Bertolt Brecht’s Approach to Theater
As aN Analogue to Open Source Software
Kerry J. Cox
Under the supervision of Professor Jost Hermand
At
the
In the late 1920s to early 1930s Bertolt Brecht wrote a series of works termed Lehrstücke or “learning plays”. They were designed to instruct and educate not only theater audiences but also performers and readers. Brecht considered his writings a collaborative process. He often recruited fellow writers to assist him while drawing heavily upon the written works of other authors. This formative process has many unique parallels to a contemporary field of study, that of open source software. Unlike proprietary software code available only in binary format, open source code is accessible to all and can be read and modified by any user. This type of software is also collaborative in nature. Any writer may contribute and improve upon existing text without incurred costs. Many of the same methodologies used by programmers espousing open source are shared by Bertolt Brecht.
Though Brechtian theater and open source software appear disparate, they share many distinct attributes. Both concepts, from Brecht’s plays to open code, were originally conceived in reaction to monopolistic practices of the time. Though their primary purpose was pedagogical, many see both as having financial as well as entertainment value. Brecht’s plays are still well received throughout the world on account of his subject matter, his performance techniques and content. The same applies to open source software. In many developing countries this code has been widely adopted, supplanting other proprietary applications. How Brecht’s learning plays and open source software are analogous is examined in this dissertation.