German writer, poet, director, playwright and theatre theorist Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956) was among the few artists whose approach to theatre gained recognition as a theory. His book Theatre: Poetry, Essays, Interviews and Speeches was launched on 1 December 2021. Theatre scholars describe Brecht as a major figure in twentieth-century German stage art.
The book, published by CITI University’s School of Arts, was translated by the university’s Honorary Professor N. Purevdagva. Mongolian theatre scholars and researchers, poets, essayists and theatre practitioners attended the launch.
President Ts. Baigalmaa, Ph.D., said at the launch that Brecht was an influential German director, theorist and playwright who renewed modern theatre. Although his plays had been translated and staged in Mongolia, a comprehensive introduction to his theoretical work had not previously been published. She described the university’s publication of Honorary Professor N. Purevdagva’s translation as an important intellectual contribution enabling students, teachers and artists to strengthen their knowledge and skills, and welcomed the opportunity for School of Arts students to study the nature, theory and artistic approach of Brecht’s work.
Translator Professor N. Purevdagva explained that Brecht’s methods had been tested, changed and improved over many years, while their central principle remained: theatre should not simply reproduce life but disrupt and estrange it. The book discusses the view of established theatre scholars that theatre leads audiences to think, analyse and make decisions. It has four main sections—poetry, Shakespeare, epic theatre theory, and work and life in theatre—each divided into detailed subsections.
The School of Arts also organised a research conference and photography exhibition on Brecht’s artistic theory and work. At the conference, ‘Theatre Criticism and Brecht’s Language’, scholars, researchers and directors from CITI University, the National University of Mongolia, the Mongolian National University of Arts and Culture, the Mongolian National University of Education, and the State Academic Drama Theatre presented and discussed papers.
