Brechtian epic theatre techniques : a comparative study of Alfred Farag's Sulayman's al-Halabi and Iakovos Kampanellis' our grand circus

Abstract EN

This paper is an attempt to examine how the Egyptian versatile playwright, Alfred Farag (1929-2005), and the father of modem Greek theater, Iakovos Kampanellis (1921- 2011) used the Brechtian epic theatre techniques in their plays.

These techniques are the epic devices that are manipulated for distancing the spectators from the characters on stage so as not to be captured by their actions and this would permit the so-called “alienation effect".

According to Bertold Brecht, this effect creates a distance to achieve the audience’s critical thinking instead of just entertainment.