Investigating

Real student work · grade 7 · 2026

See it in real work

This is the 2026 exemplar’s Criterion A, the investigation of Epic Theatre and the critique of Splendid’s Antigone, exactly as it was submitted. The gold notes in the margin are the examiner lens: what each move does and why it earned the marks. Read it for how it is written, not to borrow the content.

Investigating Epic Theatre, Piscator, Meyerhold and Brecht Task 1, Investigating (Criterion A·i)

A.i.1Origins, Piscator and Meyerhold

Epic theater is a form of dialect drama that emerged during the 1920s following the First World War and during the Weimar Republic (Willett 1). Known for its social and political commentary, the creation of this style is often credited to Erwin Piscator and developed by Bertolt Brecht (Britannica Editors). The term “epic theater” was coined by Erwin Piscator during his first year as a director.

Epic theater was a significant deviation from traditional theater due to its unique approach with its aesthetics. This new style of theater was staged using documentary effects and according to The Influence of Erwin Piscator on German and American Theatre this included multimedia integration to create a more immersive and dynamic theatrical experience, audience interactions, and complex scaffold stages which were strategies to cultivate an objective response. This essentially breaks the illusion of watching a play and instead invites the audience to explore how identity (class, age, gender, race or religion) is often a constructed matter shaped by the character’s relationship with the social and political conditions of the time.

On the other hand, another significant pioneer, Vsevolod Meyerhold, further influenced epic theater by effectively capturing the imagination, will and intellect of his audience by dividing a play into episodes, altering the audience’s perception of the mise en scene and leaving the message of the play up for interpretation. The use of Episodic theater allowed for different people to bring in their own identities, knowledge, perspectives and history to connect the same dots in various ways to therefore interpret the same event differently. Ultimately both Piscator and Meyerhold reshaped the style of Epic Theater to help bring light to societal issues by ensuring that the audience do not lose themselves in the play.

A.i.2Brecht and the Verfremdungseffekt

However, the development of Epic Theater is often associated with Bertolt Brecht, a German playwright who aimed to devise a theatrical practice that would not only interpret the world but would help to change it. He was influenced by the loss of human life, the suffering of the middle class and lower class during postwar recessions of the 1920s, Great Depression of the 1930s and the teachings of Marxism.

To do this Brecht and his fellow epic theater artists devised non illusionistic theater aesthetics that encouraged alienation (Verfremdungseffekt) to remind the audience that they were critical observers and not passive participants allowing for a more active interpretation of the play unlike Piscator who preferred to use multimedia to demonstrate social realities. According to Brecht to Epic Theatre, he believed that “seducing” the audience would lead to uncritical analysis of the play. Instead, by keeping the set open with exposed lighting instruments as seen in Man equals Man, using placecards as shown in Mother Courage, encouraging the actors to break character and address the audience, and using an episodic and non linear story as seen in Caucasian Chalk Circle, performances were able to maintain the emotional neutrality necessary to understand the truth of society.

A.i.3Production evidence, Mother Courage

In 1949 Brecht staged Mother Courage which revolved around a woman who lives during the Second World War and is nicknamed Mother Courage for her coolness in safeguarding her merchandise under enemy fire. She is so focused on the wellbeing of her goods that even the deaths of her three children, one by one, do not interrupt her profiteering. This play links to the statement of inquiry because it demonstrates how identity is often shaped by the pressures a person undergoes revealing how differences in circumstances can often result in a painful uniqueness.

During the play Brecht uses a range of techniques to emphasize his use of alienation. This includes the dialogues of Mother Courage rarely being emotional in nature and instead is more intellectual and drier to allow the audience to focus clearly on the antiwar message of the play and how war and greed can distort human relationships from being genuine connections to something built on transactions, survival and deceit. Brecht’s aesthetic in Mother Courage is further highlighted through his choice of turning every available light full on in a whitewash to transform the atmosphere, making it “surprising and sobering” for the audience. This further accentuates the dissociation between the actors and the audience, allowing them to think critically and reflect on the consequences of global wars.

Additionally, Brecht is also successfully able to link his play with Karl Marx’s alienation theory of how the definition of a worker is by the work they do and their individual identity and worth is shaped by their productivity and how them losing their individuality results in them losing their beauty, ultimately becoming indistinguishable from one another.

A.i.4Production evidence, The Threepenny Opera

Brecht also uses epic theater techniques in his play The Threepenny Opera, written in collaboration with composer Kurt Weill, that critiques capitalist society. The didactic components to use of songs, alienation and an episodic structure to of Bertolt Brecht’s “The Threepenny Opera” are well known for their ability to inform and elicit critical thinking from the audience.

In order to do this, he utilises alienation techniques to divert from traditional narratives to communicate his concerns on the capitalist system and how its lack of social mobility and freedom shifts relationships and forces people to lead lives of crime. Brecht reminds us that beauty and uniqueness are found in our differences; however, he also spotlights how easy it is for oppressive systems to strip our individuality away from us. This is frequently brought up during the play as the characters repeatedly have conversations regarding justice, morality and the structure of society interrupting the emotional flow for the audience and preventing them from escaping the subject.

Additionally, in collaboration with Kurt Weill, The Threepenny Opera contains several songs each used to convey Brecht’s message in a memorable and engaging way. These songs often have a satirical or ironic tone to change the atmosphere of the play into a lighthearted one. This shift not only unsettles the audience but also changes their interpretation by making it seem very absurd as it contradicts the grim reality of the play instigating critical analysis and reflection of the performance.

