Bertolt Brecht

Bertolt Brecht has, for several decades, been regarded by academics and theatre professionals alike as one of the most influential theatre practitioners and theorists not just of the twentieth century, but of history. His beliefs about what theatre is and can be, how it functions, and why it should exist at all were undeniably linked with his socialist political principles, but nevertheless transcended those principles and exhibited a profound understanding of theatre's essential purpose - to explore the nature of humanity.

Originally, and as documented throughout many of the writings in this collection, Brecht's ambition was to take that essential purpose one step further, into transforming humanity. His goal was to use theatre to shake citizens and communities out of a state of unquestioning loyalty to a market economy/society and into a more thoughtful, socially aware community of like-minded, empowered, equal individuals - in other words...