ABSTRACT
BertoltBrecht'sapproachtostaging,whichwasinlargepartdevelopedas aresultofhislongstandingcollaborationwithartistanddesignerCaspar Neher,hashadalastinginfluenceonWesterntheatre-designpractice.The term'Brechtian'suggestseconomyofimage,withnothingonthestagethat issuperfluoustothetellingofthestory.Theausterebeautyofthispareddownapproachwasenhancedbyselectiveuseofrealmaterialsandobjectsin preferencetotheprovisionofelaboratescenicillusion.Materialssuchaswood, leather,metal,calicoandearthpigmentswereoftenused,whilepropsand costumeswerechosenfortheircapacitytosuggestalifebeyondthestage.Use ofhalf-heightwalls,curtainsandvisiblelightinginstrumentspointedtoa conscioustheatricalitywherespectatorswerealwaysawareofthecontextof thetheatre.Sincethe1960saBrechtianaesthetichasbeenwidelyadoptedand incorporatedintomainstreamtheatredesign,butlargelyasastylisticdevice ratherthanasetofpracticesandprincipleswhicharticulatescenographyasan interventionintheprocessofperformance.WhatiscrucialtoBrechtian scenographyisnotsimplythewayitlooksbuthowitisabletocomment, interveneandperformaspartoftheproduction.
