Introduction to Brecht Complete Lesson Bundle

This lesson is designed to last between 1-3 hours, depending on the amount of exploration time given per task. The lesson works through:

• Theoretical background of Brecht (life, history, theatrical background)
• Key Quotes from Brecht, and how they inform us of his way of working
• Practical Epic Theatre exploration tasks
• Introduction to key Epic Theatre techniques
• Introduction to a stimulus
• Practical application of knowledge (using Epic Theatre techniques to create a piece of Drama as a response to the stimulus)

Full details are given in the hand-outs and lesson plan to allow teachers of all backgrounds to deliver this lesson; no pre-existing knowledge of Brecht is needed.

Suggestions for using this resource:

• Introduction to a theatre practitioner (A-Level Drama)
• Introduction to devising and staging techniques (GCSE / A-Level Drama)
• A one-off workshop to kick-start a SOW
• A workshop as part of a SOW introducing different practitioners and devising techniques (please see my other resources for workshops on Stanislavksi, Artaud, Physical Theatre, Choral Speech, Script Writing and Verbatim Theatre.

In the past, this lesson has been used to kick start AQA Drama Component 2: Devising Theatre.

This lesson pack includes one PowerPoint, four resources/hand outs, one lesson plan and two student-led lesson plans.

The student-led lesson plans contain the same content, but instructions are directed at the student rather than the teacher. Perfect for non-specialist teachers, high-ability students or for cover lessons, as students teach themselves the content and work through the tasks autonomously.