Bertolt Brecht

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/bertolt-brecht

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Bertolt Brecht born?February 10, 1898
2. When did Bertolt Brecht die?August 14, 1956 (age 58)
3. Where was Bertolt Brecht born?Augsburg, Bavaria, German Empire
4. What is the key collaborators?Hanns Eisler (composer), Elisabeth Hauptmann (co-writer), Helene Weigel (actress and wife)
5. Who was Bertolt Brecht and what did he do?He was a German playwright, poet, and director who wrote plays that made people think and changed how we watch shows.
6. What is epic theatre and why did Brecht create it?Epic theatre is a style that breaks the usual rules of drama so people think instead of just feeling. Brecht made it to help audiences question society.

Epic Theatre: A theatrical approach that emphasizes narrative, critical distance, and intellectual engagement over emotional immersion.
Verfremdungseffekt: The 'alienation effect' or 'distancing effect,' a set of techniques designed to make the audience critically aware of the theatrical illusion.
Didactic Theatre: Plays designed to teach a moral, social, or political lesson to the audience.