Bertolt Brecht is best known in the context of theatre history. His contributions to the political theatre movement of the early to mid-20th century, commonly known as the epic theatre movement, are often discussed in theatre history classes, as is his eventful life during the Nazi regime. And certainly, there is a vast and growing body of scholarly work dedicated to Brecht and his theatrical contributions which we could all aspire to assimilate. But why? Does this early 20th century German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet have anything of substance to offer a contemporary theatre artist?

Associate professor of theatre in acting, directing, and pedagogy Dr. Bill Gelber says yes.

In his new book, Engaging with Brecht: Making Theatre in the 21st Century, published by Bloomsbury Methuen Drama (available spring 2021), Gelber shares his experiences and discoveries applying Brecht's working methods in the production process and in the classroom. Brecht's techniques, he argues, are still "a very viable option for creating theatre for social change."

Gelber expands on how Brechtian methods can be put to work creating theatre aimed at societal transformation: "There are things that you can actually bring to light through the plays that you choose to perform, and the way you rehearse and direct them, that actually reminds people what they may take for granted. I think Brecht has found all these great ways to do that. So Verfremdung, or alienation if you will, which is a poor translation, really means taking the things people think they know and amazing them by what they really mean."

To this point, Gelber frames much of Engaging Brecht around his experience directing the School of Theatre and Dance's 2015 production of Mother Courage and her Children. One Gelber's methods in the production process was a form of Brechtian script analysis, known as the fabel, which applies a sociological or ideological lens to the textual elements. The fabel, which eventually becomes "a blueprint philosophically for the whole team," was then tested in rehearsal with actors. Here, Gelber brought in Brecht's Arrangement technique wherein actors are staged in specific positions determined in concert with the production designers. Based on seeing the actors experience this process, the production team discovered needed adjustments. Gelber explains how Brecht himself would sometimes completely re-work the staging or even re-write the play in rehearsal: "He had this amazing ability to go back to zero, what he called the nullpunkt. And he could imagine what was in front of him was brand new."

Gelber's research for Engaging Brecht began upon his arrival at Texas Tech in the fall of 2002 where he inherited an advanced scene study class. Taking the word "advanced" seriously, he decided to focus the class on Brecht and other playwrights whose work requires "something beyond basic Stanislavsky training." Gelber went on to teach this class, meeting five days a week, for 18 years: "As I taught the class, more research about Brecht's methods was published and translated into English. Particularly, David Barnett's Book, Brecht in Practice, was such a great explanation of what Brecht intended that it inspired me to work through his processes myself."

In conducting his research, Gelber also made a handful of trips to Germany. He fondly recalls the spring of 2017 when he spent two months in Berlin studying the language and exploring the Bertolt Brecht Archive: "When I wasn't in class, I was at the archive. I had a wonderful host family. I increased my ability to read some of the original texts. It was a really amazing experience."

Gelber hopes to return to Germany again soon. He also looks forward to his next opportunity to apply the methods discussed in Engaging Brecht to a production of one of his plays, specifically the seminal The Three Penny Opera. Gelber's passion for his work is apparent in his enthusiasm to share what he has learned with others, and he hopes that people will be inspired to incorporate the techniques discussed in Engaging Brecht into their own work.