Caucasian Chalk Circle: style

Epic Theatre

Breaking the Fourth Wall: Brecht aims to make the audience aware that they are watching a performance, not a reflection of reality. This is commonly known as breaking the fourth wall. Characters in The Caucasian Chalk Circle frequently address the audience directly or comment on the play’s situations.
Didactic Method: In line with the Epic Theatre style, The Caucasian Chalk Circle has a distinct didactic intention. It presents the audience with moral dilemmas, forcing them to engage intellectually rather than emotionally.
Use of Placards: Brecht often used placards or banners to announce scene changes, key events or summarise the upcoming scene. This kept the audience distanced, discouraging emotional immersion and instead invoking critical thought.

Purposeful Alienation: Brecht intentionally aimed to alienate the audience to prevent them from becoming emotionally attached and instead foster a critical view. This is achieved through various means; characters are often played by different actors in different scenes, and narrative continuity is disrupted through episodic structure and songs.
Historification: By placing the story in a distant past or far-away location, Brecht aimed to estrange the issues presented in the play and render them unfamiliar, allowing the audience to reflect critically on them. The Caucasian Chalk Circle is set amidst a civil war in Soviet Georgia, but the themes and conflicts are universally relevant.

Songs Break the Flow: Music and songs in The Caucasian Chalk Circle jolt the audience out of the narrative, adding another layer of alienation. The songs often commentate on the action or articulate a character’s interior monologue.
Songs as Moral Lessons: In line with Brecht’s didactic purpose, the songs often carry moral lessons or highlight societal issues, prompting the audience to reflect on these beyond the context of the play.

Narrator as a Bridge: The role of the Singer, the narrator in The Caucasian Chalk Circle, is not just to narrate the events but act as a bridge between the audience and the characters, often directly addressing the audience.
Direct Audience Address: Other characters also occasionally break the traditional spectator/actor boundary and directly communicate with the audience, explaining their actions, thoughts or feelings. This helps maintain the audience’s critical distance.