I would argue with Brecht if he was here in front of me. Right here. Right now.

First things first…we watched a production at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre!!!! How cool is that?!?!?!?!? As we walked in, I imagined how it was to be there long long ago. Of course it’s not the original because the original burned down, but it’s severely close! And not to mention, the tickets were only £5, or $7. 

The production was Mother Courage and her children by Bertolt Brecht. In the original, the play is set in 17th century Europe during the 30 year war. It was written in response to the invasion of Poland by German armies in 1939. It took Brecht a little over a month to write the play. 

In the version we saw, it was set during a non-specific war in a very dystopian setting. They wore modern clothes that were ripped and dirty. And had modern props and furnishings. So it could be believed that this takes place in a very dystopian future of our own world. 

Brecht is very well known for his use of “distancing” and “alienation” in his plays in order to prevent the audience from becoming emotionally immersed in the play. I did not get this AT ALL. People were crying throughout the play and really crying at the end. If that is not emotionally involved, then I don’t know what is. So in terms of whether or not these things were achieved, NO! They were not. People were emotionally involved. 

Brecht used these techniques because he believed that it made the audience think more critically about the play. I can sort of understand that. If you’re so focused on one character and become biased towards them, maybe you miss things. I am not sure. I felt that I was connected with just about every character and was able to view the whole play. So I don’t really agree with Brecht. 

I think the only alienation we got from the Globe’s production was that it was set in a modern day war. A lot of us haven’t experienced that. Especially our little study abroad group. But I know a lot of people in the world right now are currently experiencing it. Probably some people in the audience with us have. It’s very real. Someone in the audience said they were crying because there are people experiencing these horrors right now. So as a whole, I can’t say that the play was alienating. 

I do not think that this caused the play to be less successful at conveying its message. In fact, I think it was even more successful at getting the message out because of what’s happening currently in the world. 

Here is a picture of the stage:

And here is a picture my dad sent back to me when I sent him the above picture:

P.S. I would probably not argue with Brecht. I would lose that argument. I might recruit my brother to help me. He is good at that. Yeahhhhhh.

*Hey Alexa, can I raise Brecht from the dead?*

*Hey Alexa, how do I raise the dead?*

*Hey Alexa, how do I stop Brecht from writing a play in response to my argument?*

*Hey Alexa, how do I send him back?*