Published by Nick Hern Books
Review by Allison Johnstone
Bertolt Brecht is not for everyone: difficult, certainly controversial, misunderstood but nevertheless still relevant – and celebrated – today.
The recent success of The Irresistible Rise of Arturo Ui and Mark Ravenhill’s Galileo are just two examples of the German’s continuing appeal.
Now we have this new guide by celebrated theatre director Stephen Unwin. It’s a useful and handsome tome that will help directors, teachers and students to make sense of the German’s contradictory ideas about theatre.
So is it a useful toolkit? Yes indeed it is – not least the explanation of why, in order to perform Brecht, one needs to understand where he was coming from. In the useful introduction that serves to prepare the reader for the difficult journey ahead, Unwin explains how Brecht ‘refused to set in stone things that were meant to be provisional’ which is why the work should be ‘approached historically’ and also how he himself said: ‘The modern theatre mustn’t be judged by its success in satisfying the audience’s habits but by its success in transforming them.’
Unwin imparts his own passion, setting Brecht’s work in personal, historical, religious, theatrical and literary context. Sounds daunting? Not at all. Our guide is knowledgeable and clearly explains the many places Brecht drew his inspiration.
But it is the ‘in theory’ section that is really useful. Unwin notes that each theory is interlinked but tackles each one individually for simplicity. There is a useful counterpoint here too: after the theory he looks at what this means in practice. I particularly enjoyed the myth-shattering section on what Brechtian acting is not.
Teachers will enjoy the fifty exercises contributed by Julian Jones, the Senior Lecturer in Acting at Rose Bruford College which allow students to explore Brecht’s ideas for themselves.
All in all a useful book – that will please students and teachers, but also the casual reader looking for a comprehensive insight to one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century.