Chapter 30 - Bertolt Brecht in Brazil

Summary

The article gives an overview on the reception of Brecht in Brazil spanning the decades from 1960 to the present. During that time Brazil underwent many economic, political and cultural changes without which the special appeal of Brecht’s work cannot be fully understood. In the beginning Brecht helped Brazilian theater to break away from traditional bourgeois theater. In the 1960s he became the most performed playwright, and this popularity continued well into the first phase of military rule. The article then focuses on a number of leading theaters that performed or adapted Brecht plays, as well as on artists such as Augusto Boal who sought to develop Brecht’s theater techniques further. Brecht’s impact remains strong even under conditions that have changed in recent decades. Aside from the plays that shed light on the conditions of capitalism it is also Brecht’s attitude in approaching reality and his search for artistic means that have influenced various generations of Brazilian theater directors and activists.