Why Bertolt Brecht Matters Even More in Our Post-Truth World
In a context of rising intolerance and irrationality, German Marxist playwright Bertolt Brecht insisted on establishing a rational, scientific attitude between the story on the stage and its viewers, between fiction and reality.
Brecht with Helene Weigel on the roof of the Berliner Ensemble during the International Workers’ Day demonstrations in 1954. Credit: Wikimedia Commons via CC BY-SA 3.0
Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) is one of the world’s most performed playwrights. In Mumbai alone in the last few months, two major Brecht productions have been mounted – Quasar Padamsee directed Arundhati Nag in Mother Courage and Her Children, while Imaad Shah, following his father Naseeruddin’s steps, debuted as a theatre director with The Threepenny Opera. It is extraordinary that in our tired, post-ideology, cynical, hopeless world, this German Marxist playwright should continue to speak to younger directors and theatre-makers the world over. Barely a week goes by without a new Brecht production opening somewhere on the planet. Along with Shakespeare, Brecht is a global playwright. Last week, on February 10, was Brecht’s 120th birth anniversary./.../
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