Brecht's Epic Theater and Chalk Circle

The epic theater was developed by Bertolt Brecht as a reaction to the crisis of representation and is classified within the category of modern experimental theater. It is, in fact, an outcome of this crisis of representation, so it comes from a total reality, the reality of realist writers who want to explore drama and theater for certain political aims. Therefore, the content and the form change, and challenge realism as a traditional means of representation, causing it to be more experimental and more unconventional.

Realism was the mainstream theatrical representation at that time, and Brecht himself challenges realism and Aristotelian tradition. Since he is not content with realism, he uses different methods of representation appropriate to urban life. As changing times require new content and new form, which is the outcome of two world wars and the great economic depression, realism can no longer represent this changing reality and alternative means of representation are needed. Epic Theater was influenced by emerging political, social, and economic ideologies. In this sense, theater should not evoke emotion in people, but it should make them question the situation. Brecht makes use of “alienation” to solidify this conception.

Chalk Circle is a play written by Brecht and is an example of epic theater. The setting is 1945, and events take place in a war-ravaged Caucasian village, a fictitious foreign land covering a great deal of time. There are frequent local shifts. In the play, there is a singer who often interrupts the play and gives background information. She refers to the debate between Kolkhoz villagers as wisdom, old and new. The new wisdom is related to how the debate is resolved based on reason, rational argument, and refutation. The irrigation project in the valley is accepted by both sides, and it is celebrated. People on the left do not insist on their claims of ownership for eternity, but they participate anyway.

The singer later tells the audience how old and new wisdom are mixed. In order to do that, she refers to historicization and tells a wise story about the valley. She tells us in a way how the conflict in the Chalk Circle is going to be resolved, and by doing so, she breaks causality, reducing suspense. Singer also introduces the conflict and breaks the realistic illusion. The presence of the singer and the way she uses her notebook remind us that this is just a story. In this play, the characters are demonstrated rather than impersonated by the actors. This way of portrayal prevents the rise of suspense and further solidifies the alienation effect used by Brecht.