The Good Woman of Szechwan

This information has been designed to enhance you and your students' understanding (and enjoyment) of Brecht's Good Woman of Szechwan, and in particular, the USQ Performance Centre's production of this epic tale.

Featuring the second year actors from USQ's Department of Theatre, The Good Woman of Szechwan takes us on a journey of epic proportions. In a land caught between heaven and hell, we are presented with Shen Te, the town prostitute. But does this label accurately describe the ‘Good Woman'? According to the three Gods who have come from heaven in search of a reason to allow such a place to continue existing, Shen Te fits the bill perfectly. What follows is the struggle of Shen Te to survive the world, maintain her goodness and find the ever evasive and mysterious state of being in love.

	1 Preparing Your Students
	2 The Director
	3 The Playwright
	4 Chronology of Brecht's Life
	5 Understanding Brecht and His Theatre
		5.1 Disrupting the Principles of Realism
		5.2 Brecht's Epic Theatre
		5.3 Dramatic vs Epic Theatre
	6 Scene by Scene Synopsis
	7 Themes and Issues
	8 The History of Masks in Theatre
	9 References and Useful Links

Calling on the techniques of Vaudeville, clown, acrobatics and mask, Scott Alderdice's rendition of Brecht's moral fable will provide students with an excellent basis from which to discuss Epic Theatre and its master, Bertolt Brecht.