Bertolt Brecht (b. Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht, February 10, 1898; d. August 14, 1956) was a German Marxist poet, playwright and theater director. He is known for his development of his own form of theater, known as Epic Theater. In this, he attempted to alienate an audience from their emotions and the illusion of theater, in order to focus on the political commentary dialectically portrayed in his work. This resulted in Brecht becoming a forerunner in the 'theatricalization' of the theater, and a primary advocate of non-illusionary theater throughout his life.[1]
His influence can be seen in almost all forms of modern theater, notably, Theater of Cruelty, and post-dramatic theater.
Brecht was a communist and supporter of the German Democratic Republic. On June 17, 1953, there were protests against the dictatorial government. Brecht called the protesters "fascists" and said that he was happy about the crackdown by the army.