Bertolt Brecht

Epic Theater was a movement developed by Brecht that aimed to force the audience to think critically rather than become emotionally absorbed in the story. He used techniques like the 'alienation effect' to constantly remind the audience they were watching a play.

His most influential works include 'Mother Courage and Her Children,' 'The Threepenny Opera,' and 'The Good Person of Szechwan'. These plays frequently explore Marxist themes, class struggles, and the horrors of war.

While Brecht wrote the play's text, the famous music was actually composed by Kurt Weill. This collaboration premiered in Berlin in 1928 and produced the widely covered song 'Mack the Knife'.

Brecht fled Germany in 1933 when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power because his Marxist political views made him a target. He lived in exile in various countries, including the United States, before eventually returning to East Berlin.