Thinking some more about Brecht

One of the interesting presentations at the Drama Australia Conference was by Fiona Martin entitled ‘Wunderweit, A Wonderful Pause’ (due for publication  in Journal of Drama and Theatre Education in Asia (DaTEAsia), Hong Kong.

This paper introduces Wunderweit (Wonderful Distance), a novel pedagogical framework developed by a drama practitioner‐researcher, which re-envisions Bertolt Brecht’s Verfremdungseffekt for the contemporary Drama classroom.

Wunderweit integrates Brechtian distancing principles with the ethical and transformative potential of Enchantment methodology. This approach cultivates a ‘vibrant pause’ in normalcy, enabling students to engage critically and hopefully with complex global challenges, particularly climate change.

This was a fascinating paper and I hope others will read it when published. 

Why do we pay so much attention to Brecht?

Fads and fashions in theatre and drama education come and go but Brecht is a persistent thread woven through our contemporary understanding of drama. Sometimes, I see Brecht taught tokenistically and superficially. Reduced to a list of tricks such as breaking the fourth wall, using songs/narration, minimal, functional sets, and harsh lighting. Brecht is something more than answering a question in the ATAR exam (In my schooling I remember a history teacher who insisted that we summarise the whole course onto 2 sheets of A4 paper as dot points and use them in the exam!)

Once, many years ago I came away from a school production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle making a mental note to myself (a little unkindly perhaps) about watching the well-fed children of the bourgeoisie playing at dialectic drama. They used all the tricks, projections and direct address to the audience. They even got into the spirit by having Adzak inviting audience members to join him for a drink on stage. But was there a sense of Brecht’s plays as lessons, not stories? Was that production just a comfy. “entertainment”. Was Brecht in the shared space?

Adolescence is often a rage against the machine. Who better to voice a sense of questioning! But social media is often nothing deeper than outrage and assumed privilege. Brecht can give voice that steps beyond to create astonishment and wonder.

March 2026