[[link removed]]

FOOD FIRST, MORALS FOLLOW: 70 YEARS ON BERTOLT BRECHT (1956–2026)
 
[[link removed]]


 

Eva Brenner
August 13, 2026
Transform Network
[[link removed]]


*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

_ Brecht criticized social injustice, denounced National Socialism
and envisioned more humane, socialist society. Remembering Brecht
means revisiting his insistence that art should question existing
power relationships and imagine a different society. _

Bertolt Brecht (standing second from left) at a peace rally held by
the Cultural Association at the Admiralspalast in Berlin on 24 October
1948. , German Federal Archive (Bundesarchiv), Bild 183-H0611-0500-001
/ CC-BY-SA 3.0.

 

In his literary works, Bertolt Brecht criticized social injustice,
denounced National Socialism and kindled hope for a more humane,
socialist society. Seventy years after his death, remembering Brecht
also means revisiting his insistence that art should question existing
power relations and imagine a different society.

_“Food is the first thing, morals follow on.”_ [1]
[[link removed]]

14 August 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of the death of Bertolt
Brecht (1898–1956), the most important German-language playwright
and director. This year has seen a number of new Brecht productions,
following decades of relative quiet around his profoundly political
theatre.

Brecht made his breakthrough in Berlin, where he studied Marxist
theory and developed epic (dialectical) theatre, with his most
frequently performed play, _The Threepenny Opera_ (1928). Rather than
presenting the tragic individual fates characteristic of bourgeois
illusionistic theatre, epic theatre uses the alienation effect –
including songs, commentary and visual signs – to portray social
conflicts such as war, revolution, economics and social injustice,
calling on audiences as co-producers to participate in transforming
society.

Brecht escaped Nazi Germany in 1933, travelling via Prague, Vienna,
Zurich and several Scandinavian countries before reaching the United
States in 1941. After being interrogated by the House Un-American
Activities Committee in 1947, he returned to Europe and, together with
his wife Helene Weigel, founded the legendary Berliner Ensemble in
East Berlin.

“And the shark, it has teeth…” Thus begins the famous song from
_The Threepenny Opera_. Amid Kurt Weill’s lively music and the
work’s humorous tone, its critical message is often overlooked –
the satirical indictment of the criminal behaviour of capitalists both
large and small, who resort to illegal means to maintain their power
in times of crisis. There are numerous parallels with our own time:
the play emerged from the economic crisis at the end of the Weimar
Republic and reflects the divide between rich and poor, the loss of
social cohesion and the erosion of democratic principles. Much like
Brecht’s Mackie Messer operating from the criminal underworld,
today’s elites seize key positions within the state, rule through
terror and violence – and yet continue to grow in popularity.

Where Brecht’s wrongdoers ultimately meet their downfall,
contemporary actors sit at the levers of international capital,
manipulate elections, discriminate against outsiders and instigate
illegal wars. Although _The Threepenny Opera_ remains one of
Brecht’s most frequently performed works, its political message is
often lost amid the absurdity of the action on stage: those who fail
to resist the erosion of democracy before it is too late have already
lost.

NOTES:

[1]
[[link removed]]
Original German: “Erst kommt das Fressen, dann kommt die Moral.”
From Bertolt Brecht, _The Threepenny Opera_ (_Die Dreigroschenoper_),
translated by John Willett and Ralph Manheim.

 

_xxxxxx MODERATOR NOTE: BRECHT'S THEORY OF EPIC THEATRE "WANTED HIS
AUDIENCES TO ADOPT A CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE IN ORDER TO RECOGNIZE SOCIAL
INJUSTICE AND EXPLOITATION AND TO BE MOVED TO GO FORTH FROM THE
THEATRE AND EFFECT CHANGE IN THE WORLD OUTSIDE. FOR THIS PURPOSE,
BRECHT EMPLOYED THE USE OF TECHNIQUES THAT REMIND THE SPECTATOR THAT
THE PLAY IS A __REPRESENTATION OF REALITY_
[[link removed]]_ AND NOT REALITY ITSELF.
BY HIGHLIGHTING THE CONSTRUCTED NATURE OF THE THEATRICAL EVENT, BRECHT
HOPED TO COMMUNICATE THAT THE AUDIENCE'S REALITY WAS EQUALLY
CONSTRUCTED, AND AS SUCH, WAS CHANGEABLE." WIKIPEDIA_

* Bertolt Brecht
[[link removed]]
* The Three Penny Opera
[[link removed]]
* Kurt Weill
[[link removed]]
* Lotte Lenya
[[link removed]]
* socialism
[[link removed]]
* art
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

 

 

 

INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

Submit via web
[[link removed]]

Submit via email
Frequently asked questions
[[link removed]]
Manage subscription
[[link removed]]
Visit xxxxxx.org
[[link removed]]

Bluesky [[link removed]]

Facebook [[link removed]]

 




[link removed]

To unsubscribe, click the following link:
[link removed]