Bertolt Brecht

Thought by many to be the most influential playwright of the twentieth-century, Brecht developed a theory of theater based on his belief that theater should teach the audience, not simply entertain it. He rejected the idea of an escapist theater and searched for a way to arouse the audience to a rational, active participation in the political and social life of the day. In order to accomplish this goal, he used the technique of "alienation," in which the audience is deliberately kept distant from the emotional lives of the characters on stage. To alienate the spectator he used unexpected production techniques and repeatedly broke the dramatic illusion created by his actors and scripts. His ambition was to create an Epic Theater for his time.

In 1949 Brecht and his wife Helene Weigel founded the Berliner Ensemble in East Berlin. It achieved preeminence in Germany and world-wide acclaim for its productions of Brecht's plays. When Brecht was alive, he served as artistic director for the company. After his death his wife took over the management of the company and plays were directed by Palitzsch, Besson, and others.