Lyric Hammersmith

This is where the wall between the audience and actors on stage is broken. Breaking the fourth wall is when an actor asks the audience a question or talks to them about something.

Montage

Short movie clips are put together, often to show factual events. Sometimes clips are edited to juxtapose each other, or sometimes the montages are used to highlight the issues Brecht is trying to communicate.

Use of song, music and dance

Some of Brecht’s work includes songs, music and dance. This helps to remind the audience that they are not watching real life. Sometimes the songs are juxtaposed ironically, with cheery upbeat music but with dark lyrics. One of the most famous song lyrics comes from Brecht’s ‘The Threepenny Opera’: ‘Who is the bigger criminal: he who robs a bank or he who founds one?’

Narration

Narration is used to remind the audience that they are watching a story. Sometimes the narrator will tell the audience what is about to happen in the story, before it happens, because if the audience knows the outcome then they may not get as emotionally involved.

Minimal set, costumes, props and lighting

Brecht believes the stage should be brightly lit at all times. That sets should not be realistic, just suggestive. And that actors should use minimal props, often only one per character. Also props can be used in several different ways, for example a suitcase may become a desk.

Coming out of character

Actors will sometimes come out character, often at heightened moments of drama, to remind the audience that it is a piece of fiction that they are watching.

Using placards

A placard, or projection screen can be used to give the audience some extra factual information, for example it might say how many people have died in a particular war. Placards can also be used to introduce characters in generic ways, e.g. ‘mum,’ or ‘dad.’ Placards are also used to introduce a new scene, or to tell the audience when one has finished.
Freeze frames/tableaux

The actors may go into a freeze frame, so as to break the action. Sometimes it’s done so that the audience can stop and think critically for moment. And sometimes it’s done so that the narrator can speak, or so that an actor can come out of character and perhaps break the fourth wall.

He used this techniques to make the audience not get emotionally engaged and question about it