A.i.5Closing, Epic Theatre today

Today, many global social, political or ethical issues are still undermined by the media as they are considered irrelevant on a global scale. However, epic theatre has the ability to raise awareness surrounding these events by clearly demonstrating a divide between sides involved. Moreover, this style of theater trains audiences to be active thinkers and participants instead of passive viewers. By being constantly reminded to reflect on the event, audiences are able to interpret their own social realities through opposing perspectives and deeply analyse the roles they play in it. Epic theater is able to assist them in understanding their own identity and their relationships with the people around them making it easier for them to celebrate and see beauty in both their own and other’s differences.

Critique of Splendid’s Antigone Task 1, Investigating (Criterion A·ii)

A.ii.1Setting the production

In 2013-2014 Splendid Theater performed an Epic Theater inspired adaptation directed by Kerry Frampton and Mal Smith and involving actors Kerry Frampton, Guy Hargreaves and Genevieve Say. Through its use of minimalistic staging, multirolling, alienation, direct address and didactic theater the play is successfully able to explore themes ranging from obedience to the law and the king, family loyalty and if individual values should overturn state laws. The adaptation highlights how identities can be shifted through changes in confidence, clothing and posture and how the difference in physicality results in relationships shifting as status and power dynamics evolve.

A.ii.2The “King Says” game, didactic theatre

One of the first moments an epic theater technique is used is at 1:20 to 2:57 when the three actors encourage the audience to play a game. This game is essentially the equivalent of Simon Says but instead labelled as the King Says. One of the actors says “The King says put your arms up in the air … the King says wave them like you just don’t care.” This was performed with very flamboyant actions including the stretching of his body and arms before waving and wiggling his whole body. The use of the over exaggerated physically suggested that the actor was treating the audience as if they were children at a birthday party.

This moment uses didactic theater through demonstrative acting. This is because it encouraged me to question how authority is constructed and how, despite the actor merely being named “king” the audience immediately follows his orders without questioning his logic or purpose. By framing this as a children’s game the production successfully tricks the audience into believing their actions are innocent when in reality they took part in a system that is designed to demonstrate how easily people submit to power when relationships shift and a title becomes legitimised with confidence.

Following this moment the actor states, again in a very over the top manner, to “put your arms down please” and because he did not say “the King says” anyone who put their arms down would have to do a dramatic death. The performers use alienation in this instance by treating death as a light hearted and humorous instead of something realistic. This motivates the audience to step back and dissociate with the play to wonder why death is used as a punishment in real life and how easily the loss of human life can be dismissed by disguising it under the law.

A.ii.3Multirolling + gestus, clown to guard

Another key epic theater technique that is used in the play is multirolling and gestus. At 27:05 to 27:30 one of the actors transforms from a clown into a guard. Instead of going backstage to do this she remains on stage to remove her party hat and clown glasses and instead replaces them with a guard hat. This allows the audience to see how easily an actor can change their identity on stage showing how social roles are constructed and not fixed.

Moreover, when the actor changes character not only do they use props but they also use gestus, another key epic theater technique which involves a physical action that reveals something about the characters social status, social relationships or power, by shifting their body language. Suddenly going from a very expressive, open and high spirited physicality to a rigid one. This is seen when the actor plants their feet shoulder width apart signaling military discipline however the bent knees and blank expression suggest resignation and mocks the seriousness of guards.

Following their change in status the guard very literally states “I am a guard, a job title that tells you exactly what to do.” Hearing the actor say this so bluntly and robotically is laughable for the audience but it also reminds them that this character does not have any personal backstory, their whole identity is defined by the fact that “they are a guard.” This influences the audience to think more about the difference between someone who is free compared to someone who is controlled and is obedient without thought.

A.ii.4Exposed theatricality + the alienation effect

An additional epic theater technique which is used throughout the play but specifically at 27:05 is exposed theatricality. The aesthetics of the play includes a black box theater to this ensures that the audience and the actors are always in close proximity leaving no time for the audience to escape the issue that they are watching. Additionally it also guarantees that everything is visible including props that have previously been used and are going to be used. Nothing feels naturalistic because nothing is hidden from the audience, constantly reminding them that they are watching a constructed performance.

This also allows for multirolling to be fully displayed. While one actor is turning into a guard on stage right, another actor is simultaneously becoming a king via the change to a confident and powerful posture while a third actor at stage left remains as a clown, casually sitting down and drinking water, a very human action. Being reminded that the actor is a real person playing a role in a constructed performance, forces the audience to further distance themselves from the narrative and maintain passive spectatorship.

Epic theater is known for its use of alienation which can especially be seen at 52:38 where the actor of Antigone is seen crouching down on the stool while her fate is being narrated by the clowns of either side of her using the line “she chooses to die with her eyes open.” The use of the clowns in this moment does not give the audience enough time to develop a visceral connection with Antigone and instead interrupts grief with narration making the audience feel uncomfortable. The use of clowns for this narration shows the artificiality of power because clowns are performers. Throughout history different versions of clowns have existed in royal courts in order to entertain others. They were known for their acrobatics, humour, storytelling, music, performances and their ability to mock the powerful when no one else was allowed to.