Brechtian theatre aims to provoke critical reflection rather than emotional identification, using techniques designed to remind the audience that they are watching a constructed performance, and to encourage scrutiny of social and political conditions.

Central to Brecht's approach is the Verfremdungseffekt, usually translated as alienation or distancing. The effect seeks to prevent spectators from suspending disbelief and sympathizing uncritically with characters, so that they assess what they see and consider ways to change reality. This is achieved through a variety of devices.

Techniques include direct address to the audience, visible narration, songs and commentary integrated into scenes, placards or captions explaining context, episodic, non-linear plotting, and the use of montage or juxtaposition. Performers often acknowledge their roles and the fiction of the stage, maintaining a degree of distance rather than wholehearted identification. Scenery may be minimal or intentionally artificial, with stage machinery visible to expose theatrical conventions.

Brechts influence extends beyond theatre to film and other performance media, and shaped postwar European theatre. The Berliner Ensemble, founded by Brecht and Helene Weigel, became a key company for performing Brechtian works. Notable plays associated with the movement include The Threepenny Opera, Mother Courage and Her Children, and The Good Person of Szechwan, though the practices have been adapted and interpreted in diverse contexts.

Today, "Brechtian" can describe works that employ distancing strategies or social critique even when not strictly authored by Brecht; some critics stress the flexibility and political aims of the approach, while others critique its perceived didacticism or limitations in affecting audiences.