ABSTRACT
This chapter maps out the further evolution of Brechtian theatre in the wake of the changes in political and theatrical scenes. I further explore the influence of Brechtian aesthetics and its distinctive uses in India after the Emergency and globalisation. I analyse two bends of Brechtian theatre – new street theatre and post-Brechtian theatre – and argue that these interventions can’t be considered as an “end” of Brechtian theatre but only a challenge to orthodox Brechtian aesthetics. In the first section of the chapter, I analyse the first “bend” of Brechtian theatre via Safdar Hashmi’s 1980 production of Samarth Ko Nahi Dosh Gusain (Don’t Blame the Powerful), a representative example of street theatre in India. In the second section, I analyse the second “bend” of Brechtian theatre through Amal Allana’s 1993 production of Himmat Mai (Mother Courage and her Children)..
