A genre with its origins in art, expressionism is a mode interested in presenting the world as perceived by the artist's inner vision. The expressionist dramatists rejected realistic modes of representation as imitative and sought to create a drama that through its eccentric, nightmarish visions would portray more accurately the individual's tormented relationship with the world. Buchner, as the forerunner of expressionism, inspired Wedekind, Strindberg, Kaiser and Toller. Brechtian drama, or Epic theater, would not have been possible without Expressionism. Epic theater, characterised by its dialectical nature, its method of alienation, and its use of episodic scenes, took elements of expressionism but used them towards critical ends.
This site will take you through a variety of different expressionist plays and sets, as well as introducing you to the Bauhaus design and Brecht's Epic Theater.
"Short Descriptions of a New Technique of Acting"