What were Bertolt Brecht's key aims in developing his Epic Theatre? Support your answers with evidence from his plays and theoretical writings.

Brecht's Epic Theatre was a break from the prevailing form of theatre - what Brecht called Dramatic Theatre. Epic theatre was a clearly different type of theatre and Brecht sought to make it popular - taking emphasis away from the dramatic theatre that he hated so. He truly believed that naturalism was unrealistic, as it created an ineffective barrier between the actors and the audience - a fourth wall -that made naturalistic theatre suggestive, not …

…The use of an imaginary Chicago was deliberate: by displacing the action into an imagined world, the audience was distanced by the human conflicts. The curtain was used for the display of titles, captions and comments, all designed to distance. Props were not to be used unless necessary. Brecht believed an over-use of them would verge too far on naturalism, but allowed them to suggest time and place. E.g., the cart in 'Mother Courage'.