Old Pueblo Playwrights, two short plays by Bertolt Brecht, reading and discussion

Old Pueblo Playwrights
Next meeting: Monday night, April 10th, 7:00 p.m.
ATC Rehearsal Hall (upstairs, behind the Cabaret Theater)
at the Temple of Music and Art
330 S. Scott
Downtown Tucson

 

Dear OPP Community: Sometimes I really get a kick out of the ironic line Facebook puts in these text boxes:

"Write something..."

Ha! And so I will, and so we must. There are so many stories out there that need to be told, whether born from our fancies or whimsical notions, or inspired by real events that moved us, amused us, thrilled us, or horrified us. Sometimes we journey through life and stumble upon a patch of bad road that we hope others will avoid, but it's kinda hard to see until we grab 'em by the lapels and point it out.

Mid-20th Century German playwright Bertolt Brecht was one of those grab 'em by the lapels kind of writer. He championed a concept called Epic Theatre, that in many ways pushed back against the realism that occupied the mainstream at the time. Brecht felt that audiences should never forget that they were in a theater attending a play, and that what was being presented was an artifice to be taken seriously--or not--at the audience member's discretion.

The two short one-acts that we're reading and discussing Monday night are actually more in the realistic vein than Brecht's more "Epic" works, such as "Mother Courage and Her Children," "Caucasian Chalk Circle," and "Good Woman of Szechuan." These one acts offer a glimpse into one playwright's reaction to disturbing events that were unfolding in his country. Some may find parallels to current events in our own country--maybe, maybe not. But the plays do stand as a record of a time, place, and political reality, and it's worthwhile to examine the techniques used by the playwright to bring his view of reality home and into the minds and hearts of his audiences. I hope you can join us!

 

https://sites.google.com/site/tucsonopp/

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/Old-Pueblo-Playwrights-140476349334167

 

New Members Welcome at any meeting!

 

April 10: Dave Sewell will bring two short plays by Bertolt Brecht for reading and discussion.

April 17: Gavin Kayner will bring a reworked version of his full-length play, An Indiscretion.

April 24: John Heyl will bring a revised version of his one-act play, The Stuff In The Garage, for a second reading.

 

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