A Brechtian exercise: Gestus
Gestus
Brecht wanted to find ways to make key ideas in his plays clear to the audience. The term ‘gestus’ means a quotable gesture (a defining gesture or physical representation of character). Gestus is a significant action that the audience will remember after the play is over.
- Ask your students to think back over scenes performed during the year’s work.
- Ask them to devise a gestus that signifies an important character or idea from a performance. This might be a single gesture, a movement, a freeze, or a symbol.