A concept better known as the distancing effect. The technique is used to prevent the audience from connecting with the characters.
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Thornton Wilder
This is when a character expressing their opinions, views, inner throughts and feelings which are not to be revealed to other characters. This can sometimes linked with Epic theatre as the 'stepping out of character' shows the distancing the actor from the character, so there is no emotional connection ( the Verfremdungseffekt effect)
Bertolt Brecht used placards and signs in his theatre to disrupt conventional storytelling and encourage critical thinking among the audience. By presenting key information visually, he aimed to enhance the intellectual engagement of spectators, prompting them to reflect on social and political issues rather than becoming emotionally absorbed in the narrative. This technique was part of his broader goal to promote the concept of "Verfremdungseffekt" or "alienation effect," which sought to make the familiar strange and encourage viewers to question the status quo.
Bertolt Brecht created a style of theatre known as Epic Theatre, which aimed to provoke critical thought and social change rather than emotional engagement. He employed techniques such as the Verfremdungseffekt, or "alienation effect," to distance the audience from the narrative, encouraging them to analyze the social and political issues presented. Brecht's work often featured fragmented narratives, songs, and direct addresses to the audience, all designed to challenge traditional theatrical conventions and promote a more active form of spectatorship.
Thornton Wilder
This is when a character expressing their opinions, views, inner throughts and feelings which are not to be revealed to other characters. This can sometimes linked with Epic theatre as the 'stepping out of character' shows the distancing the actor from the character, so there is no emotional connection ( the Verfremdungseffekt effect)
Bertolt Brecht's work was characterized by his development of epic theatre, which aimed to provoke critical thinking and social change in the audience. He utilized techniques such as alienation effects to distance the audience emotionally, encouraging them to analyze and question societal norms and power structures. Brecht's plays often featured political themes and emphasized the importance of collective action.
Bertolt Brecht used placards and signs in his theatre to disrupt conventional storytelling and encourage critical thinking among the audience. By presenting key information visually, he aimed to enhance the intellectual engagement of spectators, prompting them to reflect on social and political issues rather than becoming emotionally absorbed in the narrative. This technique was part of his broader goal to promote the concept of "Verfremdungseffekt" or "alienation effect," which sought to make the familiar strange and encourage viewers to question the status quo.
Bertolt Brecht created a style of theatre known as Epic Theatre, which aimed to provoke critical thought and social change rather than emotional engagement. He employed techniques such as the Verfremdungseffekt, or "alienation effect," to distance the audience from the narrative, encouraging them to analyze the social and political issues presented. Brecht's work often featured fragmented narratives, songs, and direct addresses to the audience, all designed to challenge traditional theatrical conventions and promote a more active form of spectatorship.
· narration · direct address to audience · placards and signs · projection · spoiling dramatic tension in advance of episodes (scenes) · disjointed time sequences - flash backs and flash forwards - large jumps in time between episodes (scenes) · historification - setting events in another place and/or time in order to distance the emotional impact, yet enhance the intellectual impact for the spectator (audience) · fragmentary costumes - single items of clothing representing the entire costume · fragmentary props - single objects representing a larger picture (or setting) · song - like parables in the Bible, songs are used to communicate the message or themes of the drama · demonstration of role - actors are encouraged not to fully become the role, but rather to 'demonstrate' the role at arms length, with a sense of detachment · multiple roles - actors commonly perform more than one character in a drama · costume changes in full view of the spectator (audience) · lighting equipment in full view of the spectator (audience) · open white lighting - due to its emotional impact, colored light on stage is eliminated - instead, the stage is flooded with white light · alienation technique - a complex term translated differently by scholars from the German "verfremdungseffekt", involves the use of many of the above conventions, with the ultimate aim of distancing the audience emotionally and increasing their intellectual response to the drama -Stereotyped characters -Minimal set design -The use of song -Banners and signs -Chorus -Actors playing more than one character -Short, episodic scenarios within the play -Bold movement and gesture -Symbolic colours, props (props were minimal) -No use of 4th wall, the actor addresses the audience directly -Often includes historic events or characters
· narration · direct address to audience · placards and signs · projection · spoiling dramatic tension in advance of episodes (scenes) · disjointed time sequences - flash backs and flash forwards - large jumps in time between episodes (scenes) · historification - setting events in another place and/or time in order to distance the emotional impact, yet enhance the intellectual impact for the spectator (audience) · fragmentary costumes - single items of clothing representing the entire costume · fragmentary props - single objects representing a larger picture (or setting) · song - like parables in The Bible, songs are used to communicate the message or themes of the drama · demonstration of role - actors are encouraged not to fully become the role, but rather to 'demonstrate' the role at arms length, with a sense of detachment · multiple roles - actors commonly perform more than one character in a drama · costume changes in full view of the spectator (audience) · lighting equipment in full view of the spectator (audience) · open white lighting - due to its emotional impact, colored light on stage is eliminated - instead, the stage is flooded with white light · alienation technique - a complex term translated differently by scholars from the German "verfremdungseffekt", involves the use of many of the above conventions, with the ultimate aim of distancing the audience emotionally and increasing their intellectual response to the drama -Stereotyped characters -Minimal set design -The use of song -Banners and signs -Chorus -Actors playing more than one character -Short, episodic scenarios within the play -Bold movement and gesture -Symbolic colours, props (props were minimal) -No use of 4th wall, the actor addresses the audience directly -Often includes historic events or characters