ABSTRACT
Of all Brecht’s ideas about theatre, his concept of the appropriate emotional distance between
performer and role and between audience and performance is probably the best known. A full
understanding of its implications, however, is not easy, and reaching it is not assisted by
Brecht’s determination to present his theatre as the opposite of ‘naturalistic’ theatre and,
therefore, of the approach of its arch-exponent, Constantin Stanislavski. This simple ‘binary
opposition’ is neither an accurate representation of Brecht’s practice nor a helpful approach
for those wishing to perform his plays in a sympathetic manner. Furthermore, this opposition
has frequently created a barrier for British actors to understanding the performance demands
of a Brecht text.
