elements of Brechtian techniques

A Brechtian Structure

The theatre philosopher Bert Brecht argued that all plays should be “historicized” —staged as though they were historical pieces— in order that audiences come to see all human societies as social, cultural and economic constructs that must inevitably change over time. The audience is then alerted to the potential for social change and ready to engage in discourse about possibilities for change.

Juxtaposing two historical time periods has proven a strong technique for realizing this effect. It has become a favourite device with several contemporary English playwrights including Churchill, Stoppard and Goetzee. In their individual ways, these writers have all used the device to distance the audience from emotional identification with the characters and to emphasize intellectual responses.

Experiment with an Air Pump, inhabits three time periods: two on stage (1799 and 1999) and one in the auditorium. Although there’s no great distance between 1999 (when the play was written) and the present day, audience awareness of the fast rate of developments in genetic science since 1999 emphasizes Stephenson’s point that civil society is too slow in coming to grips with them. The play starts in the present, with Ellen addressing her real audience directly, to draw us in to the drama of the painting en route to 1799. Then we are jolted back and forth at an increasing rate until the boundaries between time zones are almost dissolved, as the characters welcome the new century.

Brecht states:

“Historicization leads to considering a given social system from a point of view of another social system. The evolution of society provides the points of view.”

As societies evolve, they develop new perspectives and ways of understanding the world. These changing viewpoints can be used to examine and interpret past social systems. For example, contemporary views on gender roles might provide new insights into how gender roles were understood in historical societies.

Brechtian Characterization shows human “Polytemporality”

Polytemporality, as introduced by Browne, refers to the idea that time can be understood as a complex, multidimensional construct rather than a single, linear progression.

• Doubling of Actors Technique:
  • Explanation: Some socially aware writers use actors to play multiple characters across different time frames. This technique disrupts our ability to fully identify with the characters by highlighting the actor’s presence behind the role.
  • Purpose: It encourages the audience to see beyond the individual characters to the broader thematic connections. It also emphasizes the idea that human responses to social and economic stimuli are consistent across different times.
• Poly-temporality:
  • Explanation: Human beings are viewed as "poly-temporal," meaning they experience and react to multiple temporal contexts simultaneously. Instead of being unique individuals on a linear path of progress, people are seen as interacting with various historical and social influences at once.
  • Philosophical Implication: This perspective challenges the notion of a single, forward-moving wave of progress. Instead, it views human experience as a dialogue with both past and future.
• Bruno Latour’s Argument:
  • Explanation: Latour argues that the Enlightenment idea of continuous progress and modernity is a myth. We are not fully "modern" or "post-modern" because our actions and identities are influenced by a blend of historical and contemporary elements.
  • Concept of "Exchangers and Brewers of Time": Humans interact with different temporal contexts, mixing past influences with present conditions, rather than progressing linearly.
• Example from Stephenson’s Play:
  • Explanation: Tom’s discovery of the bones under the kitchen floor affects his relationship with the house, with his wife and with her intended career move. Only when Ellen changes her manner of relating to the past, re-imagining the bones as a person, can she heal her relationship with Tom and see how to cope through her ethical crisis.
  • Illustration of Poly-temporality: This example shows how present experiences are deeply intertwined with past histories, and how understanding this connection can influence future decisions and personal growth.

In Stephenson’s play, the present is inseparable from histories of the past and both affect the possible futures.